Espolón de los Agujeros, Barranco de la Maimona · Montanejos · Spain
Read the cautionsBail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
Eight pitches up a vertical prow deep in the Maimona canyon, on orange rock full of pockets (agujeros means holes). Sustained at 6a+ to 6b and physical throughout, with a huge roof start to the crux pitch and a bench to sit on at the third belay. Closed from January to June.
Abundantly bolted with chained belays, but it has loose rock on pitch 5, ageing rungs on pitch 6, flood-dependent access and a January to June closure.
The route
The showpiece of Montanejos and a regular in lists of Spain's best multipitch routes. It follows the right side of the Espolón de los Agujeros, a prow up the canyon beyond the flood dam, on heavily sculpted rock that is steep the whole way. Parties describe it as homogeneous, around 6b from bottom to top, with abundant bolts. Access is the complication: the canyon bed must be nearly dry, the cables past the flood dam were damaged in November 2024 (repaired by October 2025), and climbing is forbidden for half the year.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 6a+ | 30 m | A hard, athletic start when cold. |
| P2 | 6a+ | 30 m | – |
| P3 | 6a+ | 30 m | Ends on a ledge. |
| P4 | 5 | 20 m | Traverse left along the ledge, where there is a bench. |
| P5 | 6b+ | 25 m | A huge overhang at the start, then a slab (the 6b+ section), then a traverse. The crux goes well, but the top of the pitch crosses very poor rock: a 2022 leader fell holding a detached slab, and the chalked holds left of the slab should be avoided. The Spanish description gives 32 m. |
| P6 | 6b | 30 m | Partly climbed with the help of fixed metal rungs, finishing up a corner at 6b. A 2022 party describes the rungs as in poor condition and suggests backing up the belay on the first rung with a long sling. |
| P7 | 6b | 25 m | Very steep. |
| P8 | 6a+ | 30 m | An excellent, very sustained pitch to the top. |
Getting there
Montanejos is in inland Castellón province, on the CV-20 road up the Mijares valley from Onda; no source read gives public transport details. The starting point is the climbers' refuge (Albergue El Refugio) at the mouth of the Maimona gorge, at the entrance to the village. Water is available from the village fountain or at the car park after the bridge.
About 30 minutes. From the refuge walk up the canyon to the flood-control dam. Climb the steps on its left, then descend with the help of a cable and a fixed rope back into the stream bed. Continue to the prow. The route is on its right-hand side, with a moon drawn at the start. If pools remain, cabled traverses let you pass the flooded sections.
Loading map
The point is approximate: it marks the area, not the crag.
Coordinates · area: approximate
Point from camptocamp waypoint 189249
Contains the route point. Opens in most mapping apps and GPS watches.
Points are compiled from published sources, with the precision stated above. They were not surveyed on the ground: check them against a current topo.
Coordinates: 40.06100, -0.54000 (area)
Getting down
Walk off. Follow the ridge north to a small col and a signpost at a fork. Left: descend towards the gully, then climb back up along the wall with a cable to a col, traverse east roughly level, regain the crest to pass round the summit and join the GR path back to Montanejos, about 1 hour in all. Right: a gully that leads down to the flood dam, not tested by the camptocamp authors. Abseiling the route is awkward above the third belay.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
All belays are chained and a 2022 party retreated after a fall on pitch 5, so abseiling from the middle of the route is feasible. Camptocamp warns that the abseil descent is awkward above the third belay, where the route traverses a ledge and then overhangs. Rope lengths are not given.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
The pillar is shaded and catches the wind: a February party climbed the whole route in shade and felt cold. With the closure from 1 January to 30 June, autumn is the season. The canyon must be almost dry to reach the start; it was reported nearly dry in October 2013 and October 2025.
Sun on the wall
No estimate: the wall's aspect is not recorded for this route.
Climate figures for Montanejos are not available yet
What to carry
12 quickdraws plus belay kit; all belays are chained (camptocamp). No rope length is stated; pitches are up to 30 to 32 m and the descent is on foot. A long sling for the pitch 6 belay. Helmet.
Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo
From climbers
Reader reports are not being collected yet. Until they are, check a current topo and the local club or guidebook publisher for recent changes to La Luna.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
Spain · Montanejos
Seven varied pitches in two halves split by a big ledge: vertical walls and cracks below, then an overhanging red wall and a traverse on a carpet of sharp little spikes beneath giant roofs. In the sun from the morning, unpolished, with an easy walk down.
6b+7 pitches170 m
Around 6b+ · about 8 pitches
Italy · Sardinia
A sea-level start reached by abseil, then seven short pitches up the seaward face of Pedra Longa. The third pitch is a wildly exposed traverse above a line of roofs; two easy pitches on rock that needs care lead to a technical 6b and 6b+ finish on grey slab.
6b+7 pitches175 m
Turkey · Aladağlar
Often named as the best route in the massif: seven even pitches of 6a to 6b+ that move from delicate slabs and giant flutings through a steep, rough wall to mountain-style ground at the top. The 6b pitches are no harder than the 6a ones, but the bolts are far enough apart to keep you thinking.
6b+7 pitches235 m
Read the cautions
Italy · Bolzano & South Tyrol
Steep crack, corner and chimney climbing on porphyry, fully bolted in the middle of a trad crag. Sustained at 6a to 6b with a technical 6b+ first pitch. It stays in the shade until mid-afternoon, which makes it a summer option.
6b+7 pitches190 m
Spain · Riglos & Agüero (Mallos)
A recent, closely bolted line on the Mallo Frechín and a good way to get to know Riglos without being frightened. A stiff 6b+ second pitch that many find nearer 6c, then steep, sustained 6a and 6a+ over a succession of bulges on unpolished rock. You can abseil off from the top.
6b+7 pitches190 m
Compiled from published sources and last verified October 2026. Bolts, anchors and access change. Climbing is dangerous and you are responsible for your own decisions: check a current topo and read the disclaimer.
