Veleta (from the Arab word "Balata", meaning cliff) or Pico del Veleta is the second highest peak of the
Iberian peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula (),
**
* Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica''
**
**
* french: Péninsule Ibérique
* mwl, Península Eibérica
* eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...
and the
Sierra Nevada. Its height is given variously as ,
and .
The mountain can be seen from the city of
Granada
Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...
. Veleta's northern slopes are home to the
Sierra Nevada Ski Station
The Sierra Nevada Ski Station is a ski resort in the Sierra Nevada in the province of Granada in southeastern Spain. The ski area is on the northwestern slopes of Veleta, the third highest peak in Peninsular Spain and the most southerly ski ...
. The access road that takes one to approximately 10 metres below the summit is the
highest paved road in Europe across the mountains from Granada to the western
Alpujarras
The Alpujarra (, Arabic: ''al-bussarat'') is a natural and historical region in Andalusia, Spain, on the south slopes of the Sierra Nevada and the adjacent valley. The average elevation is above sea level. It extends over two provinces, ...
. This road was built before the creation of the
Sierra Nevada National Park in 1999. It has since been closed to general traffic beyond Hoya de la Mora, just above the ski station. However, the road is still used by ski station employees, national park rangers, observatory staff, cyclists and walkers, and a microbus service also takes hikers up to Posiciones del Veleta, a viewpoint 3,100 metres above sea level. In summer it is a relatively easy walk up to the summit from there.
The Corral de la Veleta or Corral del Veleta glacier, at 37° N the southernmost
glacier
A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...
in Europe, disappeared in 1913.
Veleta or Pico de Veleta - Iberianature
/ref>
The IRAM 30m telescope
The IRAM 30-meter telescope is a radio telescope used for astronomical observations in the millimeter range of wavelengths, operated by the Institut de radioastronomie millimétrique, Institute for Radio Astronomy in the Millimeter Range (IRAM) an ...
is located on the slopes of Pico Veleta, at an elevation of 2920 m.
See also
*Sierra Nevada Ski Station
The Sierra Nevada Ski Station is a ski resort in the Sierra Nevada in the province of Granada in southeastern Spain. The ski area is on the northwestern slopes of Veleta, the third highest peak in Peninsular Spain and the most southerly ski ...
* List of highest paved roads in Europe
This is a list of the highest paved roads in Europe. It includes roads that are over long and whose culminating point is at least above sea level. This height approximately corresponds to that of the highest settlements in Europe and to the t ...
* List of highest paved roads in Europe by country
This is a list of the highest paved road and the highest paved pass in each European country.
Highest motorways by country
See also
* List of highest paved roads in Europe
* List of highest points of European countries
* List of mountain pas ...
* List of mountain passes
This is a list of mountain passes.
Africa
Egypt
* Halfaya Pass (near Libya)
Lesotho
* Moteng Pass
* Mahlasela pass
* Sani Pass
Morocco
* Tizi n'Tichka
South Africa
* Eastern Cape Passes
* Western Cape Passes
* Northern Cape Passes
* Kwa ...
References
External links
Profile on climbbybike.com
El Corral del Veleta
Sierra Nevada (Spain)
Baetic three-thousanders
Penibaetic System
Mountains of Andalusia
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