The Sierra Helada is a roller-coaster of a walk. It begins in the little seaside town of L’Albir, takes you up and down a series of spectacular clifftops and leaves you with a seagull’s-eye view of the skyscrapers of Benidorm.

The walk isn’t actually that long – only about 7.5 km – but it’s a real switchback of high peaks and plunging valleys, so it takes a good 4-5 hours from start to finish.

To give you some idea of the ups and downs, the health app on my smartphone said I’d climbed the equivalent of 175 floors between L’Albir and Benidorm. The world’s tallest building has only 163 floors!

But some of the most beautiful parts of the Costa Blanca are laid out beneath you, so it really is worth the effort.

To the north, you can see up the coast to the massive bulk of the Peñon d’Ifach, a Rock of Gibraltar look-alike. As your gaze moves inland, there’s the Sierra de Bernía with the hilltop town of Altea at its foot.

To your left is the Puig Campana mountain with a distinctive square gap in its summit. Finally there’s the spectacular view southwards towards the towers of Benidorm, with Alicante just about visible in the distance on a clear day.

Let’s get going!

The Sierra Helada – or Serra Gelada in Valenciano, the local language – is an officially protected parc natural, a pine-clad green oasis amid all the relentless development of the coastal plain.

The walk starts by the entrance of the Parc Natural on Cami Vell del Far in L’Albir. Leave your car there (parking is free) and head past the info boards and picnic tables. Jump to the map at the end of this post here.

Most of your fellow hikers will be heading for the Faro de l’Albir, a gentle picturesque walk on a nice, paved road, ending at the L’Albir lighthouse. If you fancy this walk (it’s great!), check out my post here.

But we have a sterner challenge ahead! We’ll be climbing off to the right, up the stony track to Alt del Governador (Governor’s Peak) and the nest of antennas you can see high up on the ridge ahead of you. The zig-zag path is steep, but straightforward and really well signposted.

Don’t forget to look behind you from time to time on the way up – the views across the coastal plain and the bay of Altea are beautiful.

The highest point

It’s just under an hour to Alt del Governador, 439 metres above sea level (1440 feet), and the highest point of the whole Sierra Helada cliff walk.

Here you hit the paved road used by maintenance crews who look after the telecommunications masts. Cross the road to the clifftop mirador for some breathtaking views up and down the coast.

Then follow the maintenance road along the ridge signposted towards La Creu de Benidorm – the Benidorm Cross. Don’t get too used to the easy going. It doesn’t last long!

When the going gets tough…

All too soon the path veers off to the left and you’re about to hit the toughest section of the trail.

Ahead lies a series of steep climbs and equally steep descents across a jumble of limestone rocks that leave your knees aching! There are supposed to be seven peaks along the trail, but to be honest, I stopped counting after the first three.

The panoramas more than make up for the effort though. Peer down (very carefully!) at the tiny Isla Mitjana far below, and the stunningly sheer cliffs that overlook it.

Apparently the Sierra Helada – literally the Frozen Mountain – was named by fishermen long ago who thought the cliffs looked like ice in the moonlight. But in the autumn afternoon sun, they definitely have more of a pinky, orange tinge.

All the while, that phalanx of high-rises in Benidorm gets ever closer until finally, the up-and down-rollercoaster smooths out a bit and you can see the end of the walk in the distance. The Benidorm Cross.

Fascinating fact!

How the Cross came to be there, high up on a headland overlooking all those skyscrapers, is a strange tale involving bikinis (yes, really!) and the Catholic church. Even General Franco gets a mention! For the full story, see my blog here.

The last slope down to the cross is marked by a series of stone cairns. The descent is somewhat spoiled by the relentless hammering of piledrivers sinking foundations for yet another skyscraper down in the town below.

You do wonder how they manage to squeeze them all in – but it seems that in Benidorm, there’s always room for one more high-rise.

Take the little side trail to the base of the cross itself for great views over the beaches and island of Benidorm.

Walk over – what now?

Then there’s the question of how to get home. Unless you’re super-fit and can do the trail back to L’Albir in reverse, you need to head down to sea level.

A steepish road takes you down from the Cross in about 15-20 minutes. At least it’s tarmac, so it’s kinder to your aching knees than a stone track!

Unless of course, you had the foresight to come with two cars. One to park on Carrer Taywan just below the Cross and the other to drive round to the start of the walk in L’Albir.

I only had one car, so for me it was the tramp down to the Avenida del Mediterráneo and bus 10 back to L’Albir via Alfàs del Pi. Timetable here. It’s short walk from the bus stops in the centre of L’Albir up to the car park where you left your car at the start of the walk.

If you’re reliant on public transport, then the bus is the best solution. Or pick up a taxi in Benidorm.

Sierra Helada cliffs – trail tips

The trail is often really stony and uneven, so good footwear is essential. Take plenty of water. There’s some shade from the trees en route, but I’d say avoid this trail in the heat of high summer.

Keep a sharp eye out for the splashes of yellow and white paint that mark the route. They’re easy to miss in the latter part of the route where the colours have faded. Take cash for the bus back to L’Albir.

Map here

Try these great walks nearby

• The beautiful lighthouse of L’Albir
• Climb El Peñon d’Ifach, the Rock of Gibraltar lookalike
• El Forat de Bernia – a tunnel through a mountain!
• The Mascarat pass, haunt of highwaymen
• Benidorm’s green walk: El Torre d’Escaletes
• The six best ways to see the towers of Benidorm

© Guy Pelham