Sierra de las Nieves

This article is about the mountain range. For other uses, see Sierra de las Nieves (disambiguation).

Sierra de las Nieves
Torrecilla Peak in the Sierra de las Nieves
Highest point
Peak	Torrecilla
Elevation	1,919 m (6,296 ft)
Coordinates	36°41′0″N 05°0′0″W
Geography
Location	Málaga Province, Andalusia
Country	Spain
Parent range	Penibaetic System
Geology
Orogeny	Alpine orogeny
Type of rock	Limestone

Sierra de las Nieves is a mountain range of the Penibaetic System in Málaga Province, Andalusia, Spain. Its highest point is the 1,919 m high La Torrecilla peak. Enamorados (1,775 m) is another notable peak.

The Sierra de las Nieves is named after the snow that sometimes covers its heights in the winter and that formerly was gathered in ice pits for local use.

Geography

This mountain range is part of the Serranía de Ronda ranges, located near Ronda inland from the Costa del Sol, to the east of the road to Ronda from Marbella. The easiest route to reach it is from Ronda town.

The Sierra de las Nieves is a karstic range with some impressive shafts and caves. It is composed of a few subranges such as the Sierra de la Nieve, Sierra del Pinar and Sierra de Tolox. Rivers Guadalevín, which is well known for having cut the deep Tajo de Ronda canyon, El Burgo River, Alfaguara River, flowing through Tolox, the Río Grande, a tributary of the Guadalhorce, as well as the Río Verde whose dam near Istán provides water to the Costa del Sol, have their sources in this range.

Part of the area of the Sierra de las Nieves is a protected area since 1989 as the Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park located in the heart of the range.

See also

• Baetic System
• Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park

External links

• Media related to Sierra de las Nieves at Wikimedia Commons
• 3D Virtual Tour of Sierra de las Nieves, 20/02/2011
• Awarded "EDEN - European Destinations of Excellence" non traditional tourist destination 2008