Pico de las Nieves (Telde)

Start Town	Altitude	Elevation Gain	Length	Gradient	Difficulty	Rating
Telde	1938m	1780m	26.2 km	6.8%	1346	****

Climb Description

The ascent of Pico de las Nieves from Telde is one of the toughest cycling climbs in Spain. The consistently challenging gradients combine with a huge elevation gain to present a real challenge for riders of all abilities.

The climb begins in the town of Telde - one of the largest settlements of the Canary Islands. It follows the GC-130 road to Cazadores, tackling steep gradients which hover around 10% for long periods. From Cazadores, the route is the same as the climb from Carrizal.

This is not the most scenic side of the climb, but it still has some fantastic views. The lower slopes overlook Gran Canaria's east coast, while the upper slopes climb through beautiful forests and volcanic rocks. From the top of the climb there are also great views of the iconic Roque Nublo, as well as of the neighbouring island of Tenerife.

Despite the name, which literally means 'snowy peak', Pico de las Nieves is usually open throughout the year. We recommend taking a jacket though to keep you warm on the long descent.

Roads & Traffic

The road surface is a bit cracked and bumpy in the first few kilometres, but after that is generally in very good condition.

There is little traffic once you have left Telde.

Alternative Routes

Pico de las Nieves can be climbed from many different sides. You can arrive there from almost any point on the island using a different combination of roads. We consider the main cycling ascents to be starting from the following:

Arucas

Ayacata

Carrizal

Tejeda

The routes from Ayacata and Telde in particular, can also be combined with many of the other 'nearby climbs' listed below.

Nearby Climbs

Pinos de Gáldar

Aserrador

Cruz de Telde

Roque Bentayga

San Bartolomé

Temisas

Cenobio de Valeron

Cycling Holidays

Pico de las Nieves can be climbed from this side as a route option on our cycling holiday to Gran Canaria.

In the links below you can find out more about this tour and other similar holidays that we are currently running in Spain.