The terrain is at times steep and there are indeed places where pedaling a loaded bike will prove next to impossible, but most of the route is completely rideable, and quite a bit of it is decidedly superb. The loop is organized in a counter-clockwise fashion, starting from the town of Siles in the north, but the route can be ridden in any direction and the variants may be worked in for additional miles and exploration. In addition, there are a few alternate etapas, some of which are completely singletrack. While the main loop is mostly doubletrack, in all degrees of size and ruggedness, there are stretches of singletrack peppered throughout. The full track, which typically takes around a week to cycle, is broken in to 21 ‘etapas’, or stages.

With an area of almost 2,100 sq KM (810 sq miles), it is the largest protected area in Spain and the second largest in Europe. The 190 mile (309 KM) loop weaves in and through the dramatic limestone crags of the Sierras De Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas, a natural park in the eastern part of the province of Jaén, established in 1986. The GR247 is a designated GR footpath (Gran Recorrido) created for hikers and cyclists alike.

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