Canyon · Riba de Saelices
Barranco del Hocino: the yew grove that burned in 2005
Barranco del Hocino in Riba de Saelices once harboured a mixed oak-juniper forest and an exceptional stand of 120 yews across 10 hectares. The catastrophic 2005 forest fire, which burned over 10,000 hectares, devastated it; ecological restoration is ongoing.
Lands and landscapes
From here, follow the memory of the territory
These readings connect Barranco del Hocino: the yew grove that burned in 2005 with the history, work, and villages around it.
- Municipality
- Riba de Saelices
- Province
- Guadalajara
- Altitude
- 1,102 m
- Yew grove
- 2005 fire
- Forest restoration
- Fire memory
What once stood here
In the bottom of the ravine grew a mixed forest of gall oak, holm oak, and Spanish juniper, but its greatest botanical treasure was a grove of around 120 yews, many multi-centennial, across some 10 hectares. Such a yew stand is extraordinarily rare in inland Iberia.
The fire
In 2005, the wildfire that consumed some 10,350 hectares of the Natural Park and adjoining lands tore through the ravine.
Looking ahead
Since then, an ecological forest restoration project has worked to recover the yew habitat, soil, and associated wildlife. Visiting provides an understanding of what wildfire destroys and the slow pace of recovery. Very close by lies Valle de los Milagros.
Location
● Reference point · ● Villages · ● Places
Location diagram. Detailed map with tracks and names loads on zoom.
Reference villages: Ablanque · Riba de Saelices · Saelices de la Sal · Olmeda de Cobeta.
Open the full map and historical layers →More canyons and gorges nearby
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Nearby routes
All routes →
Ethnographic route 1: the chozones of Ablanque
3 km · 3 h · LinearTrail 5: the chozones of La Loma (Riba de Saelices)
10.5 km · 4 h · Circular