Where is Alto del Purche (from Monachil) steepest?

The steepest 500 m averages 13.1%, between km 5.8 and km 6.3 of the climb.

How many hairpins does Alto del Purche (from Monachil) have?

Alto del Purche (from Monachil) has 8 hairpin bends, counted from the road's map geometry (a hairpin here means at least 150 degrees of turning completed within 150 metres of road). Painted corner numbers on some climbs count gentler bends too, so the two figures can differ.

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Alto del Purche (from Monachil)

Granada

Gradient by colour: under 3% 3–6% 6–9% 9%+

Stats computed from OpenStreetMap and satellite elevation data — approximate.

Alto del Purche (from Monachil) is a 8.3 km cycling climb averaging 7.8% (+667 m), rising from 833 m to 1476 m in Granada.

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Where it bites

Steepest 500 m: 13.1% (km 5.8–6.3).

km	to	avg
1	921 m	9.5%
2	1030 m	11.1%
3	1118 m	8.1%
4	1207 m	9.7%
5	1289 m	7.9%
6	1373 m	8.4%
7	1428 m	5.4%
8	1451 m	2.2%

What it’s like to ride

The road out of Monachil goes to 9-10% within sight of the last houses and throws ramps of 11-18% at you over the next couple of kilometres, so there is no warm-up: the middle six kilometres average over 9%. The hardest piece comes just below El Purche, a long straight whose gradient builds to around 16% and holds it for several hundred metres. El Purche itself has a campsite and a few restaurants, with the 1930 sanatorium building standing on the hill above. Past the pass the road drops for about 500 metres and then kicks up again for a last 800 metres over the Collado del Muerto before meeting the A-395, where you either turn up towards Pradollano and Pico Veleta or roll back down to Granada. The asphalt is good the whole way and the traffic thins out above Monachil, with the Vega of Granada spread out behind you and the Sierra Nevada peaks ahead.

History

The Vuelta a España has used this climb repeatedly, listing it in the race book as Monachil. In 2013 the race crossed it before descending the Sierra Nevada road to Pinos Genil and Güéjar Sierra on the stage Chris Horner won at Alto de Hazallanas, and in 2022 it was rated category 1 at 9.1 km and 7.6% on the Martos to Sierra Nevada queen stage that Thymen Arensman won. The Vuelta a Andalucía uses it the same way: the 2019 queen stage from Armilla to Granada took the Alto del Purche at 1,452 m before chaining on to Hazallanas, and the 2020 race came over it through Monachil on the road into Granada. Monachil's town hall also runs its own event on the road, the Subida Ciclista Alto del Purche, a 6.34 km hill-climb time trial whose second edition was held on 12 May 2024. Near the summit stands the Sanatorio del Purche, opened in the autumn of 1930 by Fermín Garrido, a professor at Granada's medical faculty, as a private tuberculosis clinic.

Worth stopping near the climb

Restaurante Ruta del Veleta3 km Tranvía de Granada a Sierra Nevada6 km Generalife7 km Alcázar Genil7 km Alhambra7 km

More climbs in Granada

Pico Veleta (from Granada)34.7 km · 7.3%Alto de Hazallanas7.2 km · 9.5%Puerto de la Ragua (from La Calahorra)13.3 km · 6.3%Calar Alto (from Tabernas)38.8 km · 4.5%Alto de Velefique (from Velefique)27.6 km · 4.8%

Common questions

How long and steep is Alto del Purche (from Monachil)?: Alto del Purche (from Monachil) is a 8.3 km cycling climb averaging 7.8% (+667 m), rising from 833 m to 1476 m in Granada.
Where is Alto del Purche (from Monachil) steepest?: The steepest 500 m averages 13.1%, between km 5.8 and km 6.3 of the climb.
How many hairpins does Alto del Purche (from Monachil) have?: Alto del Purche (from Monachil) has 8 hairpin bends, counted from the road's map geometry (a hairpin here means at least 150 degrees of turning completed within 150 metres of road). Painted corner numbers on some climbs count gentler bends too, so the two figures can differ.

Checked 13 August 2026

8.3 km · +667 m · 7.8% avg · ~13.2% max · 833 → 1476 m · 8 hairpins