We will have to be located in the forest house of Valdeazores, which is accessed from the A-4 motorway, only in the sense of Madrid- Cádiz, by a track that leaves to the right in the km 245.3, two hundred meters after passing the signal that indicates the entrance to Andalusia and shortly before the lookout of the Garden of Despeñacolos. We will climb three hundred meters along this track until we reach a forest house, from which parking is on the path.

We will go north, but at the very least we will be heading towards the west, which is the one that we will keep in the first half of the way to the head of the Valdeazores stream, following at first a water drive. As in much of the way, we will go up a smooth but continuous slope. We will see mixed forests around us that are the result of repopulations, in which pine trees abound in the solanas, and cypresses in the umbria. The indigenous vegetation is gaining ground with the height, also remaining in important stains on the other side of the stream - dark - that have a humid Mediterranean mountain with oaks, alcornoques, complaints, oaks, or oaks. On the riverside there are formations in a gallery of alles and strawberries, splintered with willows, tampas and tampas.

When we have already walked about two and a half miles, we reach a chestnut in which there is a spring that supplies the driving that accompanied us. It is a good place to rest and enjoy the beak of expired leaves, taking strength to continue with the rise. A kilometer later, already at the head of the stream, we will give with the track that goes down from the port of Muladar to the castle of Castro Ferral, which is located about a mile away. We can choose to approach this medieval fortress that protected the passage of La Losa, which was finally taken to the Almohades by Christian armies in the framework of the battle of the Saves of Tolosa. It is in ruins because it was later abandoned and destroyed to prevent its use by outlaws.

If we rule out the variant of the castle on the track we will only do about 50 meters, and we will leave it on a road that leaves it to the right in the direction of the Aviation Collado, as the signs indicate, completing a 180º turn that will set us to the east, walking on the crest of the right bank of the ravine. The humid Mediterranean mountain we saw from the other side is below us, which now again we are surrounded by pine trees.

We will walk two and a half miles further to crown the hill of Los Organos (natural monument), where there is the refuge of the Aviation Collado, a small air surveillance post of the Civil War, later used by pastors and fire devices. Following the path that continues in the same direction that we brought, we will cross a bosquet of pine trees, oaks, alcornoques and moans, to go out to a clear place where there is a small lookout with magnificent views of the Despeñacolos parade, which is where the path ends.

La Lancha is a village that rose for the construction of the Jandula dam, started in 1927 and completed four years later. It was inhabited by about 3,000 people in the most active moments. It is about 30 kilometres from Andújar in an unpopulated territory where malaria was endemic at that time. There is only one unasphalted road that reaches the village, the JF-5004, which comes from Los Escoriales for a journey also offered as a path marked by the Natural Park.

Already in La Lancha we must continue on the same road down to the dam, where the path begins. If we have reached here by car, we will leave it in this place to take a look at the Jandula reservoir first from the dam itself, and then make the short path. It has been almost eighty years since this great artificial lake was created, where the waters of the Jandula River are reinstated along about twenty kilometres from its channel, flooding its enclosed valley. The reservoir has a capacity of 322 Hm3 with a water sheet of 1,231 hectares. A new piece introduced in the geography of the saw which, of course, has had an important impact on the landscape, ecology and local and regional economy.

The variety of the local fauna, which we can see with some ease, is a clear example of such an induced transformation. Cormorans, with their lustful black plumages and bronze, are already common and it is not rare to see ducks or garzas. In the water there are species such as black-bass, carp or barb, and also a fish that is only found in these waters and tributaries of the Jandula, called the bogardilla.

From the side of the dam to which we have reached, we will take the road that goes south on the left side of the river, a hundred meters above it. Its appearance gives us clues on the landscapes before the construction of the dam. As we move away from the dam we gain perspectives on it, and we better explain its consideration as a historical monument.

Two hundred metres from the beginning of the road we find a stretch enlarged by a excavation at the foot of the village, which is nothing other than the granite quarry that was opened and exploited only for the construction of the dam and other works related to it, case of the village. Part of the image of integration of this great wall into the landscape is due to its stone coating of the place itself. We can see around some block of granite that was left unused, and also some other witnesses of the agitated activity during the construction of the dam. A little later, the road is close at a point where we end our route.

The rise to the Magina peak (2167 m.) will take you to the roof of the province of Jaén. This level assigns to the Natural Park of Sierra Magina the third altitude of Andalusia, after Sierra Nevada and the Sierra de Baza. The effort is demanding, but it has the reward to know a unique landscape. The Sierras de Cazorla, Segura and the Villas, Sierra Nevada, the Sierra Sur de Jaén, La Loma de Ubeda or the Valle del Guadalquivir are some of the panoramic views from the summit area.
The tour is divided into three sections: the forest area, altiplanicie livestock and high mountain section.
At the beginning of the path, in a curve there is a detour that goes to the Chaganton ravine, which we will not take. Our path is always ascending, on a wide and firm track of land. Zigzagando gains height for four kilometres, while passing through a dense repopulation pine. This first stage of approach begins to show us views, and takes us to the interior of Sierra Magina.

Once the first climb has been crowned, we will be flying along a mile and a half by the Barranco de las Salinas, which serves as a transition to the last stretch of ascension. This is an area of pastures in which we find a very diverse vegetation such as complaints, larice pines and juniper, natural representatives of this bioclimatic floor. The transition ends slightly above the Tincada de la Cruz, a very characteristic livestock construction.

A few hundred meters above the dye the track is over and the path begins, which ascends in the east direction, and is marked enough to follow it without difficulty. Only in conditions of strong snow can the path mark be lost. The Barranco de las Covatillas, the first stretch of the path, leads us to the Port of Bolos, which is located on the east side, towards the Barranco del Garganton and beyond the Valley of the Jandulilla. At this point the path turns left facing north towards the summit area.

From here on the path passes through a stony area, on limestone. The landscape leaves the pineapples behind, and it will be the rake savannas that accompany us to the summit. Only something above we find the fork towards the summit of Miramundos, to the right. We will continue on our path, to the left and gradually gain height. Then we lose height at the head of a ravine slightly cooler. From this point on we start the final stretch until the peak of the Magina peak. The road is adapted to the relief. First by a few rocky steps, to reach a circular rocky depression on the hillside (a dolin or limestone sink), where one of the restored snow wells is. The end is a stone's throw. The maximum level is a high surrounded by other immediate summits (Jails, Peña de Jaén, Miramundos...), so the summit is one more of a crest.

The return will always be in decline, on the same path of ascent, provided that we do not choose other alternatives of return or combination with different paths, only recommended for those who have the experience and information to connect them.

The tour is a permanent rise, not very pronounced, but long. This path will take us from the valley bottom to the Sierra Mágina Natural Park summit area, traditional summer grazing sites, high-rise local boarders or pastures. This is therefore a traditional livestock road, from the transsterminery - local movement of cattle from valley to mountain.
The recreational area of Cuadros is the starting point, the place where we can leave our vehicle. The track rises for several kilometres between the pine slopes. In this first stretch, to the right of the track, we will have the view of the deep valleys of mountain torrents that converge and collect all the waters of this sector of the massif. The valley of the river Cuadros, the ravine of Mosquito and Peru, interesting for its cornicabral, vegetation characteristic of this area.

The first stretch of the path ends in the Control of the Valley, building next to a control barrier that has an explanade where we can rest. Depending on the season here we will find water to refresh.
But the stop must be brief because we have not yet made a third of the climb route. On the right side of the road you will find a path, with stone reclining, a path restored years ago in a field of work. It is a shortcut, which we do not recommend for its inclination.

We still have to reach the Era del Curilla, right on the roof of the Barranco del Atanor's head at 1100 meters of altitude; a natural step that connects with the east side of the massif. The era that was located there used the currents between the two sides to feed the wheat by taking advantage of the permanent passage of air.
We are left with the longest stretch, just over eight kilometers still until the end of the climb. During this part of the journey the road is adapted to the slope of the Sierra de la Cruz, drawing the rails, which one behind the other allows us to gain height. The landscape changes to a mountain of salgarean pines, tall tree, combined with cornicabra and even nozzles. Let us not forget that we are on the northern side of Magina, something more humid than the rest of the Sierra. To the left of the road we will find different mortars, or high and isolated hills. On the right we enjoyed the impressive view from the top of the rails we saw at the beginning of the itinerary.

The road loses its inclination, and there is only a plain until the Caño del Aguadero. The tour is flanked by high pastures, traditionally frequented by sheep flocks. When you pass through the Hoya de la Laguna - to the left of the walk - a small dolina or depression in the rocky limestone background, you will be very close to your destination. The appearance of chopos announce the presence of water, of the jets of the spring of the Caño del Aguadero.

The tincture, the fountain and the vents are the end of the road. This place is a resting place in the middle of the massif, and is part of a royal canyon. The meadows, the constant presence of water, the bearing and the shadow of the chopos invite you to spend a good time of rest in this corner of the Andalusian mountain. Peña Grajera (2014 m.) crowns the landscape and reminds us of the high mountain conditions we are in.

The return will take the way up, which will take about three and a half hours or four. It would be possible to connect with other paths of different aspects. This option requires careful planning and experience in mountain orientation, in addition to many more hours to return to the villages around the massif.