Peña Costalera

Overview

When seen from the south, Peña Costalera stands as the center summit in a rocky ridge placed between the spanish provinces of Navarra and Alava/Araba. It doesn't look threatening from the tiny village of Otiñano, but its look changes abruptly from the east or from the west. That's where it offers its wildest face, standing as a limestone needle which would seem unclimbable for non-experts. But that needle has got a normal route, a hiking one with just one problem: a short scrambling section (rather exposed!) right before the summit.

Getting There

Reaching the Nazar trailhead from Pamplona or Logroño is fairly easy by private car, scarcely an hour driving along a highway and some good roads. The other main trailhead, Santa Cruz de Campezo / Kampezu is a little bit farther from the highway, but it's not difficult to reach it.

Road access: As stated, the small village of Nazar can be reached from Pamplona or Logroño by driving along highway A-12 (linking both towns). You need to leave the highway on exit #58, marked as "Los Arcos" and follow signposts towards Los Arcos up to the center of this village. Turn left and take (to your right!) road NA-129 towards Muez. Keep going along this road for 13 km and you will find a crossroads (left) towards Asarta and Nazar. Turn left on this spot, and you will reach Nazar in an additional 4 km.
For Santa Cruz de Campezo (Santikurutze Kanpezu in basque maps and many road signs) you would need to keep going on NA-129 after Los Arcos until you reach the village of Acedo, turn left there (on road NA-132A) and follow straight for 12 additional km to reach Santa Cruz. Other possibilities for this western trailhead include road A-132 from Vitoria-Gasteiz (38 km) or coming in directly from Logroño via the smaller secondary roads across Oion, Meano, Lapoblación and Genevilla (33 km, might be well over 45 minutes driving!)

Train access: the closest train stations are placed at Vitoria-Gasteiz (38 km), Pamplona (73 km) and Logroño (54 km).

Closest airports: Nothing too big, and (of course!) no international airports around. There are small regional airports at Pamplona and Logroño, also at Vitoria, but -as far as I know- none of them offer any international flights. Some low-cost airlines fly to Zaragoza, though, but air access to the area is not easy if you don't come in via Madrid or Barcelona

Red Tape

There's only one single rule: do not attempt the summit of Costalera or the traverse of the ridge if the limestone rock is wet. Not in rainy weather or with snow, of course, but also think seriously about it if fog covers the higher parts of the mountain. The last ramp to the summit and a couple of other spots can be tricky (or rightaway dangerous!) if the rock is not absolutely dry.
Access to secondary summits such as Peña Gallet (from Nazar itself) or Costalera Occidental (from the Portillo de Nazar) is feasible under most circumstances, following the usual basic safety rules.

Camping

Camping Acedo, 12 km away from Santa Cruz de Campezo and 7 km away from Nazar.

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Images

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