Ruta del Silencio by motorbike road trip

The A-1702 running below the rock pillars of the Órganos de Montoro, Teruel

Photo: Olga Gairin, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Distance
about 63 km (39 miles)
Country
Spain
Difficulty
Moderate
Type of trip
Road trip

The Ruta del Silencio is the A-1702, a mountain road in the east of Teruel province in Aragón, between the comarcas of Andorra-Sierra de Arcos and the Maestrazgo. It starts at the Venta de la Pintada near Gargallo and ends at the Puerto del Cuarto Pelado, just before Cantavieja, where it meets the A-226. That's about 63 km and, by El Español's count, 233 bends. Without stops you could ride it in about an hour and a half, but the two comarcas, which promote it as The Silent Route, would rather you took it slowly. You can ride it in either direction. It was named the best national motorcycle touring route at the 2022 Premios Mototurismo, and weekends get busy with bikes and cyclists.

There's an official line, the A-1702 itself, but no petrol station on it. Fill up first in the town of Andorra (in Teruel, not the country), in Aliaga or in Cantavieja, where the Petronor is shut on Sundays and public holidays. The villages are small and few places take cards, so carry cash. Cantavieja and Andorra have cash machines and mechanics, and Andorra has a motorbike workshop. In July 2026 El Español found the surface on the main road excellent but warned of rockfalls, and the road narrows near Cañada de Benatanduz. The Maestrazgo tourist office says it suits any vehicle, so drivers come too.

Highlights along the way

  1. Silencioso viewpoint: At km 17, near Ejulve, a sculpture of a wild goat stands at what people call the goat viewpoint, looking across to the skyline of the Alto Maestrazgo. Ejulve itself has cobbled streets.
  2. Órganos de Montoro: Rock pillars rise beside the road here, and they're now a natural monument. The pass is at 948 m and there's a viewpoint.
  3. Villarluengo: The road climbs to 1,130 m at the Villarluengo pass. El Español suggests a detour into the village.
  4. Pitarque and the San Cristóbal pass: Pitarque has about 60 residents and the source of its river, also a natural monument. The San Cristóbal pass runs 8.8 km from Pitarque to Aliaga with ramps of up to 19%, and some call it the Angliru of Aragón.
  5. El Caimán and the Cuarto Pelado: At km 50, by the narrows at Cañada de Benatanduz, a rest area has a replica of El Caimán, the old bus between Cantavieja and Alcorisa. The last climb takes you to the Cuarto Pelado, at almost 1,700 m the highest pass on the route.

Distance

About 63 km (39 miles) from the Venta de la Pintada to the Puerto del Cuarto Pelado, as the route's own site gives it; the Maestrazgo tourist office says about 60 km (37 miles). Most of it is at around 1,000 m or higher. Allow extra for the ride to fuel in Andorra, Aliaga or Cantavieja, and 8.8 km (5.5 miles) more if you take the San Cristóbal pass.

Best time to go

El Español calls spring perfect. Summer is fine, but watch the heat in the middle of the day, and summer storms can be strong, so take care near riverbeds and ravines. From November to April frost is very common and can make the A-1702 hard going, though snow only falls three or four times a year. Mist often sits in the river valleys in the morning. The road has had closures for resurfacing, so check the news on thesilentroute.com and Aragón's live road status at idearagon.aragon.es/visincar before you set off.

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