The Sierra de Albarracín at the northern end of this area is a rough-looking mountain chain with pine, oak and juniper forests and also many patches where the rock is exposed. Its summits are usually covered in snow in the winter and the average temperature is of 11 °C. It was formerly one of the most lonely and desolate areas of Spain and there were not even marked paths crossing its impenetrable forests and jagged ridges. Because of its elevation the area can be very cold in winter.
About three-quarters of Teruel is covered by the mountains of the Iberian Cordillera. The remainder of the province, principally in the northeast, is a broad plain known as Alcañiz. Marble and chalk are quarried in the province, and coal mining in the area fuels the reamining electricity plants at Andorra and Escucha. A lonely life of agriculture is the dominant industry and includes barley, oil, cheese, fruits, timber, flax, hemp, and wool.
The walking can be lonely but rewarding with surprisingly rich geography and occasional castles popping up out of the mist.
Further south a region of rivers and reservoirs provides interesting and unusual walking for Spain with the change of flowing rivers.
Teruel makes a good base with multiple hotels and easy access up the A23 to most northern walk routes.
Southern routes can be reached from the coast with a short drive.