Approved Trails

An approved trail is a sports facility marked with the GR®, PR® or SL® registered trademarks, preferably located in natural environments and on traditional public or private paths. These trails have been approved by its corresponding regional or national federation.

The characteristics of approved trails must enable their use by most hikers throughout most of the year while also providing safety, quality and information about the activity to be undertaken. They must also promote awareness about the natural environment and the elements of the rural tradition of the areas they cross. The goal is to do sport in a way that is respectful with culture and the environment.

An essential element of approved trails is the system of waymarks by which they are identified. This system is registered in the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office by the FEDME. The trails are as follows:

 

TYPES OF TRAILS

 

LONG-DISTANCE TRAILS - GR®

Long-distance trails are marked with white and red stripes and the initials GR®. It is required that their route has a minimum length of 50 km, taking more than one day to complete. The marking for long-distance trails consists of the initials G and R® (uppercase, no spaces or periods between them) + space + the corresponding number. For example: GR® 10.

 

SHORT-DISTANCE TRAILS - PR®

They are marked with white and yellow stripes and the initials PR®. They have to range between 10 and 50 km in length. They are ideal for a day of hiking.

 

LOCAL TRAILS - SL®                                    

They are marked with white and green stripes and the initials SL®. They cannot exceed 10 km in length. They are designed to lead to nearby places of interest or paths with interesting elements, such as botanical routes, water elements, etc.

 

REGISTERED TRADEMARKS

  • Rigth Way: two parallel stripes, an upper white one and a lower one coinciding with the colour of the trail category. Used to indicate the right way at a junction or to confirm the route.
  • Left/Eight Turn:two vertical parallel stripes forming an angle that represent a turn in a trail. The outer stripe is white and the inner one corresponds with the color of the trail category. Used to indicate an upcoming junction where you have to make a sharp turn.
  • Wrong Way: a cross with a white stripe over another stripe in the corresponding colour of the trail category. It is used to indicate the wrong way.

Additionally, you will find information boards and vertical signs at key points of the route. In those sections where it is particularly difficult to see the waymarks, the way will be signalled with posts to find your bearings.

Excerpt from GR®, PR® y SL® Trail Signage Guide ((Manual de Señalización de Senderos GR®, PR® y SL®). Digital edition 2021.

 

VARIANTS, SPUR TRAILS AND OVERLAPPING TRAILS

  • Variants.  Approved and waymarked trails of any category that start and converge at two different points of the same trail.
  • Spur trails. Waymarked sections that branch off an approved trail GR®, PR® o SL® leading to nearby points of interest.
  • Overlapping trails.When several sections of different approved trails overlap on the same path, signposts are placed at the points where they merge and diverge. Additionally, Right Way waymarks must display a white stripe over the stripes in the corresponding colors of the other trails in hierarchical order.

 

EUROPEAN PATHS

E-Paths Paths connect long-distance GR®European Ramblers Association(ERA).

Señal del E-Path 4

Destacamos el E4 -Tarifa (España) - Creta (Grecia) - que coincide con el GR® 7 a su paso por la Comunitat Valenciana y el E7 - Idanha-a-Nova (Portugal) - Nagylak (Hungría) - que se puede enlazar a través del GR® 10.

The GR® 92, trail (not waymarked in the region of Valencia) is part of E-12: Croatia - Italy - France - Spain.

 

"LABELS OF INTEREST FOR GR®, PR® AND SL®

Approved trails can have associated labels that mark elements considered relevant for hikers. The existing labels of interest are as follows:

  • Trails of historical and/or artistic interest.
  • Trails of environmental interest.
  • Trails of geological interest.
  • Mountain trails.
  • Family-friendly trails.
  • Nordic walking trails.
Additionally, in collaboration with FEMECV's Inclusion and Solidarity Committee an "Inclusive Trail" label has been introduced to mark trails or sections of trails accessible to people with disabilities.

You can find this information on the trails' details or using the advanced filters of the search engine. FEMECV is working to keep the labels of approved trails in the autonomous community of Valencia up to date