Parque Natural del Carrascal de la Font Roja

The Carrascal de la Font Roja Natural Park protects 2,298 hectares of Mediterranean forest in the Sierra del Menejador, between the municipalities of Alcoi and Ibi in northern Alicante province. Declared a natural park in 1987 by the Valencian Government, it is one of the best-preserved forest areas in the entire Comunitat Valenciana. Its name comes from the iron-rich spring that emerges on the northern slope, whose reddish tint stains the streambed stones and gave rise to the place name.

The vegetation shows a vertical distribution that changes across a few hundred metres. The northern slope, damp and shaded, hosts a deciduous woodland of Portuguese oak, ash, Montpellier maple, and yew — a plant community more typical of northern Spain than the dry Mediterranean. The yew, a relict species from colder climates, survives here in small clusters that evidence the territory's climatic evolution. On the southern slope, vegetation is strictly Mediterranean: holm oaks form a dense forest whose understorey includes hedgehog broom, gorse, Mariola sage, pebrella mint, and thyme. This duality of aspects turns the park into a natural laboratory where two bioclimates coexist in a compact space.

The park's highest point is El Menejador at 1,356 metres, from where the comarcas of l'Alcoià, El Comtat, and Foia de Castalla spread below. On clear days, the view reaches the Mediterranean Sea some 40 km away in a straight line. The limestone formations have produced dolines, sinkholes, and an underground karst system that feeds the park's springs. The Cava de Don Miguel, an eighteenth-century snow well, recalls the old ice-storage and transport industry that operated in these mountains until the early twentieth century.

Wildlife includes wild boar, genet, badger, and red squirrel. Among raptors, Bonelli's eagle, sparrowhawk, and kestrel are present. Reptiles are well represented, with the spiny-footed lizard and ladder snake. In spring, wild orchids bloom in forest clearings, and the crested tit sings from first light until late afternoon.

The trail network offers 11 marked routes covering the park's main ecosystems. The Menejador route climbs to the summit along a cobbled path through holm oaks. The Barranc de l'Infern trail descends through the northern ravine amid Atlantic-type vegetation. The interpretation centre, beside the Font Roja Sanctuary — a fifteenth-century building still functioning as a guesthouse — provides maps and documentation on the park's geology, flora, and fauna. The cool air beneath the centuries-old holm oaks, even on the hottest July days, is one reason the people of Alcoi have used this sierra as a summer retreat for generations.