The Puig Major is 1.437 m (4660 feet) meter high. It´s a pity for the mountaineers that the summit has been closed since 1958 when the americans built a radar station there. It controls the western Mediterranean as well as northern Africa.

The mountain has two summits: the prohibited one and the one you can see from the Sóller valley, the Penya des Migdia ("Nooncliff " 1,398 meter). You can climb it but you aren´t allowed to walk on the military road to the prohibited summit. One possibility is the old snowcolectors path which starts at Km. 37.8 of the road from Sóller to Lluc (300 meter before crossing the tunnel). You walk beside the snowholes and at the end of the steep valley you will find the military road. Then you must climb steeply to the left (no path) and shortly before the summit you have to scramble a bit. For the way down you can follow the ridge to the south and then the scree slopes to the northwest. There isn´t a path here and you have to find a key passage (marked with cairns) at the end of the scree slope. After a very stony and overgrown slope you reach the unpaved road to Binis. If you turn left you arrive at the tarmac road not far from the place where you started the hike. Only the Majorcan hiking experts can lead you there safely.

Trails cleared by G.E.M. :

-        1997: The path from Bàlitx to Coll de Biniamar (one section of the path from Mirador de Ses Barques to Cala Tuent) -         1998: The fishermen´s path from Esporles to Port des Canonge -         1999: The old path from Estellencs to Banyalbufar -        2000: Differents paths from Sóller to Mirador de Ses Barques (Costa d´en Flassada, Costa d´en Nicó) -         2001: The old path from Estellencs to Puigpunyent -         2002: The path from Fornalutx to Coma de Son Torrella across the  "Portell de Sa Costa"

-         2003: The path "Camí des Puig" (Puig de Son Talent- Manacor)

-          2004: The cleaning of Torrent de Pareis. The security was also improved

  -       2005: 70 voluntary people cleaned the path to the old well "Pou de Binifat" on the 20. february.             -      2006: the old path between Alaró and Orient          -       2007: 140 voluntary people cleaned a section of the old path from Alcúdia to Lluc

          -      2008: old path from Alaró to Binissalem

FODESMA was started to keep alive some traditional crafts: restoration of windmills (Escola de Molins), building Majorcan fishing boats (Escola de Mestres d´Aixa) and building dry stone walls (Escola de Margers)

The dry stone wall building college has been in existence since 1986 : young people has been learning over the course of two years the traditional method of stone- building and practise it on the mountain paths. They paved the old tracks with stones and they rebuilt the walls of the terraces. The hiking path across Mallorca (GR-221) is also called the path of the dry stone (Ruta de Pedra en Sec).

Fodesma also worked on renovating old buildings (military stations, farms, monasteries) and turning them into mountain huts: "Tossals Verds", Muleta", "Can Boi"  and "Son Amer".  Since 2004 the Department of Nature and Environment of the Mallorca Council has taken the functions from FODESMA.

Many trails have been renovated by them:

→ The cabins of the Govern Balear

They are on public lands near dirt tracks but not of great use for hikers. They are more for groups of friends which  hire the whole cabin. (IBANAT - the environment organisation of the Balearic Government is responsible for its use)

The cabins are: near the barrage of Cúber ( 6 places) and Gorg Blau (8 P.), in Son Moragues- Teix- Valldemossa (15 P.), Comuna de Caimari (8 P., on the old trail from Inca to Luc), Coma de Binifaldó (2 P.), Lavanor (10 P., near Mortitx), Son Real (8 P., near Can Picafort), in the Nature Park Mondragó and in Coll Baix (near Alcúdia).

WE HAVEN'T GOT THE NEW PRICES: The price (2015) is  4 € per person, but you should pay for the full cabin, even if you are alone.

The cabin in Binifaldó costs 180 € (30 places)

La Caseta des Oguers in Nature Park LLevant (10 P.) costs 160 €.

Only in the cabins in N. P. Llevant: S'Arenalet d'Albarca (by the sea) and  S'Alzina (near the Finca Albarca) could you hire a double room (30 € ) or a room for 4- people (40 €)

For reservations: ONLINE. For staying there in january and february, you can book from the 1st. of december on/ for march and april, from the 1st. of february and so on.

                                                      - Refugi de S'Arenalet d'Albarca-

                - Refugi de Son Real-                                               - Refugi de la Comuna de Caimari-

Until 1995 only a voluntary service was called into action as needed.

Nowadays they are two professional teams: one from the fireservice (Bombers del Consell de Mallorca) and another from the rural police (Guardia Civil-G.R.E.I.M.). The phone numbers are: "112" und "062". When needed ,a helicopter takes part in the rescue operation. Up to the present the service is free of charge.

The two pictures were made on the way to Penya Roja (Alcúdia). In the picture on the right picture it´s possible to appreciate that a large area of forest was lost in the great storm of November 2001.

      The strong winds (120 km) and the heavy rainfall (300 litres in 24 hours) destroyed many forests: 300.000 pine trees were felled. The worst affected areas are in Cap Pinar (near Alcúdia), in Lluc Alcari (near Deià), Son Fortuny (Galatzó- Estellencs) and S´Alqueria (S´Esclop- Andratx). The foresters have been working very hard to clear several hiking trails, sometimes they had to walk for one hour to reach their workplace up on the mountain!

We will always see some fallen trees. In January 2003 it was a small storm and in February a heavy snowfall broke many branches in the following areas: Pollença, Lluc, Tomir, Massanella. An strong tornado destroyed many trees around Valldemossa and its Port on summer 2004. On october 2008, a new storm has affected some trails in Deià and Banyalbufar.

The winter 2008- 2009 has changed again the look of our footpaths and mountains (Puig d'Alcadena)