Elevation Map from SJPDP to Santiago

[Pilgrim2022]

I began my Camino in SJPDP in April 2022 and received a map showing the elevation changes and towns/villages along the way broken up in 32-33 stages. Is there a website where I can find this map online?

 

[trecile]

Gronze shows an elevation profile for every stage. You do have to expand it by clicking the plus sign next to "ver perfil de la etapa"

Camino Francés | Gronze.com

El Camino Francés es el Camino de Santiago en el que confluyen la mayoría de las vías medievales de peregrinación europeas, siendo por tanto el camino de mayor relevancia histórica y el más seguido por los peregrinos. Su punto de inicio, hoy en día, tanto puede considerarse Roncesvalles como...

www.gronze.com

Gronze is only in Spanish, but if you use the Chrome browser it will automatically translate to English or the language of your choice.

 

[trecile]

Also, most Camino apps show the profile.
This is from the Buen Camino app.
Note that the orientation is reversed from the Gronze site. Gronze reads from right to left, while Buen Camino reads from left to right.

 

[J Willhaus]

Also on this forum under resources is an elevation map.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/resources/profile-maps-of-all-34-stages-of-the-camino-frances.12/

 

[trecile]

Also on this forum under resources is an elevation map.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/resources/profile-maps-of-all-34-stages-of-the-camino-frances.12/

That looks like the one given out by the Pilgrim's Office in SJPP

 

[CWBuff]

Through my current walk I extensively used both

from this forum highlighted by @J Willhaus and​

from Buen Camino app highlighted by @trecile​

 

[J Willhaus]

I try not to look at the elevation it too closely...might make me change my mind . I do like to know how many "hills" there will be (especially at the end) and I like to know if I am going up or down most of the day. Otherwise, try not to think about it too much.

I am more interested in whether there will be life-giving coffee early in the day and water re-supply on the day's route...

 

[markie6]

 

[markie6]

got mine from the the address attached to the sheet, let me know if you want the other half of my page

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I see that some PDF files with the profiles can be accessed via this webpage.

Tipps für den Jakobsweg

www.hartwerker.com

 

[Pilgrim2022]

got mine from the the address attached to the sheet, let me know if you want the other half of my page

Yes, please!!! Thank you!!!

 

[Pilgrim2022]

I wonder how I can print this.... It's EXACTLY what I am looking for!

 

[markie6]

Yes, please!!! Thank you!!!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I wonder how I can print this.... It's EXACTLY what I am looking for!

You'll get a prettier printout with one of the PDF files mentioned.

 

[trecile]

You'll get a prettier printout with one of the PDF files mentioned.

@Rick of Rick and Peg is right.
Go to this page and click the orange download button to get this to print out.

 

[xin loi]

Draw your own profile! Using a 200 meter vertical scale to a 1000 meter horizontal scale is ridiculous! If one of my staff gave such a profile, he/she would be looking for a new job. Compare 200 meters vertical to 200 meters horizontal if you want to see how steep the hill is that you will be walking. Look at page 28. climb to O'Ciebeiro --you will climb approx 700 meters vertically in approx 14 kilometers horizontally. That is a mere 5% grade! Horses pulled artillery up that hill!

 

[C clearly]

Draw your own profile! Using a 200 meter vertical scale to a 1000 meter horizontal scale is ridiculous! If one of my staff gave such a profile, he/she would be looking for a new job. Compare 200 meters vertical to 200 meters horizontal if you want to see how steep the hill is that you will be walking. Look at page 28. climb to O'Ciebeiro --you will climb approx 700 meters vertically in approx 14 kilometers horizontally. That is a mere 5% grade! Horses pulled artillery up that hill!

What you point out is true, and the reminder is good. However, I would not call it ridiculous in a guide book, considering the logistics of fitting maps on the page in a way that one can easily see the hills. On the other hand, if your staff are organizing artillery to go uphill, they should certainly plot it out differently.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Draw your own profile! Using a 200 meter vertical scale to a 1000 meter horizontal scale is ridiculous! If one of my staff gave such a profile, he/she would be looking for a new job. Compare 200 meters vertical to 200 meters horizontal if you want to see how steep the hill is that you will be walking. Look at page 28. climb to O'Ciebeiro --you will climb approx 700 meters vertically in approx 14 kilometers horizontally. That is a mere 5% grade! Horses pulled artillery up that hill!

I've done that. The profile is close to worthless. A 20% incline looks like it is nothing at all but you won't think that walking it.

Edit: Get a GPS track and use the profile tool at https://gpsvisualizer.com to play around with scale.

 

[Monasp]

These maps are obsolete

 

[trecile]

These maps are obsolete

How so? Is it because the route has changed?
I wouldn't imagine that the hills themselves have changed.

 

[markie6]

How so? Is it because the route has changed?
I wouldn't imagine that the hills themselves have changed.

Be nice if day 1 is flat for next week !!

 

[Pafayac]

I wouldn't imagine that the hills themselves have changed.

Louis XIV, king of France (or perhaps Rios, the spanish ambassador), said on november, 16th 1700 "Il n'y a plus de Pyrénées !" ("There are no more Pyrénées !").
Fortunately, this was from a diplomatic point of view. Geographically, Roncevaux is always there !

 

[geraldkelly]

There's a full elevation profile here http://caminoguide.net/pages/full-altitude-profile~ivar

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Draw your own profile! Using a 200 meter vertical scale to a 1000 meter horizontal scale is ridiculous! If one of my staff gave such a profile, he/she would be looking for a new job. Compare 200 meters vertical to 200 meters horizontal if you want to see how steep the hill is that you will be walking. Look at page 28. climb to O'Ciebeiro --you will climb approx 700 meters vertically in approx 14 kilometers horizontally. That is a mere 5% grade! Horses pulled artillery up that hill!

That makes me curious as to your profession - as a civil engineer I've used a 1/5 exaggeration on an overview for highway centrelines and pipelines. Use what makes it fit on the page

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

There's a full elevation profile here http://caminoguide.net/pages/full-altitude-profile~ivar

Compare 200 meters vertical to 200 meters horizontal if you want to see how steep the hill is that you will be walking.

For kicks I once created an elevation profile for the SJPdP to SdC camino using the same units for both the horizontal and vertical axes. If I remember correctly it was about 1600 pixels by 3 pixels with each pixel representing 500 meters.

 

[xin loi]

I've done that. The profile is close to worthless. A 20% incline looks like it is nothing at all but you won't think that walking it.

Edit: Get a GPS track and use the profile tool at https://gpsvisualizer.com to play around with scale.

20% is not very steep. 2 meter rise over 10 met

That makes me curious as to your profession - as a civil engineer I've used a 1/5 exaggeration on an overview for highway centrelines and pipelines. Use what makes it fit on the page

Also a Civilized Engineer. And I'm sure you know that lawyers and politicians determine what gets funded and THEY do NOT comprehend profiles that use exaggerated scales. Lawyers, Politicians, and civilians don't usually rebiew the actual engineering drawings. We do real scale profiles for the public.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

20% is not very steep. 2 meter rise over 10 met

A matter of opinion I suppose but that could also be 600 meters over 3 kilometers. That will only add an extra hour walking to the 3 km that could be done in a bit over a half an hour on the flat (Naismith's rule of thumb).

 

[trecile]

20% is not very steep. 2 meter rise over 10 met

Most hiking guides will say that grades above 15% are steep

 

[Jeff Crawley]

20% is not very steep. 2 meter rise over 10 met

Also a Civilized Engineer. And I'm sure you know that lawyers and politicians determine what gets funded and THEY do NOT comprehend profiles that use exaggerated scales. Lawyers, Politicians, and civilians don't usually rebiew the actual engineering drawings. We do real scale profiles for the public.

Interesting point of view, thank you.

 

[JimG59]

20% is not very steep. 2 meter rise over 10 met

Also a Civilized Engineer. And I'm sure you know that lawyers and politicians determine what gets funded and THEY do NOT comprehend profiles that use exaggerated scales. Lawyers, Politicians, and civilians don't usually rebiew the actual engineering drawings. We do real scale profiles for the public.

Maybe, but that wouldn’t do for a guidebook or website. Most people should understand the horizontal/ vertical scales. If they don’t, they shouldn’t be allowed out on their own.

 

[C clearly]

Most people want to know if there is a significant hill ahead. If the hill turns out to be less difficult than expected from the scale distortion, they are generally quite happy. Better that way than the other way around.

lawyers and politicians determine what gets funded and THEY do NOT comprehend profiles that use exaggerated scales.

I think if we sent some lawyers and politicians up to Orisson, most of them would agree that it is a steep hill for walking.

 

[xin loi]

Most people want to know if there is a significant hill ahead. If the hill turns out to be less difficult than expected from the scale distortion, they are generally quite happy. Better that way than the other way around.

I think if we sent some lawyers and politicians up to Orisson, most of them would agree that it is a steep hill for walking.

Not that steep. Pretty flat compared to the Primitivo or Norte.

 

[C clearly]

Not that steep. Pretty flat compared to the Primitivo or Norte.

Nobody is suggesting it is the steepest hill in the world, or in Spain, etc. We are getting into a childish argument here. It is silly to suggest that it is insignificant as a hill, especially on the first day of a Camino for inexperience hikers. Enough said!

 

[xin loi]

Nobody is suggesting it is the steepest hill in the world, or in Spain, etc. We are getting into a childish argument here. It is silly to suggest that it is insignificant as a hill, especially on the first day of a Camino for inexperience hikers. Enough said!

True...But if YOU have walked from SJPDP to Roncevalle you have heard the very strong lack of confidence voiced by MANY new Pilgrims They are SCARED!!! And what scares them? The profiles in the guide books! If they would draw their own profiles, it would give them more confidence on what lies ahead of them. Be honest and tell them what it is--a hill and nothing more!

 

[Kathar1na]

True...But if YOU have walked from SJPDP to Roncevalle you have heard the very strong lack of confidence voiced by MANY new Pilgrims They are SCARED!!! And what scares them? The profiles in the guide books! If they would draw their own profiles, it would give them more confidence on what lies ahead of them. Be honest and tell them what it is--a hill and nothing more!

You have a certain point - the elevation profile of the trail from SJPP to Roncesvalles across the Lepoeder pass ("Route Napoleon") looks scary because people, me included, tend to project the profile that they see on paper into reality, as if the sketch is a a true rendition of the actual shape of the hill or mountain. Here are two elevation profiles of the same "Route Napoleon mountain" to illustrate what this part of the discussion is about:


The first sketch is from the popular Brierley guide. IMHO, it does illustrate the nature of the terrain: a non-hostile big lump that promises a long drawn-out slog over the pass with a shorter descent to Roncesvalles. I don't think that this scares people. What scares some of them is the talk about it being so terribly steep, the hardest thing I've ever done (or you'll ever be doing) and similar. This gives people the impression as if the whole trail is very steep; the talk about gradients may even reinforce this impression and is probably not helpful for numerous newcomers. Is it even useful in this context? You don't walk straight up a mountain. You walk on a trail that bends and turns and sometimes - only once on the Route N. - it goes in zig-zag-lines, and all of this with a lower gradient which requires more time to walk than a straight line but is also less strenuous.

What matters for mountain and hill walkers is how close the contour lines are to each other on the map and whether the trail cuts straight through them or diagonally. Of course, the common wisdom says that you don't need a proper map for the Camino and you don't need to know what it can tell you provided you know how to read it. The Spanish Camino Association offers such a map on their website. It is not widely known. It shows clearly that there are very few steep sections, about three in total, one at the beginning, one in the middle (zig-zags) and one close to the pass, and all three of them are short.

Link to complete map:

https://www.caminosantiago.org/cpperegrino/servicios/pdf/MapaSosPirineos.pdf

 

[markie6]

To all newcomers arriving in this thread , be aware that the first day will be difficult for most but not so hard as to be taking the ring to mordor as some outliers may say or indeed to be easy as some of the egos may tell you either.

Preparing those with zero experience of the Route Napoleon for a tricky / strenuous climb for the day will hold them in good stead. Lets remember that the elevation isn't a trick to make it appear daunting, nor will stretching it out or shrinking it ( like old world maps used to do ) make it easier

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Most people want to know if there is a significant hill ahead. If the hill turns out to be less difficult than expected from the scale distortion, they are generally quite happy. Better that way than the other way around.

I think if we sent some lawyers and politicians up to Orisson, most of them would agree that it is a steep hill for walking.

I do love your optimism

 

[Jeff Crawley]

To all newcomers arriving in this thread , be aware that the first day will be difficult for most but not so hard as to be taking the ring to mordor as some outliers may say or indeed to be easy as some of the egos may tell you either.

Preparing those with zero experience of the Route Napoleon for a tricky / strenuous climb for the day will hold them in good stead. Lets remember that the elevation isn't a trick to make it appear daunting, nor will stretching it out or shrinking it ( like old world maps used to do ) make it easier

You have a certain point - the elevation profile of the trail from SJPP to Roncesvalles across the Lepoeder pass ("Route Napoleon") looks scary because people, me included, tend to project the profile that they see on paper into reality, as if the sketch is a a true rendition of the actual shape of the hill or mountain. Here are two elevation profiles of the same "Route Napoleon mountain" to illustrate what this part of the discussion is about:
View attachment 132072

The first sketch is from the popular Brierley guide. IMHO, it does illustrate the nature of the terrain: a non-hostile big lump that promises a long drawn-out slog over the pass with a shorter descent to Roncesvalles. I don't think that this scares people. What scares some of them is the talk about it being so terribly steep, the hardest thing I've ever done (or you'll ever be doing) and similar. This gives people the impression as if the whole trail is very steep; the talk about gradients may even reinforce this impression and is probably not helpful for numerous newcomers. Is it even useful in this context? You don't walk straight up a mountain. You walk on a trail that bends and turns and sometimes - only once on the Route N. - it goes in zig-zag-lines, and all of this with a lower gradient which requires more time to walk than a straight line but is also less strenuous.

What matters for mountain and hill walkers is how close the contour lines are to each other on the map and whether the trail cuts straight through them or diagonally. Of course, the common wisdom says that you don't need a proper map for the Camino and you don't need to know what it can tell you provided you know how to read it. The Spanish Camino Association offers such a map on their website. It is not widely known. It shows clearly that there are very few steep sections, about three in total, one at the beginning, one in the middle (zig-zags) and one close to the pass, and all three of them are short.
View attachment 132073
Link to complete map:

https://www.caminosantiago.org/cpperegrino/servicios/pdf/MapaSosPirineos.pdf

Stunningly beautiful cartography, thank you.