From the Front Door— The Consell’s official circular from Plaça de la Vila: 14.15 km, 643 m of ascent, four hours fifty, graded difficult. Not for under-sixes. Up through olive terraces into holm oak, past a charcoal clearing, then hand-laid cobbles to a stone arch that is the only way in. A fortress has stood on this crag since 902, and it held out for two years after Jaume I took the island.
The Short Way: Drive 12–15 min to Es Verger — From the upper car park it is under 5 km round trip, 250 m of ascent, about two hours — or forty-nine minutes from Pla des Pouet if you drive to the top of the track. The refuge at the summit is open nine in the morning until eleven at night for coffee, cake and sandwiches; hot meals need three days’ notice and there are thirty beds.
From the Orient: 15–20 min — Eight kilometres, 500 m, three to four hours, and the more interesting ascent. Street parking only on the Ma-2100 and very little of it. The Pas de s’Escaleta is a stone stair on a ledge — slippery when wet, and hands are needed in a place or two.