Unprecedented Security Operation for Teide Access
Tenerife’s Island Council will launch an unprecedented operation from Tuesday 16 December to prevent congestion on Mount Teide following Storm Emilia, which brought the heaviest snowfall in nine years. The number of security personnel deployed for traffic control will be the largest ever mobilised for such an event. Local Police from La Orotava, the Guardia Civil, Canary Islands Police, Environmental Agents, rural guards, and reinforcements from BRIFOR will be stationed along the park’s roads to guarantee visitor safety.
Strict Access and Traffic Rules
Vehicle access will only be permitted between 11:00 and 18:00, with restrictions on the direction of travel on certain roads and only four designated parking areas within the entire National Park. The operation will be dynamic, with changes possible depending on visitor numbers. For the first few days the roads are open, the circulation of quads, buses (guaguas), and motorcycles of any kind is prohibited in the natural space.
A significant influx of people is expected due to the intensity of the snowfall, hence the rules established by the island government. Authorities are also appealing to residents and visitors to use “common sense” and comply with the resolution issued by the Island Council for the Natural Environment, Sustainability, Security and Emergencies to regulate access.
Detailed One-Way Route System
Regarding vehicular access, if entering from La Orotava (TF-21), drivers may only proceed as far as Portillo Bajo and must descend via the La Esperanza road (TF-24) in a one-way, downhill-only direction. On the southwest slope, which received the most snow on this occasion, entry is permitted via Chío (TF-38) and Vilaflor (TF-21) up to the Teide Cable Car, where cars must turn around to exit again via the south. Two-way traffic is permitted on this route.
This is the second time the Island Council has implemented this traffic model in anticipation of high visitor numbers, the first being in 2021. Stopping and parking along the road and at viewpoints is prohibited. The enabled parking points are at the Parador Nacional, Teide Cable Car, Roques de García, and Portillo Bajo.
Round-the-Clock Road Clearing Efforts
The work of the Council’s Roads Service has been crucial in preparing these parking areas, as by midday on Monday 15 December some were still completely snow-covered. The machinery of the island’s Roads Service continued clearing the verges on the eve of the reopening. The section between the Teide Cable Car and El Portillo was relentlessly cleared by four machines. Workers from the department have been labouring all weekend without rest.
“Here today – Monday 15 December – we have at least until eight in the evening left,” stated one of them, simultaneously warning his colleague to stop near Montaña Blanca. Access control hours will change from Wednesday 17 to Friday 19 December, starting an hour earlier at 10:00. A decision on activating the ‘Snow Operation’ for the coming weekend will be made by the Tenerife Council in the coming days.
Defiant Visitors and a Winter Wonderland
Despite access to Teide being completely prohibited until Tuesday, some dare to disobey the instructions and appear in the middle of the road with a buggy. They explained they had already passed several officers and were aware of the ban. The same occurred with a cyclist, determinedly heading towards the highest part of the park, who heeded the warnings of the Tenerife Council’s Civil Protection Service technician, Pepe Reñasco.
The snow appeared gradually while ascending the La Orotava road. The first frosts were sighted near Ramón Caminero, at about 1,500 metres altitude. Unusually, Emilia painted the south face of Tenerife much whiter. The journey towards the Parador Nacional del Teide, the final stop, grew increasingly pristine and cold, and the view from the Roques de García was like a Christmas postcard.
At the tourist facility, there were about twenty guests, all foreigners, whom the storm surprised over the weekend. By Monday 15 December, only three or four astrophotographers remained. The rest were able to leave the national park with the help of snow chains and ploughs. The telephone line failed on Friday and has not yet been restored. Before reaching Montaña Blanca are the Minas de San José, at about 2,300 metres altitude. The flat landscape was overwhelming with a blanket of white without a single footprint.
The sun did not want to miss Emilia’s snowfall and emerged triumphantly during Monday. The intensity of its brilliance threatens the snow’s existence over the coming weeks, although in some points along the roadside margins it reached almost a metre in height. Looking towards Siete Cañadas and Diego Hernández was a delight, proving how a landscape often compared to the planet Mars itself now doesn’t seem quite so alien.
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