Hi!

I'm going to be in Malaga at the end of August/early September for a conference, and am hoping to travel a bit afterwards and explore some of the nearby Spanish gems.

I enjoy mixing up days of city-touring with outdoor adventure (biking, cycling, rafting, hiking, etc.).

I haven't been able to find much specifics online for activities in the Sierra Nevadas (other than skiing). Can I stay in Granada and base a hiking tour or something from there? Anyone know of any companies? Or is there a better city to stay in for just that outdoor part? Any lodging recommendations?

(I am, by the way, planning on doing a day trip to Cordoba from Malaga, and then after the conference some sort of loop linking Malaga-Granada-Sierra Nevadas-Sevilla-fly out Malaga).

Thank you so much!

As far as I recall, there are trekking tours on Sierra Nevada, especially in summer, when there's no snow. I think you can walk to the top of Veleta from Capileira (Alpujarras) and continue to Granada.

It has been many years since I have been there but I still have one ore two websites that may be of help.
http://www.lasalpujarras.com/
I use this listing site quite a bit as they have reviews of the Casa Rurals listed.
http://www.toprural.com/

We are visiting Sierra Nevada every summer. We prefer to stay in the small villages like Trevelez, Pampaneira or Capileira (Alpujarra). Also there is a very nice casa rural close to Puerto de la Ragua.
Our favourite guide to the walking rutes is the Topwalks website. It covers some 30 routes in the National park of Sierra Nevada with route descriptions in English, maps, GPS waypoints, driving instructions and a lot of photos: http://www.topwalks.net/en/sierra_nevada.htm
If you stay in Granada, I recommend you to try the route from Pradollano to Mulhacén. From Pradollano you can also go by bike to the Alpujarra side of the mountain. There are also nice tracks starting from Puerto de la Ragua.
From Granada you have a good access to Güéjar Sierra and the famous Vereda de Estrella route (leading to Refugio de la Cucaracha and Puente del Río Real and back following the river). It is a very nice circuit route.
If you are staying in Trevelez or any other small village in Alpujarra, you should try the route of Seven Lagoons.
In Trevelez there is a nice restaurant called Piedra Ventana, that you might like to visit.

Here's a little bit more info about the Alpujarras from the company Rustic Blue, based in Bubión.

www.rusticblue.com/las_alpujarras.htm
(you can also see their list of Alpujarras area accommodations)

and a company offering cycling in the Alpujarras
www.vamoscycling.com/

Try http://www.spanishhighs.co.uk. They run year round walking, trekking and mountaineering stuff.

Wow! Thank you for all the replies! I'll keep you posted with what I end up doing!