Hiking and trekking in Picos de Europa

Day 1: TRIP TO THE PICOS DE EUROPA. LAKES OF COVADONGA (1,070 m) - VEGARREDONDA REFUGE (1,540 m)

Departure at 8 a.m. from Madrid. Travel to the Enol Lakes (Cangas de Onís). The activity begins in Vega de Enol, from where we will reach Pan de Carmen and Pozo del Alemán. The trail then zigzags up to Majada de la Piedra, unmistakable due to the large rock in the middle. We will ascend a steep slope that leads us to a marked path that we will not leave until we reach the Vegarredonda Refuge after a 3-hour hike and 500 m of ascent. We will leave our backpacks at the refuge and head to the Mirador de Ordiales, from where the panoramic views are breathtaking: the Angón meadows, Canto Cabronero, and more. Afterwards, we will return to the refuge. The stage is a total of 5 hours and covers 700 meters of elevation gain and 150 meters of descent.

Day 2: VEGARREDONDA REFUGE (1,540 m) – PEÑA SANTA (2,596 m)

On the second day, the first ascent awaits us, an impressive day. We'll begin the hike at the Old Refuge, where it zigzags to overcome the first slope of the Llampa Cimera. We'll then ascend to the Collado de la Fragua, from which we can see the north face of the Torre de Santa María. We'll pass below the Las Barrastrosas ridge until we reach the base of the Aguja de Enol, which we'll leave on the right, until we reach the Jou de los Asturianos. We cross this route to Boca del JouSantu (2,100 m), from where the views are breathtaking: surrounded by Peña Santa, El Torco, Las Tres Marías, Torre de Enmedio, and Torre de Santa María. We will return to sleep at the Vegarredonda refuge. The stage will last a total of 8 hours and cover 1,100 m of elevation gain.

Day 3: VEGARREDONDA REFUGE (1,540 m) - COVADONGA LAKES (1,070 m) - FUENTE DÉ (1,094 m) - MIRADOR DEL CABLE (1,847 m) - TORRE DE LOS HORCADOS ROJOS (2,570 m) - TESORERO (2,506 m) - URRIELLO REFUGE (1,953 m)

This day, we'll complete a spectacular stage that will allow us to change massifs and continue climbing. We'll follow the reverse route of the first day to return to Vega de Enol. From there, we'll take the cars to Fuente De. We'll take the cable car to Mirador del Cable, where we'll begin walking. We'll pass through Vueltona, at a crossroads where the path begins to gain altitude, leaving sheer walls to our right that defend the summit of Peña Vieja, which we must completely skirt around. We will continue toward the Horcados Rojos Pass (2,344 m), from where we will easily reach the Horcados Rojos Tower, offering exceptional views of the four cardinal points of the central massif.

From there, flanking a rocky area and following cairns, we will cross a channel to reach the summit of Tesorero Peak. The Tesorero Peak lies on the borders of the three provinces involved in the area and is practically the orographic center of the Picos de Europa. From its summit, almost all the peaks are visible. We will return to the Horcados Rojos Pass to descend to Jou de los Boches and from there to Jou sin Tierre, where we will continue to the Vega de Urriellos refuge, where we will have dinner and spend the night after a stage in which we will have ascended 900 m and descended 1,1050 m in six hours of actual walking.

Day 4: VEGA DE URRIELLO REFUGE (1,953 m) – TORRE CERREDO (2,648 m)

This day we will ascend the highest peak of the Picos de Europa Mountains, in the heart of the central massif, the legendary Torre Cerredo. From the refuge, following an obvious path heading northwest, we first ascend to a clear pass about 200 meters from the refuge, then gradually climb toward Brecha de los Cazadores, a pass toward Horcada Arenera. We ascend through the gap to the top of the plain, an exceptional viewpoint of the imposing west face of Naranjo de Bulnes.

We continue toward Horcada Arenera, where we can clearly see the imposing Torre Cerredo, Pico Cabrones, and Torre Labrouche. We reach the base of Torre de Labrouche, where the path gains height and skirts Jou de Cerredo on its right (west). Gaining altitude, the climb begins. We ascend through a clear scree to the base of a narrow channel. At this point, the most interesting part of the climb begins. Little by little, and milestone after milestone, we reach the summit, the highest point in the Picos de Europa (2,648 m), with impressive views of the ridge toward Pico de los Cabrones. The descent and return are made along the same path to the Urriellu refuge after 850 m of elevation gain and a 5-hour hike.

Day 5: VEGA DE URRIELLO REFUGE (1,953 m) – LLAMBRIÓN (2,642 m)

This day, we propose an ascent of the second highest peak in the Picos de Europa, Llambrión.

We begin the trail approaching the Jou sin Tierre after an easy descent. We continue along the left slope until we reach the end of the jou, where we pass through the Gargantada. We reach the Jou de los Boches and, after crossing it, begin the ascent to the Horcados Rojos pass (2,344 m). We pass by the Cabaña Verónica refuge towards the Collada Blanca and then cross to the Jou Trasllambrión on the left, with a few descents.

Then we begin the ascent, looking for the best route to the snowfield. We climb to the ridge via the Tiro Callejo. Once here, we'll continue up an easy ramp to access the ridge itself, where all that remains is to follow it with a few steps to the summit of Llambrión. Spectacular views of the Massif Central. We'll retrace our steps to reach the refuge where we'll sleep after a 900-meter climb up and down, which we'll cover in 8 hours.

Day 6: VEGA DE URRIELLO REFUGE (1,953 m) – PEÑA VIEJA (2,613 m) – SANTA ANA PEAK (2,601 m) – MIRADOR DEL CABLE (1,847 m) – FUENTE DE (1,094 m) – RETURN OF THE PICOS DE EUROPA

On the last day, we'll return, but not before ascending Peña Vieja and Pico Santa Ana to culminate our adventure. We'll hike toward the Horcados Rojos pass, as we did the day before. From there, we head downhill toward Mirador del Cable. We'll ascend again at the detour toward the gap that leads to Peña Santa (NE).

The final stretch narrows, before soon emerging at the wide Canalona pass (2,482 m). From the pass, we head toward the summit of Peña Vieja, which we reach immediately. We'll descend to the pass to also reach Pico Santa Ana. Afterward, we'll return to the detour and return to Fuente Dé, from where we begin our return trip to Madrid.