El Anillo de Picos de Europa is probably the most demanding route you'll ever hike, both physically and technically. If you like alpine and rocky terrain, this hike is for you. You may want to add this circular trail to Travesía Pireno Cantábrica trail (TPC). TPC by itself, visits most of the best parts of Picos de Europa, but in a linear way.
Sunrise in Collado Jermoso pass.
Direction
Anticlockwise,
to find the steepest parts in the climbs. Descending some of them would
be very uncomfortable and even dangerous. They are VERY steep.
Starting points
-Poncebos: bus available from Arenas de Cabrales.
-Posada de Valdeón.
-Fuente Dé: bus available. If you start here, you will need to take the cable car to El Cable, or follow Senda del Hachero trail, the easiest option, also followed by Travesía Pireno Cantábrica.
View from Senda del Hachero trail.
Season
Before
June, many services are not operational. Start in June if you like
crossing many snowfields. There might be some snow on the trail until
mid July.
Spring plants on the rocks.
Weather
High
mountains and a very close sea make the conditions perfect for fast
weather changes. It's very unrecommended to hike with fog or rain in the
trickiest sections. Don't fully rely on the GPS, as it will fail near
big walls.
Terrain
Alpine and very rocky. In the highest areas, expect to hike almost half of what you are used to. The karst is sometimes very rough and the trail is sometimes easy to lose, because there are few marks or cairns. Generally, the adherence to the rock is very good, even when wet.
Pyrenean chamois terrain.
Shoes and other gear
If there is a place to leave trail running shoes at home, this is Picos de Europa. You may destroy them if you don't hike very carefully. Expect to wear out a pair of mm of your soles. You'll be usually stepping on the sharp edge of rock slabs and pointy rocks, so you could even cut the sole if it's to soft or get pain in your feet. Any other piece of gear that brushes against the rough rocks, may be damaged instantly.
Water
Don't expect streams in rocky areas. If you take it from streams, beware of livestock or human presence above. The next is probably the most important information of this quick guide:
-km0, Poncebos: bar.
-km10, Fuente del Peyu: small water source at 850m in Canal de Trea.
-km13, Vega de Ario: fountain near the refuge.
-km14, Fuente Gustuteru: low flow.
-km16, Fuente Vega de Aliseda: low flow.
-km22, Vegarredonda: refuge. Another a bit higher, near the old closed refuge.
-km26, Fuente Prieta: ?
-km31, Vega Huerta: fountain near the unmanned refuge. Medium flow.
-km35, Fuente del Frade: near the unmanned refuge. Good flow.
-km36, Arroyo de Cuesta Fría: stream.
-km37, Río Dobra: stream.
-km38, Vegabaño: fountain near the refuge.
-km41, Río Dobra: stream.
-km50, Soto de Valdeón: village.
-km51, Posada de Valdeón: village. Fountain in the central square.
-km54, Cordiñanes: village. Fountain in the entrance.
-km59, Collado Jermoso: fountain near the refuge.
-Cabaña Verónica: there is NO water in this refuge.
-km71, Hotel de Áliva: there is also a stream just before it.
-km75, Río Duje: main stream of the valley.
-km76, Vegas de Sotres: fountain just after them.
-km78, Majada Jidiellu: ? There could be a little lateral stream.
-km84, Casetón de Andara: fountain near the refuge.
-km90, Sotres: village. Fountain near the main road, to the right.
-km91, Río Duje: main stream of the valley.
-km94, Collado de Pandébano: fountain before the pass.
-km96, Terenosa: fountain near the refuge.
-km100, Vega de Urriellu: fountain near the refuge.
-km104, Hou de los Cabrones: fountain near the refuge.
-km107, Amuesa: fountain just at the start of the descent channel. Take water from the enclosed part if it's not running enough.
-km109, Fuente del Tornu.
-km109.5, Bulnes de Arriba: village.
-km110, Bulnes de Abajo: village. Fountain after the stream crossing.
-km113, Riega del Tejo: stream.
-km114, Poncebos: bar.
Food
Don't miss Cabrales, Valdeón or Picón cheeses, cachopo (steak with cheese, battered with breadcrumbs) and fabada (stew).
To resupply:
-Arenas de Cabrales:
Reach it by bus or hitchhiking from the parking area in Poncebos, or from Sotres.
Supermarkets.
Bakeries.
Local products (cheese, cold meats, honey...).
Restaurants.
-Posada de Valdeón:
Supermarket: not opened every year (opened in 2023).
Bakery: with a few supermarket products, but no fruit or vegetables.
Restaurants.
-Sotres:
Local products
Restaurants.
-You can also get some food in manned refuges: Vega de Ario, Vegarredonda, Vegabaño, Collado Jermoso, Hotel de Áliva, Casetón de Andara, La Terenosa, Vega de Urriellu, Hou de los Cabrones.
Sections
Ruta del Cares trail: very easy.
Ruta del Cares trail.
Canal de Trea channel: very steep ascent. In one point, 2 trail options appear. The one to the right requires a bit dangerous little scramble: avoid it.
Central Massif from Canal de Trea channel.
Vega de Ario meadow - Vegarredonda meadow: tricky orienteering on medium roughness karst. Don't underestimate this section.
Bivouac near Vega de Ario meadow.
View from Pico Conjurtao peak.
Vegarredonda meadow - Vega Huerta meadow: medium difficulty on medium roughness karst. Increased difficulty if snowfields are present.
Vega Huerta meadow and Peña Santa de Castilla peak.
Vega Huerta meadow - Vegabaño meadow: easy, even with some snowfields. You may be tempted to avoid descending to Vegabaño, but you would lose a very nice beech forest and a beautiful meadow.
Vegabaño meadow above the shadow and Cordillera Cantábrica range in the back.
Pica Beza peak from Vegabaño meadow.
Vegabaño meadow - Posada de Valdeón village - Cordiñanes village: very easy. From Posada de Valdeón to Cordiñanes, minimize asphalt following near the water reservoir.
One of the few forests traversed.
Collado Jermoso pass: very steep ascent. Some exposed sections. Some loose terrain. Don't miss the views from the little summit near the refuge.
Torre del Friero peak in the sunset.
Torre de Llambrión peak from Collado Jermoso pass.
Collado Jermoso meadow - Cabaña Verónica refuge: medium-high difficulty on high roughness karst. Increased difficulty if snowfields are present.
Can you spot the refuge in the middle? Don't look for a trail to reach it.
Cabaña Verónica refuge - Horcadina de Covarrobles pass (near El Cable cable car): easy, even with some snowfields.
Puertos de Áliva meadows: very easy. It's possible to shortcut by trail before Hotel de Áliva (recommended).
Collado de Valdominguero pass: very steep ascent of Canal de Jidiellu channel. Easy scramble in the last meters, that could be really complicated with snow. Once in the pass, ascend a little more to the right, to get a nice view over Puertos de Áliva, and then return to the pass.
A very steep climb to the gap at the end of Canal de Jidiellu channel.
Puertos de Áliva meadows from the viewpoint recommended before.
Descent to Casetón de Andara refuge: easy, even with snow. If you don't need water or refuge, it's possible to do a little shortcut and avoid reaching the refuge.
Casetón de Andara refuge - Sotres village - Collado de Pandébano pass: very easy.
From Collado Fuente Soles pass: Sotres village in the middle.
View just before Sotres village.
Vega de Urriellu meadow: easy.
Naranjo de Bulnes peak, the paradise for rock climbers.
Local people call it Picu Urriellu, or "El Picu".
Vega de Urriellu meadow - Hou de los Cabrones depression - Amuesa meadow: medium-high difficulty on medium roughness karst, but with a few easy scrambles, equipped with ladders and ropes. Increased difficulty if snowfields are present.
Seems scary but it's not a very exposed section.
Hou de los Cabrones depression.
Amuesa meadow - Poncebos bridge: easy, but consider the fatigue of a 1800m descent. The rock after Bulnes is very polished, so be careful if wet.
Canal de Amuesa channel and Bulnes village in the bottom.
GPS file
I mostly followed this gpx file, with minor changes described above.
Any other question? You can ask here.
