Hiking the Ruta del Cares: Best Trails in the Picos de Europa

How Hard Is the Ruta del Cares Hike, Really?

The Ruta del Cares is 12 kilometres one way — 24 km return — cut into the limestone gorge between Caín and Poncebos. The path is almost entirely flat, rising and falling only around 100 metres across its length. There are no scrambles, no ropes, no exposed ridge work. If you can walk for five or six hours on a rough stony track with some narrow ledges and a sheer drop to your left, you can do this route. It is not a beginner's stroll, but it is far from the mountain challenge that photos suggest. Most reasonably fit adults complete it without drama.

That said, a few things catch people out: the path is uneven underfoot, the sun hammers certain sections with no shade in summer, and the return leg — the same route back — is psychologically harder than people expect. Go in July or August without starting early and you will share the ledges with what feels like half of Asturias.

The Route: Caín or Poncebos?

You can walk in either direction. Most people start from Poncebos, in the Asturian valley of the Cares, because that is where the buses stop and where most car parks are. Caín is the Leonese end, a smaller hamlet with limited parking and no public transport.

Starting from Caín is, in my view, the better experience. The gorge opens up more dramatically when you walk north, and you arrive at Poncebos feeling like you have come through something. The problem is getting there: you need your own car, and the road down from Posada de Valdeón to Caín is a single-track affair with passing places and a fair number of impatient Spanish drivers. Allow 45 minutes from Posada de Valdeón and do not attempt it in a large hire van.

If you are relying on public transport, Poncebos is the practical starting point. The ALSA bus from Cangas de Onís reaches Arenas de Cabrales (the nearest town), from where a local service or taxi covers the last 7 km to Poncebos. Double-check current schedules before you go — services in summer are more frequent, but times shift year to year.

What the Path Is Actually Like

The first few kilometres from Poncebos are the most dramatic. The gorge narrows, the river disappears somewhere far below, and the path is literally carved from the rock face — tunnels, overhangs, and stretches where the drop beside you is vertiginous. Nobody falls, but if heights genuinely unsettle you, the first hour will be uncomfortable.

Beyond the midpoint the gorge widens slightly, the valley floor becomes visible, and the path feels more like a riverside walk. Caín appears with almost no warning — a cluster of stone houses, a bar, and a car park full of Asturian number plates.

Wear proper walking shoes, not trainers. The stone is loose in places and wet in others. Take more water than you think you need — there are no shops or fountains on the route itself.

When to Go

September is the answer. The summer crowds have thinned, the temperatures are manageable (18–24°C in the gorge rather than the brutal 30°C+ of August), and the river runs a deeper green. The light is also better for photographs in the low autumn sun.

June is excellent too — long days, wildflowers on the slopes, and noticeably fewer people than July or August.

Avoid August weekends unless you genuinely enjoy queuing to pass on a narrow ledge. Spanish domestic tourism peaks hard in the Picos in August, and the Ruta del Cares is the most famous walk in northern Spain. You will not have it to yourself.

Winter is possible — some people do it in snow, which is spectacular — but check conditions carefully. Ice on those ledges is not a joke.

The Best Villages in the Picos de Europa

Sotres

If I had to choose one village in the Picos to stay in, it would be Sotres. It sits at around 1,050 metres in the Asturian sector, above the treeline, surrounded by limestone peaks. There are a handful of casas rurales, one or two bars, and almost no reason to be there except to walk, eat cheese, and look at mountains. The Gamonedo cheese made around here — smoky, aged, sharp — is worth seeking out specifically. Ask at the bar; someone will point you to whoever is selling.

The road up to Sotres from Arenas de Cabrales is narrow and dramatic. It is also the start point for several serious routes into the central massif, including approaches to the Naranjo de Bulnes (Picu Urriellu), the most iconic peak in the Picos.

Posada de Valdeón

This is the main village on the Leonese (southern) side of the mountains. It is quieter than the Asturian villages, gets fewer visitors, and has a different character — more Castilian, less coastal. The Parador de Cervera de Pisuerga is an hour south, but Posada itself has some decent rural accommodation. It is the logical base if you want to walk the Cares from the Caín end.

Arenas de Cabrales

This is where the cheese is made — Cabrales, the pungent blue that comes wrapped in green foil and should ideally be eaten with a glass of sidra. There is a cheese museum (the Cueva del Queso, as of 2026 around €6 entry) that is genuinely worth the visit for the tasting alone. Arenas is a proper working village rather than a tourist set piece, which I appreciate. Stay here if you want a bed, a restaurant, and easy access to both the Cares and the eastern massif.

Covadonga

Technically on the edge of the Picos rather than inside them, Covadonga is a religious site — a basilica and a holy cave built around the legend of the Reconquista's first battle. The lakes above (Lagos de Covadonga) are genuinely beautiful and the drive up from the sanctuary is excellent. In summer the road to the lakes is closed to private cars and you must take a shuttle bus from Covadonga; this actually improves the experience considerably. Skip the overpriced restaurants around the basilica. Bring your own food if you are heading up to the lakes.

Other Trails Worth Doing

The Ruta del Cares gets all the attention, but the Picos have hundreds of kilometres of marked paths across three massifs — the Macizo Occidental (El Cornión), the Macizo Central (Los Urrieles), and the Macizo Oriental (Ándara). A few routes that do not get enough credit:

Collado de Pandébano to the base of the Naranjo de Bulnes — a circular walk from Sotres that gets you face-to-face with the Naranjo without needing to climb it. Around 12 km, moderate difficulty, genuinely spectacular.

Lago Enol and Lago Ercina circuit — the Lakes of Covadonga walk is short (around 6 km), easy, and surrounded by cattle and mist on cooler days. Good for families or as a warm-up day.

Fuente Dé cable car and the high plateau walk — the cable car (teleférico) at Fuente Dé rises 800 metres in under four minutes. From the top you can walk across the high limestone plateau toward the Horcados Rojos and get views over three regions. This is serious mountain terrain above the cable car — do not underestimate it in poor weather.

The Bulnes village route — Bulnes is a village with no road access. You either walk up from Poncebos (around 45 minutes, steep) or take the funicular tunnel. The village has a bar and a handful of houses and is largely unchanged from a century ago. The walk up is worth it even if you take the funicular back down.

Practicalities

The Picos de Europa straddles three regions — Asturias, Cantabria, and Castilla y León — which means accommodation, transport, and even weather can vary significantly depending on which side you enter from. The Asturian side (Cangas de Onís, Arenas de Cabrales) is the most developed for tourism. The Cantabrian side (Potes, Fuente Dé) is quieter. The Leonese side (Posada de Valdeón, Caín) is the least visited of the three.

Accommodation books up fast in July and August, particularly casas rurales. If you are planning a summer visit, sort your beds at least two months in advance. Prices in 2026 range from roughly €60–€120 per night for a double room in a rural house, depending on location and quality.

Cangas de Onís is the nearest large town with a cash machine, a supermarket, and a pharmacy. If you are staying in the smaller villages, stock up there before heading into the mountains.

Mobile signal is patchy in the gorges and nonexistent in some of the higher valleys. Download offline maps (Maps.me or the Wikiloc app with the relevant tracks) before you go. The official national park maps are available at the visitor centres in Cangas de Onís and Potes.

If you are planning a longer stay in northern Spain and thinking about making the move more permanent, the logistical side of Spanish bureaucracy is a separate world entirely — from getting your NIE sorted to understanding what healthcare cover you actually have while you wait for residency to come through. Worth reading up before you arrive if this is more than a holiday.

The Picos reward slow travel. Two nights is not enough. Four or five gives you the Cares, a high route, a lake walk, and time to sit in a bar in Sotres eating cheese at ten in the morning, which is precisely where you want to be.