4-day trek Picos de Europa Covadonga-Western Massif

We start our adventure in Posada de Valdeón, the capital of the beautiful valley of Valdeón. On this day, we will cross one of the most important slopes of the Cornión Massif. From Posada we will go to the Mirador del Tombo, near Cordiñanes, to descend through the Monte de Corona and visiting the Chorco de los Lobos, to the beautiful village of Caín (460m), from where we will enter the spectacular Cares gorge, crossing its most beautiful stretch, crossing bridges and tunnels built in unlikely places, to the Bolín Bridge, where the dizzying ascent of more than 1,000 metres of vertical drop in just 3 hours begins. We start the steep ascent of more than 1,000 metres in just 3 kilometres along the Canal de Trea, towards the Vega de Ario hut (1,630m), where we spend the first night of the trek. From the Vega de Ario hut we can enjoy one of the best sunsets in the Picos de Europa.

On our second day of trekking, we will descend towards the Covadonga Lakes (1.100m), crossing the most beautiful vegas of the Picos de Europa, such as Parres or Belbín. A well-deserved picnic awaits us at the Lagos de Covadonga before we ascend through vegas and into the heights of the Western Massif to the Refugio de Vegarredonda (1,410m), where we will spend our second night. A beautiful day that passes through symbolic places of the Picos de Europa, such as the lakes themselves or the Pozo del Alemán, a place whose name is due to Roberto Frassinelli, an exceptional character.

During this long and hard day, we will follow one of the most classic routes of the massif, crossing it from north to south, through the characteristic karst landscape of the high peaks of the Picos de Europa, where the chaos of the limestone rock reigns between jous and cols, making orientation not easy at all. This is an ideal day to see chamois, a characteristic animal of the National Park. During this classic route, we will be accompanied by the highest peaks of the Massif, passing through Vega Huerta to enjoy the impressive view of the south wall (600 metres high) of Peña Santa de Castilla, the highest point of the Cornión at 2,596 metres. From this vega, from where we will also enjoy beautiful views of the Central Massif, we will descend through the Frade pass towards the Vegabaño refuge (1,320m), located in a magnificent place surrounded by beautiful forests, to enjoy a well-deserved rest after a long and hard day.

Starting from the Vegabaño Refuge, we will make a long and progressive descent through forests, meadows, sheepfolds and the most important villages of the beautiful valley of Valdeón, bordering the Cornión massif on its southernmost slope to reach our starting point and finish this spectacular trek through the Picos de Europa.