Picos de Europa National Park, National park in northern Spain
Picos de Europa is a protected area in northern Spain where limestone massifs stretch across three regions and rise to 2,648 meters (8,688 feet) at Torre de Cerredo. Deep gorges cut into the mountains while high plateaus spread between the steep walls and rivers like the Cares flow through narrow valleys.
The area became Spain's first national park in 1918 and initially covered just the Lakes of Covadonga across 169 square kilometers (65 square miles). It expanded in 1995 when the protected zone grew to more than 670 square kilometers (259 square miles).
The name comes from the peaks that sailors could spot as their first landmark from the Atlantic. In the higher valleys, cows and goats graze during summer while shepherds live in simple stone huts, just as they have for centuries.
The three visitor centers in each region offer maps and information about roughly thirty marked trails with different levels of difficulty. From July through September, free guided walks are available where rangers show local wildlife and plants.
The park shelters more than 10,000 chamois, making it the largest population in Spain, and visitors often spot them climbing on high plateaus and rock faces. Brown bears and Iberian wolves roam the more remote valleys but usually stay out of sight of hikers.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
