Irati Forest, Protected forest in Western Pyrenees, France and Spain.
Irati Forest is a protected woodland covering roughly 17,300 hectares in the western Pyrenees, extending across both France and Spain. The area consists mainly of beech and silver fir, forming dense groves on gentle ridges between Mount Okabe and Pic d'Orhy.
The area remained largely unreachable until 1964, when the first road was built through the valleys and opened access for visitors. Until then, shepherds and loggers mainly used the remote paths winding along the streams beneath the dense canopy.
The forest holds a special place in local memory as shepherds still drive their flocks to high pastures between May and November, continuing a way of life that goes back centuries. The woods also contain traces of old trade routes that once crossed the passes and can still be seen in certain spots today.
The area has a network of mountain biking routes covering around 400 kilometers, as well as marked hiking trails suited to different fitness levels. In winter, roughly 28 kilometers (17 miles) of trails are groomed for cross-country skiing and offer a quiet alternative to downhill sports.
At higher elevations lies the Okabé necropolis with prehistoric dolmens and burial mounds, showing human presence going back thousands of years. The stones sit scattered among ferns and moss and are easy to miss if you are not looking for them specifically.
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