Hiking Routes in Benasque: Check out these 9 Routes

Hiking is a very good way of enjoying the landscapes of the Benasque Valley. Make the most of your time in the Benasque Valley by walking along its hundreds of kilometres of routes.

If you want to explore the Benasque Valley, here are several options.

If you want to walk in the Benasque Valley, we recommend that you use a walking stick very similar to those used for skiing. This is called Nordic Walking or dynamic walking in our language. You will be able to walk while using the strength of your arms to move forward easily. Another option is to try these trails, you will enjoy it enormously. if you are a Trail Running lover.

The mountains are perfect if you want to do a complete tour, but you should also pass through the different streets of the different villages to soak up the local culture and history. You can fully discover the rich natural heritage of this beautiful region of northern Spain.

Routes through the Natural Park

The Posets-Maladeta Natural Park is located to the north of the Benasque Valley, more specifically in the Ribagorza region, and covers almost 33,500 hectares of land that includes almost a hundred lakes, 13 glaciers and countless waterfalls, most of them of glacial origin.

It was created in 1994 and, since then, it has been accumulating a great deal of geological, botanical and faunal beauty, with a large number of endemic species or those in serious danger of disappearing.

The park covers a large area, extending over Benasque, Sahún, Gistain, San Juan de Plan and even Montanuy.

The average altitude is around 1500 metres, while the highest point is Aneto, whose summit is 3404 metres above sea level.

We can distinguish three important sectors inside the park: the Aneto-Maladetathe Eriste-Posets and that of Estós-PerdigueroThe great majority of the Pyrenean mountain range's three-thousand-metre peaks can be found here.

The Route of the Three Refuges in the Posets-Maladeta massif>>>>>.

There is shelters throughout the park, with a strategic distribution. There is one in Angel Orúsanother in Theseanother one in the Eriste Valley, and many more in Renclusathe northern slope of the Maladetas, at Biadós and in the Chistau Valley.

Finally, there are also a couple of valley interpretation centres in Eriste.

Some routes in the Benasque Valley:

Geomorphologic Path - Plains of Hospital de Benasque - Forau de Aigualluts

ItineraryCar park of the pleta de la Sarra - La Besurta - Forau de Aigualluts - Return to the car park.

The path starts at the Vado del Hospital car park, and all along the way you will find granite blocks that, long ago, were transported by the glacier. Shortly after starting you will reach the Hospital de Benasque, which we will have to leave on our right in order to continue on our path, which climbs up to Plan d'Están, a small meadow located on an old lake.

You can walk a few hundred metres along a tarmac road until you climb back up towards Besurta. About 10 minutes after leaving Besurta behind you will see a crossroads, which you should take to the left and which will lead you to the Forau d'Aigualluts viewpoint, with impressive views of the underground cavity over which it is located.

Botanical Trail - Gorgas de Alba

ItineraryParking at the Turpi Plan - Mirador Gorgas de Alba - Parking at the Turpi Plan.

You will have to park your car in the car park in front of the Hotel Turpi, and then start the route that you will begin after crossing the bridge over the Esera, passing some pastures. Shortly after you start, you will enter a small rocky area, and very soon you will enter a thick forest of mainly firs and black pines. About 25 metres further on you will see a small detour in the direction of the Gorgas de Alba, but it is advisable to go straight on and continue straight on, heading towards the Benasque baths. Shortly after this turn-off you will start to descend through a beautiful beech forest.

On the way back you will pass the turn-off again, and this time we will take it, ending up at a viewpoint that will offer us one of the best views of the waterfalls in the whole area. Once here, you will have to continue the descent towards the beginning along the right bank of the river.

Espigantosa Waterfall - Angel Orús Refuge Route

Itinerary: Espigantosa waterfall car park - Angel Orús hut - return to the car park

The route starts at the Espigantosa waterfall, which you will have to reach with your vehicle leaving from Eriste and taking the direction of the Ángerl Orús refuge. The track zigzags along the slope and changes from asphalt to dirt and gravel. You will leave behind the Eriste viewpoint and the Tramarrius bridge, until you finally reach the Espigantosa waterfall, that is, the start of our route.

The route coincides in its entirety with the PR 36, and will become narrower once we have crossed the Ésera and climbed a little through the forest. An hour's journey later we will reach a clearing next to the river that will allow us to see the Presentet bridge and take a short break. From this point you will find yourself facing a very steep slope that you will manage to overcome by means of short loops through a black pine forest that will lead you to the Angel Orús refuge.

Circular route Benasque - Anciles - Cerler - Benasque

The path that links Benasque and Cerler starts at the entrance to Benasque, on the right bank of the river that crosses the entire region, the Ésera, in the direction of Anciles.

The route will border the river on the right until it reaches a bridge that will lead us to Anciles, for which we will have to turn right and walk until we reach the town, whose streets we will walk through on our way to Cerler.

All along the route you will see that the path blends into the forest and gives it an unparalleled charm.

The more altitude you gain, the more small canyons you will find. This will allow you to rest and take photographs. It will take us an hour and a half to reach the last river, Remáscaro, which we will have to cross over the wooden bridge that will take us to the Aramon Cerler ski resort.

Once you have reached this point, you must cross the bridge to the station car park, from where you will start to descend towards Benasque.

The way down will allow us to see beautiful panoramic views of the whole of Benasque, the Sierra de Chía and the Tucas de Ixeia. You can choose, at one point along the way, whether to go directly towards Benasque (left) or head to the right, towards Pichirillo, and go around Benasque until the end of the route.

Route of the three ravines from Benasque

ItineraryBenasque - the path of the three ravines - back to Benasque

This route starts on the road that goes up to the Escuela de Alta Montaña, in the village of Benasque. This route will take you through the foothills of the Tuca d'el Mon.

The first part of the route will take you up the puyegarbe path, in the direction of the Fue de Esquirisueles. You will have to gain altitude between the Tucas slopes, then change direction to head towards the Els Molineses ravine, which you will have to cross. You will have to walk until you reach the Sobarriba ravine, and after crossing it you will end up in the last ravine of all: the Tuca d'el Mon ravine.

All that remains is to follow the section that leads to the Rallá path, which we must take towards Benasque. After you have finished descending you will find the Someres path, which borders the river on the right and will take you back to the starting point.

Route from Sahún to the Ibones of Barbarisa

Itinerary: Sahún - Cabaña d'Es Prats - Ibón Chicot de barbarisa - Ibón gran de Barbarisa - return to Sahún

The Barbarisa valley rises in the Eriste or Bagüeñola peaks, separating the Chía mountain range from the Llardana massif, and also contains the Surri ravine. Our route starts in Sahún (in the village itself), although there are numerous other entrances through the pass itself. We will have to take the path that goes towards Plan and San Juan (PR-HU 51) that ends up turning and ends up in the Sahún Valley. We will have to climb up to the Es Prats hut, where we will head towards the north, going up the ravine first on the left and then on the right. If, on the other hand, we start the route at the pass, we must descend towards Chía until we reach a crossroads that leads us to the aforementioned hut. Once you have reached the Chicot de Barbarisa lake, you will only need 15 minutes to reach the Gran de Barbarisa.

Route to Ibonet de Lliterola

ItineraryBridge over the Lliterola ravine - Lliterola hut - Ibonet de Lliterola - return to the bridge.

The Lliterola valley seems short and wide at the same time, and ends up flowing into the main valley above the Baños de Benasque. It runs from the Lliterola pass, which is almost 3km above sea level, to the Benasque Valley itself, passing peaks such as the Perdiguero and Cabrioules, both of which are over 3000 metres high.

You will see a path with a very steep ascent that starts after crossing the bridge over the Barranco de Lliterola ravine, a climb that will always be parallel to the river.

This route will continue until you have reached the shepherds' hut, taking approximately 90 minutes. We will have to leave this hut to the left to continue ascending until we reach our main destination: the ibonet de Lliterola.

Estós Valley - Batisielles - Escarpinosa route

Itinerary: Estós Valley start car park - Ibonet de Batisielles - Ibón de Escarpinosa - Return to car park

The route starts at the Estós Valley car park, and the first part consists of crossing it, coinciding with the GR 11 path. You will pass a shepherd's hut (Santa Ana hut) and continue until you take the path to the Batisielles ibonet, on the left.

You will have to leave the GR11 track behind you to take the turn-off, and you will come to a path that climbs up through a forest and leads to a very small lake with a meadow: the ibonet de Batisielles.

There is only another 40 minutes of walking left, always following the signs to the Ibón de Escarpinosa.

The Royal Road

This road linked the two hospitals, which were situated on either side of the great mountain range.

The first of these, the Hospital de Benasque, was founded in the early 18th century by the "Royal Order of the Knights Hospitaller of St. John of Jerusalem", or Hospice de France, hence its nickname "hospitalers".

Thanks to the very active trade relations that Benasque and Luchón maintained for many centuries were partly due to the good network of mountain roads that existed, which allowed for fluid and agile transit with the mediocre means of transport of the time. Commercial activity was maintained thanks to the mule tracks that could reach the highest passes.

The network remained undisturbed until the middle of the 19th century, when the Benascans began to realise that what was best for the nation was a first class road from Barbastro to the border, with an underpass.

Both they and the inhabitants of Luchón put pressure on their respective rulers to build the line between them. The Benasqueses, for their part, turned to the lieutenant general and senator of the kingdom, Valentín Ferraz Barrau, and although they tried to do so, it had no effect.

Even so, the Portillón was repaired and another bridle path was inaugurated in mid-September 1858.

It is curious that, more than a century and a half later, the inhabitants of both towns still keep alive a protest that even today would benefit both towns.