10 spectacular trails for Trail Running in Spain

Running in the mountains is a sensation that only those who have lived the experience know. Crossing rivers, watching the sea by your side, crossing forests and soaking up the purest part of our country, letting nature accompany your rapid breathing while your heart pumps hard and sweat slides down your forehead, is what makes us throw ourselves al trail running and always wanting to discover more routes, more routes and more destinations. Below, we present 10 trail running routes in Spain that can help you get out of your comfort zone and discover new places.

Picos de Europa

• Source Dé

Running among the mountains of Cantabria is one of the greatest pleasures that any lover of nature and trail running can experience. This community offers the opportunity to enjoy very challenging routes while you fall in love with the landscape with each step. The Fuente Dé route is located in the heart of the Picos de Europa and has the quality of being an almost vertical route, which may be the reason why the name of the route is: "Vertical Kilometer Fuente Dé" . This route is circular, so you will reach the point of origin when you finish. It is also somewhat complicated because there are sections that require skills that are close to climbing, since the terrain is steep.

The path traces an ascending route.It begins by presenting a meadow surrounded by vegetation. This relatively flat ground is followed by the section of the hillside of El Cabrital, where the unevenness is already beginning to be noticed, which will gradually become rocky and more aggressive terrain as the height of the terrain increases. This is followed by El Canal de la Jedunda, which is the most complicated section of the route and requires a lot of attention and some prior knowledge of this type of terrain, which is at a high altitude and will not allow tripping or missteps. In addition, it accompanies a very steep, dark and narrow section of slope, which ends with a landscape full of light and spaciousness that to some will seem like an oasis in the middle of the desert: the El Cable track. From this point, the route begins to descend again to return to Fuente Dé, along a path covered with trees and shadows.

• Cares

The Cares route is relatively new, a few years ago it was practically impossible to access this area. Inside it housed a river, however, the need to use river water as a source of energy favored the creation of a channel that would allow access to this place that had great potential.

After a series of adaptations and reconditioning of the terrain, hikers and adventurers began to include this route among their regulars.

The best and most impressive thing about this route is that a large part of the way is covered by the walls of a deep canyon. The Cares route is also located in the Picos de Europa, extends for a total of 25 kilometers and is relatively easy to follow, which, together with the abysmal beauty that runs through the route from start to finish, could have been the reason for which this route is quite busy during the summer months.

The circuit is circular, and the starting point is at the Poncebos Bridge, from where you ascend the strip that flows alongside the Cares River gorge.

Aragonese Pyrenees

• Faja de las Flores Route Valley of Ordesa and Monte Perdido

Many know the Ordesa Valley only for the discreet, but famous excursion that thousands of hikers make every year to the Cola de Caballo. But the truth is that this Valley has landscapes and routes that make you forget that hours before you were at home surrounded by civilization and make you plunge into a parallel and silent world, in which only you can be found, and the great mountains that characterize the area.

The route of the Faja de las Flores starts from the Ordesa meadow, and after a few minutes of walking along completely flat and ambushed terrain, you have to take the path that heads towards the Cotatuero pegs. To reach the pegs, a section whose slope is completely ascending is covered. The good part is that we are still surrounded by trees and forest so the morning sun will not steal too much energy from us.

We know we are approaching Cotatuero when the trees begin to disappear and are replaced by more rugged and rocky terrain. It is highly recommended that you take your climbing equipment to cross the pegs, as they are at a very high altitude and are aerial. The views are beautiful, it seems that you are flying in the middle of the Pyrenees, and any possible fear or vertigo that you may have vanishes when you are aware of where you are and what you are seeing.

Once past the pegs you find the valley completely exposed before you and the Cotatuero waterfall. The next stitch is the flower sash. Going through this balcony that offers an incredible aerial view of the Ordesa Valley is an impressive experience because it seems that the mountain has made a horizontal hole in its lap so that you can walk through it.

When the section of the strip ends, the descent of the route begins, which is circular. We come across Los Llanos de Salarons, where there will also be a section with pegs, and after this, we will follow a very simple path downhill that will end in the Ordesa meadow.

• Ibones de Anayet Route

This route is located in the Tena Valley, which is one of the five that make up the Aragonese Pyrenees and is located in the Alto Gállego region. It is surrounded by peaks of more than 3,000 meters and make it the cradle of trail running, and the perfect place to practice it.

The route of the Ibones de Anayet begins, as its name suggests, in the ski resort of Anayet, in Formigal. The route is easy, but it can be a very powerful workout if you run up and down.

The route is very intuitive and although it does not pass under the branches of the trees, it advances at all times next to small streams, for which reason we advance during most of the route on grass and vegetation.

The slope ascends as we approach the final point of the route, and presents a somewhat steep section at the end, but it leaves a very good taste in the mouth when you find the surprise that the mountain had prepared for you: An immense landscape full of Lakes and small lakes, surrounded by a green meadow in its entirety. A landscape that is incredible being at a height of these characteristics. What finishes decorating the landscape is the environment that surrounds it, where French and Spanish peaks merge, making the view even more special.

Basque Country

• Aitzondo waterfall route

The Basque Country has the privilege of offering us green, leafy areas, rock formations of very dignified altitude and in a backlit plane with the sea. It has everything for those who love nature. You can choose between running along the sea from above, or from the shore, guarded by the mountain that appears imposing on one side.

The route we are going to talk about has its point of origin in the Peñas de Aya Natural Park and ends with the Aitzondo waterfall, which has an extension of 140 meters, which descends vertically in the form of a great torrent of water. The waterfall is located in the Peñas de Aia Natural Park, near Irún.

This route is circular and not very extensive, and along it you visit places such as the Irugurutzeta Kilns, known for their age and their great use during the last century for mining activity in the area. Once we have left the ovens behind, the terrain becomes a path that crosses a forest that offers, once passed, a section with an aggressive slope that will indicate that our destination is not far away.

This route is very pleasant to do a complete and not very aggressive training, which offers a wet finish.

Huesca

• Pre-Pyrenees Route

When we say that Aragón is the cradle of trail running, we are not lying. The pre-Pyrenees route consists of 12 stages that are normally covered running. In total, 227 kilometers are traveled and it takes between 10 and 15 days to complete.

At each stage, you pass through a series of places, each one more beautiful than the previous one. During the first days of the route, the territory of the five villas is covered, a region that is located in the north of Zaragoza, and from this point it begins to ascend towards the north of Aragon. The next point of the stage takes place in the Sierra de Santo Domingo. This area is declared a Protected Landscape of Aragon, which is not surprising, since we find that the nature and geological formations that dominate the area are exceptional.

The next part of this route goes through Villalangua and enters the Kingdom of Los Mallos de Riglos, rock formations that seem to be taken from the Grand Canyon of Colorado. They have a reddish hue, they are tall and sharp, imposing. They were recently declared a Natural Monument.

Once you have crossed the Mallos, the next obligatory stop is Loarre. The Castle also impresses, due to its dimensions, its architecture and how well preserved it is. Loarre is followed by the ascent to the Gratal peak, which is normally home to snowfields due to its altitude and isolation. The famous Salto del Roldán and the Belsué valley also make up the crossing of the Pyrenees and will not leave you indifferent.

The route ends in Alquézar, a typical Aragonese town where you can rest after a long and unforgettable trip and accompany it with a well-deserved feast.

Guadarrama

• El Yelmo Route via Senda de las Carboneras GR10

Although we are really close to the Community of Madrid and it is almost unthinkable to imagine that there are interesting rock formations and very good quality trail routes, the reality is that they do exist, and they are well worth visiting.

The Yelmo route is one of the most beautiful and impressive in Madrid. It is located specifically in La Pedriza, in the municipality of Manzanares del Real, where the route begins. This route does not give much room for losses or forgetfulness, as it is very well signposted and very intuitive.

The difficulty of the route is not very high, however, the route is, logically, a constant climb, which is made very enjoyable due to the vegetation and the rock formations that accompany the trail runner throughout the entire route. A point to confirm that you are on the right track is to reach the Gran Cañada spring, which is also an indicator that, from that moment on, the route becomes slightly more complicated as the unevenness rises.

The route is very dynamic, as the large stones found along the way take on very curious shapes, sometimes simulating the appearance of animals or people.

The path, which continues to climb, offers some rest when the Helm Meadow is reached. This is when we begin to border the Tithe, which will guide us towards the summit of the Yelmo: the end point of the Route.

Extremadura

• Route in the Monfragüe National Park

This route through the Monfragüe National Park, in Extremadura, is the best-preserved area of ​​the Mediterranean in the world, it offers views, lush and deep forests. The enormity of the Park gives space to carry out an infinite number of routes and routes that will allow each one to adapt their route to the level of resistance they have.

The busiest route may be the one that goes to Monfragüe Castle and originates in Villareal de San Carlos, which is followed by the first stage of the route, the Cardenal Bridge, which we will use to cross the Tagus and to continue our journey to the Casa de Peones Camineros. As a result of this moment, the route is easily intuited.

The route does not require too much intensity, which allows the trail runner to run at a good pace while enjoying a landscape rich in vegetation and a wide variety of tree species. The castle acts as a lookout. From there you can see the number of birds and species of birds that fly over the sky and the mountains, and enjoy the enormous landscape that stars in the scene.

A point of special relevance is that in this natural space you can observe a great variety of fauna that lives in the wild, such as deer, griffon vultures or hawks. For this reason, it is vitally important to respect the environment in which we find ourselves and to be aware that we must coexist with the native species that they find in this National Park, their home.

Majorca

• Route of Coll de sa Gramola - La trapa

This route runs through the Tramuntana Sur area, more specifically, La Trapa. It is a circular route, so the point of origin and destination are the same.

The beginning of this route is Coll de sa Gramola, and through trails, zigzag paths, ambushed areas and some slopes, we arrive at Ses Basses, a place that you will recognize if you find two houses and a well, which is left behind to advance towards Cap Fabioler. Take advantage of this point to observe the sea and the Sierra de Tramuntana from the height from the Cap Fabioler viewpoint, located on a large and imposing cliff that ends with the breaking of the waves on the rocks and the immensity of the sea below.

Once the views are engraved in your memory, the path to La Trapa continues. When you arrive at your destination, you will see a cluster of houses, called the Casas de La Trapa, which were built at the beginning of the 19th century.

This route offers you the chance to train, see the sea, breathe fresh air and soak up part of the Mallorcan history of the Sierra de Tramuntana.

Canary Islands

• Route Benijo-Roque Bermejo

Running with the sea close by and on the ground of the Canary Islands is a luxury that you cannot miss. The route we are going to talk about is located in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and begins in Benijo, a country house near the Anaga Massif. The Roque Bermejo route begins in a manor house in the Anaga Massif and you will then have to go to the town of Draguillo. The next point of arrival of the route is Las Palmas de Anaga.

The path, in addition to offering unforgettable views and completely pure air accompanied by a sea breeze that will ruffle your hair and help you run without getting too tired, is quite intuitive and easy to follow. The next stop is at the Anaga Lighthouse, from where you can see Roque Bermejo, which will be the end point of the route.

The route has a total length of 16 kilometers and requires that you be in good physical condition, as the route has several somewhat demanding points.

We hope we have inspired you to run surrounded by nature, the mountains or the sea. Playing sports in these conditions will never be understood as a sacrifice, but as a luxury and an opportunity. Cheer up!