El Anillo de Picos
El Anillo de Picos (3 Macizos)
Key figures
Length
- Stated
- About 115 km, the stated length (El Anillo de Picos (elanillodepicos.com))
- Map line
- 106.3 km, OpenStreetMap along the official track
- Used for
- The charts on this page, and comparing trails in the search
- about115km
Ascent · descent
- This trail
- Estimated from the terrain model (≈): no source states them
- How
- Every main stage's climbs and drops between samples 100 m apart
- Keep in mind
- In forests the model reads the treetops, so it reads high there
- estimated: 8,800m ↑8,790m ↓
Difficulty
- What
- How hard the trail is, in three ways: the terrain, the climate in season and the length of the days
- Scale
- Easy to Hard, with the same thresholds for every trail; each takes its hardest measure
- Keep in mind
- It describes the trail, not how it will feel to you: that depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather you get
- Terrain: HardPath grade: ≈ T4
- Climate: Demanding in Jun–OctCold: 0 °C at night (October)
- Effort: HardLongest day: 11 h (stage 8)
- Terrain: Hard; Climate: Demanding in Jun–Oct; Effort: Hard
Days
- This trail
- 8 days, one per main stage
- Why
- No source suggests a number of days
- 8days
Per stage
- How
- The 8 main stages' totals over their number
- Source
- huckepack, so the averages come from one source
- Ascent
- The terrain model's estimate per stage (≈): the stages state no climbs
- 13.3km· about 1,100 m ↑
- Season
When are you going?
The page rates its climate for them.
Landscape
- Source
- ESA WorldCover satellite land cover, along the main route
- Grassland and shrubs: 62%
- Forest: 19%
- Bare rock and sand: 18%
- Farmland and villages: 2%
- Mostly Grassland
Location
- Country
- Spain
- Regions
- Asturias, Cantabria, Castile and León
- Start
- Refugio de Vega de Ario
- Finish
- Refugio de Vega de Ario
- Route type
- Loop
- Travel hubs
- Oviedo139.8 km by road · 157 min
- Asturias Airport (OVD)174.3 km by road · 178 min
- Protected areas
- Picos de Europa National Park
- Managed by
- El Anillo de Picos, the refuges of the Picos de Europa and their wardensOfficial website
- Waymarking
- No waymarks of its own; mostly the paint marks of local PR paths and cairns, so carry the map
- Trail
- Start
- Stage start
- Finish
- Contour lines
Difficulty
Terrain
- Rates
- How hard is the ground to walk: the path, the climbing, the steep bits, the ground underfoot?
- How
- Rated over the whole main route.
- Level
- The hardest measure sets it
- Path grade
- the trail's SAC grade, stated, converted or estimated
- EasyT1
- ModerateT2
- DemandingT3
- HardT4 to T6
- Climbing
- ascent of the main stages over their length
- Easyunder 15 m per km
- Moderate15–30 m
- Demanding30–50 m
- Hard50 m or more
- Steep stretches
- share of the route steeper than 15 %, up or down (terrain model)
- Easyunder 5 %
- Moderate5–15 %
- Demanding15–30 %
- Hard30 % or more
- Natural ground
- share on footpaths and trails (OpenStreetMap); never Hard on its own
- Easyunder a third
- Moderatea third to two thirds
- Demandingtwo thirds or more
Hard
- estimated T4
SAC hiking scale
- This trail
- T4 (our estimate)
- Basis
- The site rates the three-massif ring "muy alta", its hardest. Ario to Vegarredonda is "una ruta sin sendero" on cairns; the way up to Collado Jermoso is steep ground "donde tendremos que ayudarnos de las manos"; from Urriellu "una corta trepada" to the Horcada Arenera; below Jou de los Cabrones "unos tramos expuestos protegidos con cuerda fija", then the Canal de Trea. Alpine hiking with easy scrambling and exposed passages (T4); stages up to 10–11 hours.
- Scale
- The Swiss Alpine Club's hiking scale, from T1 (easy) to T6 (very hard)
- Why
- Trails rate difficulty in many local scales, or only in words; we translate each into this one so trails compare
- Keep in mind
- An estimate: how hard a trail feels depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather
- T1 · Hiking
- Well-made paths, mostly flat or gently sloping. No risk of falling; trainers are enough.
- T2 · Mountain hiking
- A continuous path, steep in places, where a fall can't be ruled out. Be sure-footed; wear hiking boots.
- T3 · Demanding mountain hiking
- The path is not always visible; exposed spots may have chains or ropes, and you may need your hands for balance.
- T4 · Alpine hiking
- Often no path. Hands are needed in places, terrain is exposed, and there can be easy snowfields.
- T5 · Demanding alpine hiking
- Mostly pathless, with easy climbing and exposed, demanding terrain. Needs alpine experience.
- T6 · Difficult alpine hiking
- Pathless, very exposed, with climbing and glaciers. For experienced mountaineers only.
- Climbingestimated 83 m per km
- Steep stretches43 % of the way
- Natural ground75 %
Climate
- Rates
- How hot, cold, wet and windy does it get?
- How
- From 30 years of daily weather (ERA5), rated per month. Without months picked: the trail's best run of at least two season months, each measure at its hardest month. Pick months in the search to rate it for yours.
- Level
- The hardest measure sets it
- Heat
- mean daily high at the lowest point
- Easyunder 22 °C
- Moderate22–27 °C
- Demanding27–32 °C
- Hard32 °C or more
- Cold
- mean nightly low at the highest point
- Easy8 °C or more
- Moderate3–8 °C
- Demanding−2 to 3 °C
- Hardbelow −2 °C
- Wet days
- days a month with 1 mm of rain or more, the wetter of both points
- Easyunder 10
- Moderate10–14
- Demanding14–18
- Hard18 or more
- Snow
- days a month with 1 cm of snow or more at the highest point
- Easyunder 1 day
- Moderate1–3 days
- Demanding3–6 days
- Hard6 days or more
- Wind
- mean of the day's strongest wind (hourly mean, 10 m above ground), the windier of both points; over land: a point whose 25 km weather cell is mostly sea takes the nearest mostly-land cell's
- Easyunder 15 km/h
- Moderate15–20 km/h
- Demanding20–25 km/h
- Hard25 km/h or more
Demanding in Jun–Oct
Outside the season (Jun–Oct): facilities may be closed, and the weather is harder to plan for.
- Heat · August24 °C by day
- Cold · October0 °C at night
- Wet days · August16 days
- Snow · October5 days
- Wind · October11 km/h
Effort
- Rates
- How long are the days?
- How
- Rated by the longest main stage; a time range counts its upper end.
- Level
- The hardest measure sets it
- Longest day
- walking time of the longest main stage, stated or by DIN 33466
- Easyup to 4 h
- Moderate4–6 h
- Demanding6–8 h
- Hardmore than 8 h
Hard
- Longest day · stage 811 h
Climate
- Days in season · lowest point
- 20–24°C
- Nights in season · highest point
- 0–5°C
- Wet days a month
- 15–16
- Daylight
- 10.9–15.4h
| Month | Lowest point, day high / night low (°C) | Highest point, day high / night low (°C) | Wet days | Snow days | Frost nights at the highest point | Daylight (h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 11.9 / 6.3 | -1.5 / -7.6 | 16.3 | 14.9 | 30.9 | 9.3 |
| February | 12.4 / 6.1 | -0.8 / -7.7 | 14.2 | 13.2 | 28.2 | 10.5 |
| March | 14.2 / 7.3 | 1.3 / -6.3 | 16 | 13.3 | 30.6 | 11.8 |
| April | 15.6 / 9 | 3.1 / -4.4 | 17.4 | 12.7 | 28 | 13.4 |
| May | 18.2 / 11.9 | 6.1 / -1.3 | 18.6 | 8.2 | 20.3 | 14.7 |
| June | 21.4 / 15.5 | 9.6 / 2.5 | 16.3 | 2.1 | 6.1 | 15.4 |
| July | 23.3 / 17.5 | 11.6 / 4.6 | 15.3 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 15.1 |
| August | 23.7 / 18 | 11.9 / 5 | 16.4 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 13.9 |
| September | 21.9 / 16.1 | 9.6 / 2.7 | 14.6 | 1.5 | 4 | 12.4 |
| October | 19.5 / 13.5 | 6.9 / 0.1 | 15.9 | 5.4 | 14.4 | 10.9 |
| November | 14.7 / 9.4 | 1.5 / -4.4 | 17.8 | 14.5 | 27.6 | 9.6 |
| December | 12.9 / 7.4 | -0.4 / -6.5 | 15.8 | 14.3 | 30.6 | 9 |
Climate by month
- Source
- ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, averages for 1995–2024
- Places
- The trail's lowest and highest point, adjusted to their height
- Bars
- From the mean night low to the mean day high
- Wet days
- At least 1 mm of rain; snow days at least 1 cm of snow
- Daylight
- Sunrise to sunset in the middle of the month
- Shading
- The trail's season
Stages
| Stage | Route | Distance | Ascent | Descent | Elevation | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vega de Ario Vegarredonda | 7.4 km | estimated 430 m ↑ | estimated 540 m ↓ | estimated 1,620 → 1,510 m | 4–6 h |
| 2 | Vegarredonda Vegabaño | 15.3 km | estimated 1,020 m ↑ | estimated 1,200 m ↓ | estimated 1,500 → 1,320 m | 8–10 h |
| 3 | Vegabaño Collado Jermoso | 17.6 km | estimated 1,660 m ↑ | estimated 940 m ↓ | estimated 1,320 → 2,040 m | 7 h 30 |
| 4 | Collado Jermoso Cabaña Verónica | 4.8 km | estimated 510 m ↑ | estimated 250 m ↓ | estimated 2,060 → 2,320 m | 2 h 30 |
| 5 | Cabaña Verónica Casetón de Andara | 19.5 km | estimated 1,230 m ↑ | estimated 1,820 m ↓ | estimated 2,300 → 1,710 m | 8 h 00 |
| 6 | Casetón de Andara Vega de Urriellu | 15.1 km | estimated 1,150 m ↑ | estimated 920 m ↓ | estimated 1,700 → 1,940 m | 8 h 00 |
| 7 | Vega de Urriellu Jou de los Cabrones | 3.8 km | estimated 370 m ↑ | estimated 280 m ↓ | estimated 1,950 → 2,040 m | 2 h 45 |
| 8 | Jou de los Cabrones Vega de Ario | 22.8 km | estimated 2,430 m ↑ | estimated 2,840 m ↓ | estimated 2,040 → 1,620 m | 10–11 h |
Totals and averages count the main stages only. Distances are ours, measured on the OpenStreetMap map line between the stage ends: no source publishes them. Walking times from El Anillo de Picos. ≈ marks our estimates where the source gives no figure: ascent and descent and heights from the terrain model (Copernicus DEM, 30 m grid, sampled every 100 m), to the nearest 10 m.
Terrain
- Highest · lowest point
- 2,370m high252m low
Gradient
- Steepest climb
- 59 % (31°), 294 m up over 500 m, stage 8
- Steepest descent
- −45 % (24°), 226 m down over 500 m, stage 8
- Gradient
- Height per distance: 20 % is 20 m up per 100 m forward; 100 % is 45°, not 90°
- Keep in mind
- Averages over 500 m from a 30 m terrain model: steps and ladders within them are steeper
Gradient Angle Feels like 10 % 6° Noticeable on a road 20 % 11° A steep path, slow going 30 % 17° Very steep, often steps 100 % 45° Scrambling - 59% ↑−45% ↓
Steep stretches
- This trail
- 22.7 km up, 21.9 km down: the darkest parts of the profile
- Steep
- 15 % or more (9°, 15 m of height per 100 m), in 200 m stretches
- Why it matters
- Slow going uphill, hard on the knees downhill
- 44.6km
Surfaces
- Natural ground: 75%, 76.8 km. Earth, grass, rock and roots: footpaths and forest trails. Can be muddy after rain.
- Gravel: 20%, 20.2 km. Gravel, compacted and stony surfaces: mostly forest roads and farm tracks.
- Paved: 6%, 5.7 km. Asphalt, concrete and cobbles: roads and village streets.
Terrain along the route
- Heights
- Copernicus terrain model, 30 m grid, every 100 m along the main route; in forests it reads the treetops
- Colours
- Each 200 m by its gradient in walking direction: climbs warm, descents violet, darker when steeper (to ±30 %)
- Ground
- The strip below, from OpenStreetMap; the 17% without a surface tag is read from the way type (footpaths natural, tracks gravel)
- Tree line
- About 1,797 m (Organismo Autónomo Parques Nacionales): above it, open ground without trees. Pasture and clearing can keep the forest lower
Landscape
Landscape along the route
- Source
- ESA WorldCover 2021, a 10 m satellite map
- Points
- Every 100 m along the main route; each takes the most common class within 30 m, so the path itself doesn't count as bare ground
- Groups
- Its eleven classes, folded into the six shown
- Keep in mind
- What the landscape looks like, not which plants grow there
Sleeping
Wild camping
- What
- Pitching a tent outside campsites. Whether it is allowed, restricted or prohibited depends on the land and the country; the rule for this trail is below the cards.
Restricted
Camping
- What
- Official campsites along the trail. Bring your own tent.
- Available
- Where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps 3 or more within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
Available
10 in OpenStreetMap
Huts
- What
- Mountain huts (often staffed, with meals) and unstaffed bivouac shelters, usually on the trail itself.
- Available
- Where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps 3 or more within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
Available
Mountain huts · 14 in OpenStreetMap
Hostels
- What
- Dormitory beds for walkers: hostels, hiker lodges and pilgrim hostels.
- Available
- Where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps 3 or more within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
Available
6 in OpenStreetMap
Rooms
- What
- Private rooms, usually in villages near the trail: B&Bs, guesthouses, hotels, farm stays and monastery guesthouses.
- Available
- Where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps 3 or more within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
Available
10 in OpenStreetMap
Wild camping is restricted. In the national park, sleeping in the open (without a tent) only for mountaineering, above 1,800 m and for up to three nights; a tent only in bad weather or an emergency, above 1,800 m, pitched from an hour before sunset to an hour after sunrise. Otherwise camping only on authorised campsites, and not outside the refuges unless authorised for force majeure.
Places to sleep along the route
- Ticks
- One per place to sleep: 10 campsites, 14 huts, 6 hostels, 10 guest houses
- Counted
- Within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end (stage towns often lie off the trail); no hotels or day shelters
- Shaded
- The longest stretch without any, km 47.3–62.8
- Source
- OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list closed ones, so book or check locally
Water & Supply
Clean water
- This trail
- 8.1 km without clean water, km 90.8–98.9, stage 8
- Rating
- Frequentup to 10 km
- Regularup to 20 km
- Scarcebeyond
- Counted
- Within 500 m: 36 taps, fountains and drinking springs, 3 places to sleep with drinking water, 30 refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites
- Refills
- Guests come first and many close out of season: ask, and carry a little extra. Places marked without drinking water are left out
- Source
- OpenStreetMap; the counts include the approach and variant, the chart shows the main route
- 8.1kmFrequent
Any water
- This trail
- 7.1 km without any water, km 22.6–29.7
- Rating
- Frequentup to 10 km
- Regularup to 20 km
- Scarcebeyond
- Counted
- Clean water, plus the 37 springs within 500 m
- Keep in mind
- Spring water's quality is unknown: filter, boil or treat it, and expect some springs to run dry in late summer
- 7.1kmFrequent
Shops
- This trail
- 71 km without a shop, km 31.7–102.7
- Counted
- 1 supermarkets, convenience and general stores and petrol station shops, within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
- Keep in mind
- Small village shops are often missing in OpenStreetMap, and opening hours vary: check before relying on one
- 71km
Water and shops along the route
- Ticks
- One per place along the main route
- Counted
- Drinking water and springs within 500 m; refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites within 500 m; shops within 1 km, or 3 km of a stage's end
- Shaded
- Each lane's longest stretch without. "Water" counts every kind and opens into one lane per kind, each with its own
- Source
- OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list ones that have closed or run dry, so check locally