Ordesa y Monte Perdido
National Park
Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park
Pyrenees, Aragon, Spain
What is it with Spaniards and names? The country’s most famous artist was christened Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Crispín Crispiniano María de los Remedios de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz Picasso. And on many occasions, I have encountered pitiful looks from Spanish custom officers at passport controls. What? Only one first name? May your parents be cursed. But who am I to talk? I have cousins who live in Northrhinewestphalia, with one of them being the local Bezirksfeuerwehrhauptmann. Seriously though, given that the Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido is one of the country’s lesser known attractions, the tourist authorities maybe could have come up with a sharper name tag. I suggest Parque Splendido. Or Famoso. Or Increíble.
Valle de Ordesa
The park was first set up as a protected area in 1918 and is located in the region of Aragon, pretty much in the middle of the Pyrenees Mountain range, on the border with France. A dozen peaks over 3,000 m tower above the lush landscape (with Perdido coming top at a height of 3,550 m) while the rest of the park is defined by four major valleys, namely Ordesa, Añisclo, Escueta, and Picuain (at least they did not include the latter three into the official name. Now, that would have been an achievement of Picasso proportions).
At a size of 156 square km, the park is relatively compact, yet it is contiguous with another protected area over the border in France, referred to in a much snappier fashion as the Parque National de Pyrénées. Monte Perdido (meaning the lost mountain) derives its name from the fact that it is obscured from the French side by slightly shorter peaks, including Pico Cilindro (3,328 m) and Soum de Ramond (3,263). All three mountains together are also referred to as Las Tres Sorores (the three sisters). This truly is high-altitude terrain.
For people in the northeast of Spain, the park is well known as the destination of choice for many annual school ski trips to the nearby resort of Formigal. Yet, in southern parts of the country, or indeed outside of Spain, the national park does not ring much of a bell. Consequently, it only attracts a relatively modest 600,000 visitors annually. (In comparison, 8 times as many people are attracted to the natural delights of the Pico de Europa National Park). And outside of the peak summer season, the area is virtually deserted bar the odd splattering of local hiking aficionados. Given it natural wonders, Ordesa y Monte Perdido is indeed a hidden gem.
Torla
Trip Essentials
How to get there and around:
Local transport in such a de-populated area is a challenge, and while local buses might transport you to some of the bigger towns and villages, getting to the respective trail heads will prove challenging as it involves expensive taxi rides. We therefore opted for a rental car. It seems to me to be the only viable option. International airports are located in Barcelona (4 hours) and in Zaragoza (2 ½ hours). Spain’s excellent train network might also come in handy. The station in Huesca should get you closest to the action.
Where to stay:
Given the high altitude topography, you can either stay on the western edge of the park, or on its eastern counterpart. We chose the former and settled for the town of Torla, which offers reasonable amenities, even in low season, and is located close to the Valle de Ordesa, one of the key attractions of the park. The village is a brooding place, perched high up at 1,100 m with some outdoor shops, a few hotels, and some restaurants; most of them were closed during the time of our visit, despite the fact that the Easter holidays were but a mere week away.
We stayed at Casa Julio right in the centre of Torla. It proved to be a superb choice since Julio equipped us with hiking poles and snowshoes (essential as it turned out, given the significant snow coverage that we encountered on our hikes), whilst also suggesting the best excursions in the area. As always, if you book directly and avoid travel platforms, the rental fee stays with the owner and doesn’t have to be shared with the agency. Alternatively, you could also base yourself at the other side of the park in the pretty village of Bielsa, at the beginning of the stunning Pineta Valley with a clear view of Las Tres Sorores.
When to go:
We visited the area in early March; too late for some down-hill skiing, and too early for scaling any of the higher peaks due to the packed snow coverage. On the upside, we practically had the place to ourselves. Yet, once above 1,500 m, conditions became more precarious requiring us to rely heavily on Julio’s equipment in order to avoid sinking knee-deep into the white stuff. From the large number of car parking spaces in the local villages and at the respective trail heads, we could deduct that the national park might just get a little busier during the summer months. Yet, in early spring, we came across very few fellow hiking nuts.
Where to eat:
During off-season visit, the answer is quite simple: whichever place is open. On our arrival in Torla, on a mid-week evening, the (one and only) local bar was closed for renovation, yet the owner suggested that we pay a visit to his brother in the nearby village of Broto. He would be happy to welcome us tomorrow, but first, the ceiling needed repainting. Not a problem for us. We like Spanish bars, including his brother’s establishment, and the food in these types of places is usually decent and affordable, and especially in a small place like Torla, often the hub of local communications. Later in the week, one more establishment opened up, the Restaurante El Duende on Calle Iglesia: not much village gossip here, but hearty food in a very cozy atmosphere.
Bielsa
Hike #1
Circo de Soasa, Valle de Ordesa
19 km, 5 ½ hours
Highest point: 1,784 m
Elevation gain: 612 m
This is the national park’s most iconic hike. From Torla, travel north along route A-135. Soon you will reach the ample parking facilities at La Pradera from where well-marked trails will take you up to higher altitudes. For the first two hours, the hike follows the valley floor along crashing waterfalls, before a sharp one-hour ascent to a high plateau, which ends at the rock face of Monte Perdido. Despite warm spring temperatures in the valley of around 20 degrees, up here the snow was still packed solid, and nearly all the few fellow hikers that we encountered at one stage put on their snowshoes. So did we. At the far end of the plateau, we were greeted by eery silence and stillness, surrounding by banks of snow, towering mountains and crystal clear blue skies. Black, white and blue were the only colours around. It was magical. Some blog posts also pay reference to the Circo de Cotatuero; a path which also starts at La Pradera but follows a higher line up the valley before the two trails meet one another on the plateau. This might represent a good option in high season in order to avoid the crowds. There was no need for this during our time in the valley.
Circo de Soasa, Valle de Ordesa
Hike #2
Baños de Panticosa to Pico Bacias
6 km, 3 ½ hours
Highest point: 2,208 m
Elevation gain: 600 m
Another spectacular hike awaits you at the mountain spa town of Panticosa. Our aim was to get as close to the top of Pico Bacias as possible by following parts of the horrifically difficult GR-11 long distance trail. Given Bacias’ height of 2,760 m, we knew that at some stage, the icy and snowy conditions would make the climb just too perilous, but we still managed to reach the foothill of the final section. This time, we had to put on snowshoes one hour into the ascent. It was tough going. The climb was steep in places, and given that the sun was beating down, the snow often gave way with us being submerged below our hips. After two hours, we reached a prominent ridge with spectacular views of the national park’s higher ground and agreed that this is as far as we should go before our knees might buckle even further.
on the slopes of Pico Bacias
On your way to or back from Panticosa, you might want to visit Spain’s winter capital Jaca, just 50 km to the southwest; an agreeable little town in the foothills of the Pyrenees with a lively pedestrianised area. And just to the north-west of Jaca, is the stunning Valle de Hecho. Snow-capped mountains are towering in the distance, green pastures, dark pines and ‘a river that runs through it’, and you somehow expect Brad Pitt to emerge with a rod of freshly caught fish. It did indeed look just a little like Montana.
Valle de Hecho
Hike #3
Parador de Bielsa to Pico de la Estiva
8 km, 4 ½ hours
Highest point: 2,025 m
Elevation: 810 m
This hike takes you to the eastern fringe of the national park with views of Monte Perdido as your permanent companion. From Bielsa, follow route HU-V 6402 along the Pineta Valley until the road ends at a parking lot near the Parador Hotel. The valley was my favourite location of this trip and our car journey to the trail head took a little longer than planned with frequent ooh’s and aah’s and photo stops. Once more our hike joined the GR-11 and once more, snowshoes were essential to tackle the shadier parts of the climb. We nearly made it to the top (which sits at 2,124 m) before common sense and safety concerns got the better of us. Yet in summer, this should be a straightforward affair.
Monte Perdido
Should you have time to spare, I highly recommend adding a little excursion to your visit of the Pinata valley: the mountain road leading to the stupendous Añisclo Canyon. Coming back from Pineta on route A-138 turn west on to route HU-631 at the village of Laspuña heading towards Fanlo. It’s not the Grand Canyon, but mightily impressive, nonetheless. This is very isolated terrain that not long ago did not even have proper road access. Nowadays, you will find a splattering of farms, some campgrounds, the odd Yoga retreat, and abandoned villages.
Añisclo Canyon
Hike #4:
Canyon de Rio Vero, Sierra Guara
5.5 km, 2 ½ hours
Elevation: 470 m
The Sierra Guara lies beyond the boundaries of the national park, but it is definitely worth your time. You will most likely come through the regional centre of Ainsa, on the southern fringe of Ordesa y Monte Perdido; a regional centre with plenty of shops and a pretty old town perched on a hilltop at the confluence of the rivers Ara and Cinca. The place is all geared up for the summer tourist trade with plenty of souvenir shops and outdoor cafes. It reminded me a little of a Tuscan hill town, though admittedly the local stone, which is almost black can’t quite match the aesthetically pleasing tone of its Italian counterpart.
Ainsa
From Ainsa, you have to head south on route A-2205 through on occasion a surprisingly green yet remote area with fields, farms and livestock. Once the scenery becomes more arid - at km mark 19 to be precise - you will come across a parking lot leading to a deep gorge of 500 m with spectacular caves formed by the Rio Vero and used by stone age civilisations for shelter and habitation. The hike is listed on All Trails (as Rio Vero – Abrigos de Mallata), but when I looked at the length of time (just over two hours) that was required for a compact hike of 5 km, I started to wonder. Surely, there must be steep cliff face that needed to be navigated. Instead, the added time was down to us having to wade across the river on five occasions. My toes gave a mighty scream every time I ventured into the icy waters and without Julio’s hiking poles, this would have been an unmitigated disaster. Still, despite this unexpected physical challenge, the gorge is stunning, and we felt a real sense of isolation and wilderness. No one around except us and the odd bird of prey.
Canyon de Rio Vero
While in the area, missing the pretty hill-top town of Alquézar would amount to a crime, as it is just a couple of minutes away from the gorge. Its cathedral dominates the skyline, though the village was first settled by Moors in the 9th century, before Christians recaptured the place 200 years later. Nowadays Alquézar is a tranquil tourist base with a few hotels and glorious views. And a perfect spot to while away a couple of hours over coffee and cake, and watch the world go by … very slowly.
Alquézar