Go beyond Spain’s cities to explore 7 of its best national parks
If anything can rival Spain’s towering cathedrals, it’s the natural wonders found throughout the country’s stunning national parks system, with its fiery auburn forests, virgin beaches, and snowcapped peaks.
Travelers flock to Spain for its manmade wonders: towering cathedrals, ancient art, and avant-garde Michelin cuisine. But before workers laid cobblestone streets, Spain’s natural landscapes helped its inhabitants thrive—mountains protected them from invaders, thick oak forests provided shelter, and oceans supplied bounties of edible fish.
Today, the country preserves its natural beauty and rich biodiversity through 16 national parks. “The National Parks Network looks to ensure that ecosystems of the varied Spanish diversity are represented," says Dolores Rollán Monedero, the head of Spain’s National Parks Network Management Area. “This makes each park in the network unique.”
Along with scenic trails and ski slopes, parks give refuge to one of the largest migratory bird populations in the world, and wildflowers bloom heavily throughout. More than 60 species of wild orchids thrive in the Pyrenees mountain range.
David Gomez and Jeremy Dack, founders of Pyrenees and More, an adventure travel agency, note that part of the parks’ singularity lies in how they’ve organically integrated with the populations who have lived there for thousands of years. “[The parks] are a part of our life in this sense,” says Gomez. A visit to a national park facilitates encounters with both history and tradition, from remote shepherd huts to enchanting villages. This also means most parks are open year-round and free to visitors—funded by taxpayers.
To make the most of your experience, Rollán highly recommends stopping at the visitor center—or centro de interpretación—before entering. Here, visitors can get a better appreciation and respect for the varied ecological systems within the parks. Here are seven of the best national parks in Spain.
(Here's our essential guide to visiting Spain.)
1. Picos de Europa National Park
Straddling the provinces of Asturias, Cantabria, and Castilla y León autonomous communities, the Picos de Europa National Park is the country’s first national park (est. 1918). Visitors can hit the Desceceso de Sella, a kayaking route along the Gueña River, hopping off at riverside shacks for bottles of local cider along the way. Or take a bus ride up to the Lakes of Covadonga and the nearby holy sanctuary where Spain’s Reconquista is said to have begun. This park is also home to some of the best climbing walls in the country, like the south face of Peña Santa. Along with summits around the Fuente Dé gondola, hikers can’t miss the Ruta de Cares, a 15-mile in-and-out route that takes hikers from Asturias to Castilla y León.
(Spain’s most decadent foodie town isn’t where you think it is.)
2. Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park
Welcome to the heart of the Spanish Pyrenees. Four valleys make up the park: Ordesa, Pineta, Añisclo, and Escuaín. Meanwhile, Mount Perdido’s 11,000 feet of limestone towers over the Spanish border at the center of the park like a protective barrier. This park—recognized as a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 1997—features geological landforms and pastoral landscapes preserving a unique way of agricultural life and society. Well-marked trails abound—the Cola de Caballo hike (12 miles/19.7 km) can be busy in the summer but is no less stunning. Gomez and Dack recommend hiking the road less traveled via the five-hour Faja Racón circular trail (7 miles/11 km) along the canyon’s ledge.
(Seven lesser known Spanish towns that welcome visitors.)
3. Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park
Along the Catalan side of the Pyrenees, the jagged peaks and glacial lakes of Aigüestortes boast year-round activity. In the winter, slopes open on the park’s periphery in Val d’Aran. Fall is a vibrant explosion of fiery auburn forests; wild orchids blossom in the alpine meadows in the spring. Come summer, buses operate around the circumference of Aigüestortes. “It’s possible to traverse from one side of the park to the other and use the bus to return to your start point,” says Dack. For families, he recommends starting in Espot and taking 4x4 taxis up to the Sant Maurici Lake. “It’s a good base for hikes or simply a good mountain experience.” More advanced hikers opt for the multi-day hut-to-hut hike on the Ruta de Carros de Foc.
4. Sierra de Guadarrama National Park
About an hour’s drive from Madrid, Guadarrama appeases winter ski buffs and summer trekkers. Gomez, a native of the area, notes that the lower altitude allows for year-round exploration and features “some of the best rock-climbing areas in Spain.” With such proximity to the capital and historical cities like Segovia, weekends can be crowded, but accessibility is part of its charm. He also recommends the Puerto de Navacerrada Trail. Hike up to the Bola del Mundo, and then down, following the Manzanares River, and ending up at the rare geological formations of La Pedriza.
5. Islas Atlánticas de Galicia National Park
Northwest in Galicia, Las Islas Cies—part of Islas Atánticas National Park—form an untouched archipelago of oceanside trails, virgin beaches, and lush forests. Hike between Monteagudo Island and Do Faro Island, connected by shoreline, and spend the afternoon lounging on the beach. While the white sands and turquoise waters look warm like the Caribbean, the shockingly frigid water proves otherwise. The park is open only for self-guided visits from June to late September and during the week of Easter. It is easily reachable by a 45-minute ferry ride from the town of Vigo. Both the ferry (with more ferry options) and the park entrance authorization must be secured in advance. There are no accommodations on the island, but campsites are available for overnight stays.
6. Sierra Nevada National Park
With snowcapped peaks as its namesake (Sierra Nevada means “snowy mountains”), this national park is the go-to ski destination in Southern Spain. Skiers and snowboarders heading about a 45-minute drive out from Granada can snag a day pass for $78 (67 euros) and race down roughly 70 miles of slopes from December to April or May. During the rest of the year, take the strenuous trek up to mainland Spain’s highest and second-highest peaks, Mulhacén (11,427 feet) and Pico de Veleta (11,125 feet). According to Raúl Lora del Cerro, the president of Spain’s Association of Mountain Guides, summit on an extra-clear day to catch a glimpse of Africa in the distance.
7. Monfragüe National Park
Birders will never tire of Spain’s national parks, but Monfragüe in the midwestern region of Extremadura has become a global reference for ornithologists. The Salto de Gitano is the most popular viewpoint for observing native species such as the cinereous vulture and the Spanish imperial eagle. Non-birders can enjoy the cliffside angles along the Tagus River while hiking along the Ruta Roja Trail, and see the remaining 9th-century Moorish towers of the Castillo de Monfragüe located across from a lookout point with 360-degree bird’s-eye views of the park.
