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Valles Occidentales NP hike - Cueva Helada de Lecherines

38 Carretera Francia, Canfranc, Aragón

Description

The Valles Occidentales National Park covers the western part of the Aragonese Pyrenees. It bears the geological marks of glaciers action and its climate is subject to Atlantic influence with forests of fir trees, beech, black pine and yew. It spans the headwaters of the rivers Veral, Aragon Subordán, Osia, Estarrún and Lubierre. One of the most popular hikes is a 16km out-and-back from the town of Canfranc up to the Cueva Helada de los Lecherines - a rocky and icy cave (it's in the name). It is not extremely long but the cumulative ascent of ~1,100m to just over 2,000m above sea level means an intermediate fitness level is required. Likewise, without being too technical, we would not recommend novices to tackle this without a more experimented lead hiker.

Access & Transport

Departure is from Canfran, at the southern entrance of the village which is 18km north of Jaca and less than 15mins from the French border.

Instructions & Recommendations

We marked this hike as being best done from May onward as there is likely to be snow along the way up to that date so you may want to select your footwear accordingly - we would suggest mid-height hiking shoes although solid trail shoes (not race flats) will do the trick for the light footed. Do not forget to bring plenty of water, sun protection and a snack. If you have an extra 25mins, or coming from France, you should make a stop at the old train station, 5km north of the village. Breathtakingly long.

Meta review

A regular entry on hikers' blogs who enjoy the flowers in spring and summer and note that the cave is cold and the trail not always clearly marked, so a GPS trail might come in handy.

Environmental & Social

Eco-friendly activity. Socially neutral

Conclusion

An excellent day out in an attractive natural environment and superb views of some of the surrounding granite peaks.

Key positive

Enjoyable mountain scenery

The trailhead is easy to reach for those already in Huesca Province

Key negative

Not always clearly marked

Suitability

Intermediate fitness required and some hiking experience preferred - best for children > 12yrs old

About this Rating

TYPE

Desktop

RESEARCHED IN

Updated in September 2023

PROVIDER

Koreval

Included Items
None
Timing
Duration of visit
Seasonality reflects the expected state of the trail and weather conditions

av. transport time:1h

est. visit time:6h

Sunlight based

Sunrise / early morningOk

MorningOk

Lunch timeOk

AfternoonOk

Sunset / eveningOk

Night – bef. midnightNo

Night – aft. midnightNo

Pricing
Free

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