Mountain lakes you don't want to miss

I talked about Picos de Europa here before, the beautiful Nacional park in northern Spain. But a proper post focusing on one of the park's main attractions, the Covadonga lakes, was long due.

The 2 lakes, Enol and Ercina, are glacial lakes located high on the mountain area, and the first time I visited, 10 years ago, you could simply grab your car and drive to the lake area anytime you wanted; that's not the case anymore, if you visit in the peak tourism season. But the public transportation to the lakes is well organized, and visiting this area is one of the must-absolutely-do if you visit the park!

Even if you go just for seeing the lakes, the views alone are well worth it. Apart from the lakes themselves, there are belvederes nearby with stunning views over the mountain area.

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As a sidenote: speaking of belvederes, one of my favourite ones is one called Mirador de la reina, but it's halfway on the road to the lakes, and the regular buses don't stop there; so the only options would be either going really early in the day (if I recall correctly, private cars can enter before 7 am), visit the park out of the tourism season (when traffic restrictions are less) or book a private taxi that will probably be able to stop there as well. The memory I have from the belvedere is at the golden hour, with the mist starting to cover the mountains, so I would guess sunset would be the perfect time to be there contemplating the show (or I was really lucky). Anyway... back to the lakes!

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If you like nature trails like me, the best way to know the area is to do the circular hiking trail, around 5km, that passes through the lakes margins; there's a small version of the trail, if you're a p***... 😁

You can choose whatever direction you want (it's circular, after all), but for me the best option is to follow the road to the belvederes, from the bus stop, and then do the route starting in lake Ercina; it's the most beautiful by far, for me.

Especially in sunny days like this was, the lake with the backdrop of the mountains is stunning.

The path follows by the river margin, and then leaves the lake behing, entering the rocky formations.

One of the things you'll find everywhere... are cows.

They graze freely, and they're probably used to make one of the famous products of the region, Cabrales cheese; they're harmless, but just in case... don't mess with them! ;)

After Ercina, the landscape doesn't change much: grass, small bushes, and rock everywhere. There are no hard climbs in this trail, so you can have a relaxed walk and enjoy the mountain air and views.

At this point, you can choose to continue front or make a small detour through a small oak forest. If you're not stressed with time, I definitely recommend the latter: just turn left at this point!

And follow the tiny trail, the forest will be just ahead.

The shades are welcome if you want to make a small snack break, since it can get pretty hot in the sun here!

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After the forest and a little more walking, we'll arrive at a wider area, with a huge pasture and... you guessed it: more cows!

From here, a larger road near the pasture will take us to the second lake, Enol. The views are still great, but the first part of the trail seems a little more "wild" to me.

The road will contour the lake, and you can skip the main road and follow a narrower path, closer to the lake margins.

And of course, if you keep your eyes open, you'll see that not only cows share the hiking trail with you!

From this spot, it's just a short walk to the starting point. But... there's another belvedere not to be missed! I don't remember the name, but it's placed in an awesome place, between both lakes. Don't miss the views from up there, it's s small climb but definitely worth it!

See?

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Even if hiking is not your thing... just standing in the grass and enjoying the view is enough of a reward.

The only concern here, is to be wary of the "land mines"... courtesy of the cows! :)

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