Spain · Picos de Europa · Asturias
Lagos de Covadonga — 1,100 metres to the glacial lakes of the Picos
Profile of Lagos de Covadonga — 1,100m in the Spanish Picos de Europa, a dead-end climb to two glacial lakes and a Vuelta a España classic.
Lagos de Covadonga is not really a pass; it is a dead-end climb to two glacial lakes sitting high in the limestone bowl of the Picos de Europa. The road starts at the Basílica de Covadonga in the Asturian foothills and climbs 12 km to Lake Enol.
History
Covadonga is the mythic birthplace of Christian Spain — the cave shrine beside the basilica marks the 722 battle where Pelayo defeated a Moorish force and began what became the eight-century Reconquista. The road up to the lakes was laid over an old pilgrimage and shepherd track, and the Vuelta a España has used it as a summit finish since 1983. In peak summer the road closes to private cars and visitors take a shuttle bus from Cangas de Onís; outside those months you can drive or ride to the lakes directly, which is when the climb is best experienced.
Riding it
The first kilometres are gentle, rolling through oak and beech forest above the sanctuary. Then the road hits the section known as La Huesera, a 3 km wall that averages more than 10% with ramps at 14%. After a short descent at Les Mentires the climb stiffens again before levelling out on the alpine meadows around the lakes.
The finish is not a col. You arrive at a wide grass bowl, shared with grazing cattle, and walk the last few metres to the water. Lake Enol is the nearer of the two; Lake Ercina sits ten minutes further on foot.
Along the way
- Basílica de Covadonga — The nineteenth-century pink limestone basilica at the foot of the climb, worth the stop on the way up.
- Santa Cueva — The cave shrine to the Virgin of Covadonga, cut into the cliff beside the basilica, and the historic heart of the site.
- Mirador de la Reina — A viewpoint partway up the climb looking back over the Asturian foothills toward the coast.
- Lake Enol and Lake Ercina — The two glacial lakes at the top, a short walk apart, with classic Picos limestone scenery on every side.
- Alto de l'Angliru — The natural pairing in any Asturian climbing trip, linked on the Picos de Europa loop.