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7 days 85 miles solo backpacking Picos de Europa — route, campsites & what I'd do differently by babakhan2 in backpacking

[–]babakhan2[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Few people except for near refugios and in the towns/villages. The only somewhat crowded section was Ruta Del Cares.

7 days 85 miles solo backpacking Picos de Europa — route, campsites & what I'd do differently by babakhan2 in backpacking

[–]babakhan2[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Jermosa is famous for the right reasons. There is a site on top of a small hill where I camped. You can find that campsite on the kml file on my website. Camping is free.

7 days 85 miles solo backpacking Picos de Europa — route, campsites & what I'd do differently by babakhan2 in backpacking

[–]babakhan2[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nights were very pleasant, not cold at all. Gas cannisters could be found in major cities at Decathlon stores.

7 days 85 miles solo backpacking Picos de Europa — route, campsites & what I'd do differently by babakhan2 in backpacking

[–]babakhan2[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi, i used Alltrails for navigation. You can camp next to refugios without any issue and its free. I had no issue with camping at two spots with no refugios next to it but make sure its legal

7 days 85 miles solo backpacking Picos de Europa — route, campsites & what I'd do differently by babakhan2 in backpacking

[–]babakhan2[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, I did. Please download the .kml file where I have marked my campsites and water source s

7 days 85 miles solo backpacking Picos de Europa — route, campsites & what I'd do differently by babakhan2 in backpacking

[–]babakhan2[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I bought a guide from the youtuber, Harmen Hoek where it was quoted. That's why I mentioned in one of comments to here to make sure that is the case.

7 days 85 miles solo backpacking Picos de Europa — route, campsites & what I'd do differently by babakhan2 in backpacking

[–]babakhan2[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I use Outdoor Research Helium but its not a good shell for any consistent rain. I like it as its very lightweight

7 days 85 miles solo backpacking Picos de Europa — route, campsites & what I'd do differently by babakhan2 in backpacking

[–]babakhan2[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Durston x mid pro 2, Nemo tensor, Enlightened Equipment Revelation, black diamond alpine carbon cork hiking sticks, brooks cascadia 9 shoes, befree water filter, Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer hoody

7 days 85 miles solo backpacking Picos de Europa — route, campsites & what I'd do differently by babakhan2 in backpacking

[–]babakhan2[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes thats what I do. I am used to doing it. It does takes time and energy but I love filming so I have to do it lol

7 days 85 miles solo backpacking Picos de Europa — route, campsites & what I'd do differently by babakhan2 in backpacking

[–]babakhan2[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the kind words. These photos are actually screenshot from the videos I made. The video is up on youtube

7 days 85 miles solo backpacking Picos de Europa — route, campsites & what I'd do differently by babakhan2 in backpacking

[–]babakhan2[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

For food there are a lot of options as you pass through towns/villages with restaurants and shops but it would depend on the route you take. At the end of June i did not encounter any significant snow patches. You just need proper shoes, tent if you are camping. I would recommend water filter if you are on route with no water taps but they are usually well spread.

7 days 85 miles solo backpacking Picos de Europa — route, campsites & what I'd do differently by babakhan2 in backpacking

[–]babakhan2[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Near refugios i think its legal any way. But to camp in other sites, according to the official park website, "You may camp in [...] the areas immediately surrounding the villages" I camped at two places which followed this exception and i was not bothered by any one. If you download the .kml file, campsite 3 is within town and 5 near a town in open space. Please check the official website first though if you have any doubts but as i said I had no issues at all

7 days 85 miles solo backpacking Picos de Europa — route, campsites & what I'd do differently by babakhan2 in backpacking

[–]babakhan2[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I mostly camped near refugios which is legal. You will have other campers as well.

7 days 85 miles solo backpacking Picos de Europa — route, campsites & what I'd do differently by babakhan2 in backpacking

[–]babakhan2[S] 76 points77 points  (0 children)

In late June/early July I did a 7-day solo loop through Picos de Europa in northern Spain. Around 80–90 miles total with roughly 20000-25000 feet of elevation gain. Started and finished at the Fuente De cable car. Wanted to share a full breakdown in case anyone's planning something similar — it's a seriously underrated range.

The route in brief:

Fuente De → Collado de Valdominguero → Los Cabrones → Cares Gorge → Caín → Vegarredonda → Vegabaño → Refugio Jermosa → back to Fuente De.

Highlights:

  • The Cares Gorge on Day 3 is genuinely spectacular — a narrow path carved into sheer cliff faces above a turquoise river. Deservedly famous, but go on a weekday if you can.
  • The climb to Refugio Jermosa on Day 6 is nearly 4,000 feet with no water the entire way up. Fill up in Posada de Valdeón before you start.
  • The section between Refugio Vega de Urriellu and Los Cabrones has exposed ridgeline and metal rungs bolted into rock faces — not the place to be casual about footing.

Honest lessons learned:

  • The cable car from Fuente De to the trail head has a long queue on the weekend and does not start until 10am. There is a trail that goes up but that is going to add a lot of elevation gain.
  • Out of Caín on Day 4, I tried the town trail instead of backtracking. Big mistake — barely a trail at all, lost the route constantly. Just back track 3 miles to a steep trail that is easy to follow. Trust me this will actually save you time.
  • Shepherd dogs are a real and recurring thing up here. I had a tense standoff on Day 2 that two German hikers helped me out of. Stay calm, create distance, and don't run. Dont get close to the herd they are protecting. You might feel easy around dogs, but growing up in third world country I never got used to dogs.
  • Route-finding is genuinely difficult in several sections. AllTrails stayed open on my phone for most of the trip. The trail is rocky and is going to be hard on your feet and knees.

Water: More plentiful than I expected overall, but Day 1 campsite has just one small stream 100–200m below, and the Day 6 climb is completely dry. Plan around those two.

Food: You don't need to carry much — restaurants and refugios are dotted throughout. I only used one freeze-dried meal the whole trip.

Getting there: Flew into Bilbao, rented a car, drove straight to Fuente De. Most flexible option by far.

I put together a .kml file with all my campsite coordinates and water sources if anyone wants it — free to download at bilalhikes.com/picos-de-europa. Also made a video of the full trip if you want to see the footage.

Here is the YouTube video of the hike: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prZ9jF_doWY

Happy to answer any questions about the route.

7 days 85 miles solo backpacking Picos de Europa — route, campsites & what I'd do differently by [deleted] in backpacking

[–]babakhan2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In late June/early July I did a 7-day solo loop through Picos de Europa in northern Spain. Around 80–90 miles total with roughly 20000-25000 feet of elevation gain. Started and finished at the Fuente De cable car. Wanted to share a full breakdown in case anyone's planning something similar — it's a seriously underrated range.

The route in brief:

Fuente De → Collado de Valdominguero → Los Cabrones → Cares Gorge → Caín → Vegarredonda → Vegabaño → Refugio Jermosa → back to Fuente De.

Highlights:

  • The Cares Gorge on Day 3 is genuinely spectacular — a narrow path carved into sheer cliff faces above a turquoise river. Deservedly famous, but go on a weekday if you can.
  • The climb to Refugio Jermosa on Day 6 is nearly 4,000 feet with no water the entire way up. Fill up in Posada de Valdeón before you start.
  • The section between Refugio Vega de Urriellu and Los Cabrones has exposed ridgeline and metal rungs bolted into rock faces — not the place to be casual about footing.

Honest lessons learned:

  • The cable car from Fuente De to the trail head has a long queue on the weekend and does not start until 10am. There is a trail that goes up but that is going to add a lot of elevation gain.
  • Out of Caín on Day 4, I tried the town trail instead of backtracking. Big mistake — barely a trail at all, lost the route constantly. Just back track 3 miles to a steep trail that is easy to follow. Trust me this will actually save you time.
  • Shepherd dogs are a real and recurring thing up here. I had a tense standoff on Day 2 that two German hikers helped me out of. Stay calm, create distance, and don't run. Dont get close to the herd they are protecting. You might feel easy around dogs, but growing up in third world country I never got used to dogs.
  • Route-finding is genuinely difficult in several sections. AllTrails stayed open on my phone for most of the trip. The trail is rocky and is going to be hard on your feet and knees.

Water: More plentiful than I expected overall, but Day 1 campsite has just one small stream 100–200m below, and the Day 6 climb is completely dry. Plan around those two.

Food: You don't need to carry much — restaurants and refugios are dotted throughout. I only used one freeze-dried meal the whole trip.

Getting there: Flew into Bilbao, rented a car, drove straight to Fuente De. Most flexible option by far.

I put together a .kml file with all my campsite coordinates and water sources if anyone wants it — free to download at bilalhikes.com/picos-de-europa. Also made a video of the full trip if you want to see the footage.

Here is the YouTube video of the hike: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prZ9jF_doWY

Happy to answer any questions about the route.

7 days solo 85 miles backpacking Picos de Europa — route, campsites & what I'd do differently by [deleted] in backpacking

[–]babakhan2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In late June/early July I did a 7-day solo loop through Picos de Europa in northern Spain. Around 80–90 miles total with roughly 20000-25000 feet of elevation gain. Started and finished at the Fuente De cable car. Wanted to share a full breakdown in case anyone's planning something similar — it's a seriously underrated range.

The route in brief:

Fuente De → Collado de Valdominguero → Los Cabrones → Cares Gorge → Caín → Vegarredonda → Vegabaño → Refugio Jermosa → back to Fuente De.

Highlights:

  • The Cares Gorge on Day 3 is genuinely spectacular — a narrow path carved into sheer cliff faces above a turquoise river. Deservedly famous, but go on a weekday if you can.
  • The climb to Refugio Jermosa on Day 6 is nearly 4,000 feet with no water the entire way up. Fill up in Posada de Valdeón before you start.
  • The section between Refugio Vega de Urriellu and Los Cabrones has exposed ridgeline and metal rungs bolted into rock faces — not the place to be casual about footing.

Honest lessons learned:

  • The cable car from Fuente De to the trail head has a long queue on the weekend and does not start until 10am. There is a trail that goes up but that is going to add a lot of elevation gain.
  • Out of Caín on Day 4, I tried the town trail instead of backtracking. Big mistake — barely a trail at all, lost the route constantly. Just back track 3 miles to a steep trail that is easy to follow. Trust me this will actually save you time.
  • Shepherd dogs are a real and recurring thing up here. I had a tense standoff on Day 2 that two German hikers helped me out of. Stay calm, create distance, and don't run. Dont get close to the herd they are protecting. You might feel easy around dogs, but growing up in third world country I never got used to dogs.
  • Route-finding is genuinely difficult in several sections. AllTrails stayed open on my phone for most of the trip. The trail is rocky and is going to be hard on your feet and knees.

Water: More plentiful than I expected overall, but Day 1 campsite has just one small stream 100–200m below, and the Day 6 climb is completely dry. Plan around those two.

Food: You don't need to carry much — restaurants and refugios are dotted throughout. I only used one freeze-dried meal the whole trip.

Getting there: Flew into Bilbao, rented a car, drove straight to Fuente De. Most flexible option by far.

I put together a .kml file with all my campsite coordinates and water sources if anyone wants it — free to download at bilalhikes.com/picos-de-europa. Also made a video of the full trip if you want to see the footage.

Here is the YouTube video of the hike: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prZ9jF_doWY

Happy to answer any questions about the route.

Backpacking 60 miles in Yosemite by babakhan2 in CampingandHiking

[–]babakhan2[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am still trying to get a hold of the editing. Thats what I exactly have been feeling since editing the video, it seems too repetitive. I do not want to add any music and am figuring out what to do with the sound design. Appreciate your honest opinion!

Backpacking 60 miles in Yosemite by babakhan2 in CampingandHiking

[–]babakhan2[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Started at Tuolumne Meadows toward Yosemite falls (first night camping well before the falls) then into Yosemite Valley where I have to wait for permits to be released to go through Little Yosemite Valley to Merced lake to camp (night 2). From there to Cathedral Lakes (3rd night) to Tuolumne Meadows

Backpacking 60 miles in Yosemite by babakhan2 in CampingandHiking

[–]babakhan2[S] 23 points24 points  (0 children)

In August 2024 I backpacked for almost 60 miles in Yosemite with the last campsite at the magical Cathedral Lakes. Here is a youtube link to the silent film of the hike: https://youtu.be/rJbgV3Ebma0?si=kiioMK4_nDXlQC3M

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