The
Picos de Europa (literally "Peaks of Europe") is a range of
mountains some 20 km inland from the northern coast of
Spain, located in the Autonomous Communities of
Asturias,
Cantabria and
Castile and León, forming part of the
Cantabrian Mountains. The most widely-accepted origin for the name is that they were the first sight of Europe for the ships arriving from
America[1].
It consists of three major massifs - Central, Eastern and Western (also known as the Picos de Cornión). The Central and Western massifs are separated by the mile-deep (1.5 km deep) Cares Canyon (Garganta del Cares), with the village of Caín at its head. The waters in the Cares mostly arise from cave resurgences. Some of the water in the Cares river is diverted through a hydroelectric scheme, with a canal running in the northern wall of the gorge to Camarmeña. An access path next to the canal provides a spectacular walk.
Almost all the rock is limestone and glacial action has contributed to create an extremely impressive area of alpine karst. The highest peak is Torre de Cerredo, with an altitude of 2648 metres at 43°11'51?N, 4°51'06?W. Many others reach altitudes of over 2400 m. The area is popular with mountaineers, climbers and mountain walkers. There is a good network of well-established mountain refuges. The best-known climbing site is the Naranjo de Bulnes.
Most of the region is now protected as a single Picos de Europa National Park in Cantabria, Asturias and León provinces of Spain; the Asturian part was Spain's first National Park. Access is via minor roads to each of the three massifs from the north and from the south to the aerial tramway at Fuente Dé and to Caín at the head of the Cares Canyon.
