Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park Hiking

Description of Aigüestortes National Park

The 14,119 hectare Aigüestortes National Park, Parc Nacional d'Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici, is a mountain paradise of picture perfect landscapes made of peeks rising to just under 3000 metres, large lakes, rivers and waterfalls. Aigüestortes is located in the central Pyrenees about three and a half hours from Barcelona and is my favourite mountain Park to visit in the Summer. I consider Aigüestortes to be one of the most beautiful places I have visited in Catalonia. Parc Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici is one of Spain's nine national parks and the only one in Catalonia being designated a national park in 1955.

In the winter and early spring Aigüestortes is covered in snow and has a ski resort near Espot Spain called EspotEsqui. In the summer the mountain refugi's are open and it is a great place for hiking.

Aigüestortes is an ecosystem of mountain valleys, alpine grazing pastures, and evergreen and deciduous forests stretching up to the rugged summits above. The combination of the hard rock granite peeks, the green trees and the blue crystal clear glacial lakes produces a fantastic colour pallete of the breath-taking views across the Pyrenees. The Aigüestortes landscape was formed two hundred million years ago by glacial erosion from small rocks in the glaciers cutting the valleys with an abrasive action during successive ice ages.

Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park takes its name from the largest lake, Estany de Sant Maurici, but there are more than 200 lakes in the Aigüestortes park. Aigüestortes means winding waters in Catalan because this park has many winding mountain rivers that cross the park and feed the lakes. The park is home to an abundance of wildlife including birds of prey like the golden eagle, or the bearded vulture, which has one of the largest wingspans in the world. On the ground the park is home to wild rabbits and hares, Grouse, wild chickens, Chamois, goats, cows, horses and many more.

Aigüestortes is north of Lleida, about a three and a half hour drive from Barcelona and a great place to consider for a rural summer holiday or long weekend getaway.

On this page you will find three spectacular Aigüestortes Pyrenees hiking routes and water based adventure activities to follow in Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park. Click on any of the photos below to read more about each route, and find more photos, accommodation advice, Wikiloc routes and everything you will need to plan your rural Spanish holidays or weekend getaway.

Happy Exploring!

Where to stay overnight in the Aiguestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park Hiking