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Somontano de Barbastro Nature Trail
Description
A spectacular route through the Sierra de Guara
More than 50 km long, the Somontano de Barbastro Nature Trail runs through the region that shares its name, in the province of Huesca. It crosses the municipalities of Colungo, Alquézar, Adahuesca y Bierge, using old paths and trails that had been refurbished.
Select a stage:
Stage 1: Alquézar–Colungo-Alquézar
Stage 2: Alquézar–Las Almunias de Rodellar
Stage 3: Las Almunias de Rodellar–Salto de BiergeMost of the itinerary runs within the limits of “La Sierra y los Cañones de Guara” (Guara mountain range and canyons) Natural Park, the biggest protected natural space in Aragón. A land characterised by the beauty of its landscapes, the work of the erosional processes of its fluvial network.
Rivers like Vero, Alcanadre, or Balced, and their tributaries had excavated a network of canyons in these karstics terrains, making the area an international reference for the practice of canyoning, attracting adventure sports fans year after year.
Its situation, between the Pyrenees and the Ebro Depression, and with its climate, which varies between Atlantic and Mediterranean, causes a strong difference between the north and south slopes of its mountains. This resulted in the appearance of many endemisms. Among its wildlife, stands out the trout population, and the presence of the Pyrenean mountain newt, and endemic species in the Pyrenees area. The steep walls make the ideal shelter for large birds of prey, like the golden Eagle, the bearded vulture or the griffon vulture.
In addition to this privileged natural environment, the Nature Trail also allows the user to discover the rich heritage of the region. The historical complex of Alquézar, Colungo’s Rock Art Centre, bridges full of history (and legends) like those of Villacantal, Fuendebaños or “el Diablo” (Devil’s bridge), or hydraulics infrastructures like the weir known as Salto de Bierge (Bierge Waterfall), formerly for flour mill, then a little hydroelectric station and nowadays a popular recreational area. In fact, a large portion of the route is within the Parque Cultural del río Vero (River Vero Cultural Park), and administrative that pursues the promotion and protection of the cultural and natural heritage of this area.
This itinerary ends near Salto de Bierge, where it links directly with the end of Hoya de Huesca Nature Trail. This fact, in addition to the large network of routes in sierra de Guara and the Somontano de Barbastro region, allows the visitor to keep on knowing this spectacular area of the province of Huesca.
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