Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park

National park · Spain

Autumn foliage at Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park
Photo: Moahim / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Pradera de Ordesa meadow, at 1,300m, is the trailhead for a glacial valley walled by limestone cliffs over 1,000m tall. Beech forest along the Faja Pelay route toward the Cola de Caballo waterfall turns gold through October, with color holding longest on the shaded canyon floor into early November.

Best for: a long day hike beneath beech canopy

Don’t miss

  • Faja Pelay beech-forest trail
  • Cola de Caballo waterfall
  • 1,000m limestone canyon walls
Typical year

Peak: October 1–October 24

Climatological window from published records — the weather model’s elevation extrapolation isn’t reliable on this terrain, so this is the long-run normal rather than a season-specific forecast.

Source: https://www.takeyourbackpack.com/backpacking-in-spain/visit-ordesa-y-monte-perdido/

Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park on the map

More things to do in Spain

Selva de Irati

Forest

Typically October 16–November 5

Europe's second-largest beech-fir forest after the Black Forest, 17,300 hectares straddling Navarra's Aezkoa and Salazar valleys between Mount Okabe and Pic d'Orhy. Trails from the Ochagavía or Orbaitzeta entrances run under beech and silver fir that turn copper and gold through late October, carpeting the forest floor by early November.

Don’t miss: 17,300-hectare beech-fir forest · Ochagavía and Orbaitzeta trailheads · second-largest of its kind in Europe

Los Pilones, Garganta de los Infiernos

Trail

Typically October 27–November 16

A gorge above the Jerte Valley, on the southern flank of the Gredos massif, where a mountain stream has scoured a chain of smooth granite pools known as Los Pilones. Chestnut woods crowding the ravine turn brown-gold by late October, timed with the chestnut-roasting Calbotá festivals held in valley towns like Hervás.

Don’t miss: granite pool chain (Los Pilones) · chestnut woodland gorge · Calbotá chestnut-roasting festival nearby

See all things to do in Spain →

Frequently asked

When does Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park peak?
In a typical year, color peaks around October 1–October 24. The weather model's elevation extrapolation isn't reliable on this terrain, so this is a climatological window (source: https://www.takeyourbackpack.com/backpacking-in-spain/visit-ordesa-y-monte-perdido/) rather than a season-specific forecast.
What is Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park best for?
A long day hike beneath beech canopy.
See it on the map

Own or manage Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park? Update your listing or get in touch.