There are so many beautiful trails here in the Spain (Aragon) Pyrenees it was ridiculously hard to choose. After a long day navigating the narrow and exposed Faja de Las Flores the other day (which was awesome, make sure you check out the photos), we were looking for a mellow hike to do in Aragon Pyrenees. Puerto Bujarelo hike seemed to fit the bill. It was relatively short, and it would take us through a different valley in the Pyrenees.
Puerto Bujaruelo Hike
Puerto Bujaruelo (known as Port de Boucharo in French) is a mountain pass on France-Spain border. The path across this mountain pass has been in use since the Roman time, so that’s kind of cool. Nowadays, you can drive here from France side, but on the Spain side the road turns into a vague trail network – only doable on foot. I’d like to think that on the Spanish side, the path is still very much what the Romans used back then.
In Spain, the walk to Puerto Bujaruelo starts from Refugio Bujaruelo which is located in the valley of the same name. It sits just outside the Ordesa y Mount Perdido National Park. There are many trails that start from the refugio, we chose this particular gate for the novelty of being able to say “We walked all the way to France!”
Puerto Bujaruelo Facts
Trailhead: Refugio Bujaruelo, a 20 min drive from the village Torla.
Accommodation: Either at the refugio, or Villa de Torla (rooms start $45) in Torla
Length: 3 miles one way.
Trail map: maps.me
Sun exposure: partial shade
Difficulty: it climbs all the way, but straightforward
The trail starts across from the stone bridge called San Nicolás de Bujaruelo, and it continues to climb on loose dirt trail. The day was quite warm for September. The sandy and rocky trail made the journey a little of a slog – another way of saying “it wasn’t really fun”. For the majority of the way, we could see all the way to the finish point – the lowest point on the mountain profile in front of us. To me – this fact made the journey much harder. Don’t you think? It’s like when you’re climbing a mountain and the peak is always within sight? SO HARD.
The view made up for it though, especially once we got higher.
The weather was cooperating and we had the trail all to ourself. That is until we get close to the turning point and start seeing hikers coming from the French side in their still-crisp hiking uniform. You know, since all they had to do was literally drive up there 🙂
The thing about hiking in Spain (or Europe in general) is that it’s really hard not to want to keep going. The trail network here is so expansive, supported by a comprehensive hut system that allows one to hike for days without having to carry much. After looking longingly at the mountain range on the French side, we turned around with heavy hearts and started to retrace our steps. The promise of cold beer back in town was a consolation prize. Until next time.
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The trail to Puerto Bujaruelo is a great scenic hiking option in Aragon Pyrenees especially when the crowd in the National Park next door gets too much. At 6 miles round trip hike, it can be done in half a day. Longer option is available, for example by adding in Ibon Lapazosa (Lake Lapazosa) which will add 1.1 mile to your route.
Icy-cold beer + fried padron peppers = match made in heaven post-hike sustenance (Restaurante El Taillon, Broto)
For more hikes in Spain, check out Cares Gorge in Los Picos National Park, as well as our all-time favorite: Faja de Las Flores in Ordesa National Park.
