If you are only going to do one walk in the Picos de Europa, make it this one. The Cares Route, known as "the divine gorge", is the most famous trail in the National Park: twelve kilometres carved halfway up the rock face above the Cares river, between walls that in places close in until only a sliver of sky is left overhead.
The numbers, to give you an idea
The classic route links Poncebos, in Cabrales, with Caín, already in the province of León, and it separates the western massif from the central one. It is about twelve kilometres each way with around 450 metres of accumulated elevation gain, spread across a path that constantly rises and falls hugging the rock.
There and back is six to eight hours at an easy pace. One way only, at a brisk pace, comes out at a long two and a half hours. It is not a technical route and requires no mountain experience — the path is wide and well maintained — but it does demand a minimum of fitness and a level head: there are stretches with a considerable drop on one side.
A feat of engineering before it was a walk
What is today an iconic trail began life as a hydraulic project. It was cut between 1915 and 1921 to build a channel feeding a hydroelectric plant, with close to five hundred workers opening the way pickaxe in hand through solid rock. Eleven of them died in accidents, most from falls.
The channel was widened later, between 1945 and 1950, with a new crew and, again, fatalities along the way. That channel is still there, running parallel to the path and disappearing into tunnels: much of what you walk on is, quite literally, the service road for the works.
It is worth walking the gorge with that in mind. With a handrail, a well-kept surface and technical footwear, it is hard to imagine what it took to open that line hanging from a rope.
The 2011 rockfall
The gorge has its own recent history too. In 2011 part of a cliff face collapsed onto the path, which stayed closed until it reopened in July 2012 with a cantilevered walkway over the collapse site. Today it is one of the most photographed stretches of the whole route.
There and back, or one way
This is the decision that shapes the day most. There and back from Poncebos is the simplest to organise: you leave the car where you left it and depend on nobody. It is what most people do.
The full crossing to Caín in one direction is more rewarding, but it means solving the return, because by road Poncebos and Caín are a very long way apart. There are transport and taxi services covering that link, though availability and timetables change a great deal with the season, so it has to be arranged in advance rather than improvised on the day.
And there is a third option that gets mentioned far less and works very well: walk as far as you feel like and turn back. The most spectacular part of the route starts soon after leaving Poncebos, so two hours out and two back make for a very complete day without committing to the whole thing. It is the best formula if you are with children or with people walking at different paces.
What to take, and a warning about water
Water is the critical point. Along much of the route there are no springs and no shade, and the gorge works like an oven in summer: the rock stores heat and gives it back all afternoon. Take considerably more than you think you need, and a hat.
Footwear with a grippy sole — there are stretches with loose gravel — sun protection and something to eat. There are no facilities along the way, so you leave Poncebos with everything you are going to need.
When to go
Spring and autumn are the best seasons: pleasant temperatures and far fewer people. In July and August the route fills up, especially between mid-morning and mid-afternoon, and the heat is serious.
If you go in summer, set off early. You gain shade in the first hours, a reasonable temperature and a gorge that feels rather more like your own. Bear in mind, too, that the Poncebos car park fills up early in high season and that some park access roads are regulated; it is worth checking current conditions before you go.
From El Ardinal
From El Ardinal, Poncebos is a very short drive away, which makes this the easiest route in the whole park to organise: you can set off early without a punishing start and be back for lunch.
And afterwards, the obvious reward: a fabada or a cachopo in Arenas tastes different after twelve kilometres of gorge.
Left wanting more? Have a look at the rest of the hiking routes from Cabrales, including the climb to the foot of the Naranjo de Bulnes.
