FATMAP by Strava

Carretera de Les Aigues Loop

Run along a smooth gravel road with gorgeous views of Barcelona and the Mediterranean.

Trail Running Easy

Distance
16 km
Ascent
299 m
Descent
299 m
Duration
2-3 hrs
Low Point
114 m
High Point
298 m
Gradient
Carretera de Les Aigues Loop Map

Carretera de Les Aigues is a flat gravel road that twists and turns along the side of the Collserola mountains. This flat gravel bench cut into the mountainside runs for miles at roughly the mid-mountain elevation. From the road, you’ll enjoy stunning views of Barcelona spread out below you, flanked by the bright blue waters of the Mediterranean!

Description

It’s pretty incredible how flat, smooth, and mellow this road is for being located halfway up the side of a mountain. While you will have to do a bit of climbing from the city to get up to the bench, once on Les Aigues it’s a flat, scenic run across the mountains until you drop back down to Barcelona.

The stunning scenery combined with the lack of challenge makes Carretera de Les Aigues an ultra-popular place to ride, walk, and run. You can expect to weave your way through tons of other Barcelona residents escaping the city for some exercise in the mountains. But thanks to the wide dirt road, and that most of the roadway is now off-limits to motor vehicles, you should have plenty of room to navigate through the crowds.

For an even easier run with virtually no climbing, you could choose to ride halfway up the funicular and get off at the mid-station. Carretera de Les Aigues crosses the funicular right at the mid-station, providing a convenient access point.

Difficulty

Easy

Low Exposure

1 out of 4

The path is on completely flat land and potential injury is limited to falling over.

Remoteness

1 out of 4

Close to help in case of emergency.

Best time to visit

all year round

Similar routes nearby

Guidebooks in this area