Beautiful Ruta Rio Casaño | Underrated Picos de Europa Day Hike
A magical walk through an enchanted forest lined with chestnut trees, vivid turquoise streams, and distant views of the spectacular Picos de Europa limestone mountains. This is the ruta Rio Casaño, a truly underrated hike that starts from the small village of La Molina in Asturias Spain.
The fairly easy out and back hiking trail is a half-day hike along the Casaño River and offers glimpses of gorges and opportunities to cross the beautiful river. The trail is accessible from the village of Las Canales de Cabrales, nestled picturesquely at the foothills of the Picos de Europa National Park, one of Spain’s first National Parks and a favorite among hikers and adventure trekkers.
The ruta Rio Casaño trail boasts a small beach area, an enchanted forest, moss covered rocks, stone houses typical of Asturias, waterfalls, and some spectacular views of the surrounding limestone mountains. With so much charm with little difficulty, the Casaño River trail is a nice day hike for families visiting the Picos de Europa.
This hiking trail in the Picos de Europa is still not very well known, so here’s the complete guide on how to reach the trailhead in La Molina, a ruta Rio Casaño trail map, a hike overview, and some magiical photo inspiration.
Table of Contents
Disclosure: This is part of my Hikes & Adventures series, which means these treks can be strenuous and challenging. These are my experiences and I am not an expert. Please have all the proper equipment, verify the weather conditions, use professional resources, do your own research, be mindful of constantly changing trail conditions, and take into consideration your own physical abilities and/or limitations. These guides are for entertainment purposes only. Please see my full disclosure for more information here.
- How to Get to La Molina Asturias
- Ruta Rio Casaño Map & Day Hike Overview
- Foces del Rio Casaño Trailhead
- Ruta Rio Casaño Day Hike
- Canales de Cabrales
- Ruta Rio Casaño vs. Cares Gorge Hike
- Ruta Rio Casaño | Lovely Day Hike in the Picos de Europa
How to Get to La Molina Asturias
The ruta Rio Casaño hike is found in the Principality of Asturias Spain. La Molina is easily accessible from the village Canales de Cabrales, just down the road from Las Arenas del Cabrales, which is where many travelers base to explore the endless Picos de Europa hiking trails.
Those travelers looking to hike should opt to base in Poncebos Asturias, which has some of the best Picos de Europa hiking routes like the famous Cares Gorge and the picturesque village of Bulnes. It’s also possible to hike a full circuit hike from Poncebos that includes Bulnes, Sotres, and Tielve.
Serious trekkers can climb up to the tallest the mountain hut in the Asturias region of the Picos de Europa, Refugio Jou de Los Cabrones.
Psst… I loved sleeping at the simple, yet homey Hostel Poncebos. Find friendly and helpful hosts, delicious food, all while engulfed by epics mountain views. While Poncebos is spectacular, there’s more places to stay in Las Arenas.
Alsa buses connect Las Arenas to Canales de Cabrales, but it’s also easier and faster to call a taxi.
➯ Detailed Travel Guide | Things to Do in Las Arenas de Cabrales Asturias
If traveling by bus, the bus drops on the main road in front of Canales de Cabrales. From here, the walk to the trailhead in La Molina is around 1.5 miles (2.5 km) and takes around a half an hour. If walking, be mindful that you must walk along the (not so busy) road. For safety, always walk on the left-side of the road.
The village of La Molina does not allow outside vehicles into the hamlet. There is a small designated parking area with only a handful of parking spots, maybe for six to eight cars. Parking is one of the biggest challenges. In my opinion, it’s best to bus to Canales de Cabrales or taxi directly to the trailhead.
🚐 Las Arenas de Cabrales to Canales de Cabrales Bus Information | Bus Company: Alsa | Duration: 10 minutes | Bus Ticket Price: €1.55 | Morning Bus Times: 7:30, 8:25, 9:00 | Check the Alsa Bus Schedule Here
Taxis in Cabrales
Alternatively, a verified taxi is fast and convenient. Taxis drops right at La Molina village in around 15 minutes. The taxi fare is around €11 for the entire van. With more people, the price decreases.
☛ Cabrales is a municipality in Asturias, most famous for the cheese of the same name.
Licensed Taxis in Cabrales
| License Number | Phone Number |
| 1 | 616 961 201 |
| 2 | 616 961 201 |
| 5 | 608 182 242 |
| 6 | 625 201 900 |
| 9 | 662 547 265 |
| 13 | 662 166 060 |
| 14 | 616 191 996 |
| 16 | 660 190 561 |
| 17 | 630 916 032 |
Recent as of October 2022
Ruta Rio Casaño Map & Day Hike Overview
The ruta Rio Casaño is alternatively known as the “Foces del Riu Casaño.” On Google Maps, the trailhead is labeled as Foces del Riu Casaño.
Casaño River Hike in Asturias
- Out & Back Trail
- Difficulty:Easy, but some sections can be overgrown from vegetation
- The trail is sometimes stoney and can be slippery in the rain
- Round-Trip Distance:under 5 miles
- add 1.4 miles each way if walking from Las Canales to the Foces del Rio Casaño trailhead
- Excursion Duration: +/ – 4 – 5 hours, depending on breaks, speed, ect
- Ruta Rio Casaño Trail Markers: No official trail markers, but the path is pretty apparent along the river is clear and there are signboards to the trailhead from La Molina
- This day hike is best hiked in the summer and fall before the snow falls.
- Be mindful of high river levels in the spring and muddy trails during heavy rainfalls
- Day Hiking Essentials for Casaño River Hike
- Basic First-Aid Kit
- Plenty of Water in a Reusable Water Bottle
- Trekking Poles if you love them
- Hiking Boots or I hiked the trail in trail runners
- Layered clothing and hiking pants for some of the overgrown parts of the trail
- Snacks & Picnic
- Swimming gear if the river and swimming conditions are ideal
- Small currency for the bus or taxi
➯ Hey… don’t forget your Travel Insurance! I love SafetyWing
Foces del Rio Casaño Trailhead
Walk or taxi to the village of La Molina. In the village, find a small water fountain, but there are no restrooms or trash-bins. Look for the wood signboards with white paint that read Rio Casaño and point to the trailed.
Ruta Rio Casaño Day Hike
The forest trail starts out wide and passes by large stones and a small cave. There is a small Roman stone bridge, Puente Pompedro. Cross the bridge to take some incredible photos and to get some great views of the gorge below. However, the trail does not follow across the Pompedro bridge, so take the trail to the right.
The trail continues along the Casaño River. Further up along the right side of the river is a small “beach” area where some opt to swim or dip their feet. Do this only if the water is calm and low enough.
Small Steel Bridge
A mile into the ruta Rio Casaño, find a small steel bridge. At the end of the bridge is a cattle door. The trail continues pass the bridge, but just make sure to close the door once you cross.
The trail continues to the left, with the Casaño Rio on the left. Pass by a few small abandoned stone houses that are typical of the Asturias region.
🥾 Bridge with Cattle-door | Distance: 1 Mile | Duration: 45 minutes
There is a nice place to stop and relax next to the river along the mossy stones. Be careful as the rocks can be slippery, especially in the rain.
The trail continues and since this trail isn’t extremely well trekked, the grass can be quite long and scratchy. Make sure to wear long pants to protect your legs from thorny shrubs.
Next Bridge
Less than a half mile from the first steel bridge is another small bridge that crosses the Rio Casaño. Take caution, some of the guardrails are missing from this bridge. If it’s rainy, the bridge is pretty slippery.
🥾 2nd Bridge | Distance: 1.4 Miles | Duration: 1 hour
Small Waterfalls
The ruta Rio Casaño trail continues through more incredible forest and comes to a multiple small pipe-like waterfalls on the left-hand side. To continue on the route, cross the stones to the trail. The river is to the right.
Viewpoint River Waterfall
This viewpoint of the larger waterfall is an excellent point to end the Ruta Rio Casaño hike. The waterfall is beautiful and engulfed by moss covered stones. The views of the water rushing in the Casaño River is a nice finale.
While the trail appears to continue, it becomes very narrow, steep, and many trees have fallen over the trail from a recent landslide. I tried to hike further, but after the waterfall, the route is not well maintained.
🥾 Rio Casaño Waterfall | Distance: 2.4 Miles | Duration: under 2 hours
Return to La Molina
After savoring the views, return to La Molina on the same hiking path. When I reached the trailhead in La Molina, I opted to walk to Canales de Cabrales. The walk was very enjoyable and provided stunning views of the village and mountains.
Canales de Cabrales
The bus stop to Las Arenas is right in front of Hotel Alto de las Estazadas, which was the perfect place to grab a delicious menu del dia for a fair price. There are outdoor tables that offer nice views with super friendly servers.
Be aware of the bus times back to Las Arenas de Cabales, as the bus can arrive 5 – 10 minutes early or late.
🚐 Canales de Cabrales to Las Arenas de Cabrales Bus | Bus Company: Alsa | Duration: 10 minutes | Bus Ticket Price: €1.55 | Afternoon Bus Times: 15:43, 16:09 | Verify the schedule here as they change with the seasons
Ruta Rio Casaño vs. Cares Gorge Hike
Most travelers visiting Picos de Europa National Park come to hike the Cares Gorge. The Senda del Cares is an incredible day hike and highlights include fantastic bridges, cave tunnels, jovial goats, and some seriously epic views of the limestone mountains. It truly is one of the best hikes in the Picos de Europa. However, with popularity, comes crowds and it is impossible to enjoy the trail in solitude.
🥾 Related Hiking Guide | Ruta del Cares Gorge Hike Map
It’s crazy that the ruta Rio Casaño is less than 11 miles from the Senda del Cares trailhead, yet the two trails are so unique from each other.
The Ruta Rio Casaño sits along the foothills of the Picos and offers the chance to stroll through an ancient forest filled with birds, the sounds of rushing water, and very little tourists.
Although physically so close, the two hiking trails in the Picos de Europa are so different.
If you have the time, make time to do both! The ruta Rio Casaño only take a half day, where the Cares Gorge will take a full day.
Ruta Rio Casaño | Lovely Day Hike in the Picos de Europa
In short, this is a detailed guide on how to reach and hike the ruta Rio Casaño trail in Asturias Spain. This hidden hike is a fantastic opportunity to experience a different side of the Picos de Europa. The Casaño River is beautiful and seriously underrated!
Have you heard of the Ruta Rio Casaño in Asturias? What did you think of this hike in the Picos de Europa? Let me know in the comments below!
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