Autumn is a perfect season of the year for hiking in Spain. The temperatures decrease, and in anticipation of winter the flora fills with beautiful reds and yellows, while the trees lose their leaves.
And there are plenty of places on our country that, despite their usual beauty, earn an extra during the autumn season. Forests are one of these places, and there is no doubt that it is a real pleasure to see them embellished during this season.
Therefore, from Walkaholic we want to recommend you 8 forest routes to enjoy during the fall in Spain, which we are sure you will like. Note that in our selection we have included only forests, not Natural Parks, which also burst with colors during the fall.
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Beech Forest of Montejo (Madrid)
Being so close to the Spanish capital, the 250 hectares on the slopes of the Sierra de Ayllón del Hayedo de Montejo are one of the most visited forests during the fall.
Declared a Natural Site of National Interest in 1974, it is one of the southernmost beech forests in Europe thanks to the microclimate that the region provides. Due to its popularity and for its optimal conservation, it is necessary to book a guided tour of its trails in the resource center of the Sierra del Rincón.
But it is well worth visiting, because to its beech trees of more than 20 meters high (some with their own names due to their age), there are oaks, hazelnuts, birches, wild cherry trees, holly, overflows, heather and serbales that enrich the autumn palette.
Faedo de Ciñera (León)
Located in Ciñera de Gordón, in the León Central Mountain, this beech forest has a beech called Fagus of 500 years and the honor of being “The Best Care Forest in Spain”.
Small but dense, this forest is a true haven of peace that shows its best face during the fall. With several routes to be travelled, this place also has its magical side, since it is said that it has been guarded for centuries by the witch Haeda.
If we talk about autumn shows, you cannot miss this jungle, the second largest and best preserved beech-fir in Europe, after the German Black Forest.
Its massive 17,000 hectares remain practically untouched, and with the fall of the leaves resemble a sea of blood dotted with the green of moss and trees. For the hiker it is a true feast, seasoned with the 16 signaled paths that this forest has, composed of the nature reserves of Tristuibartea, Mendilatz and the integral reserve of Lizardoia.
Jungle of Oza (Huesca)
Located in the Valle de Hecho, in the western part of the Aragonese Pyrenees, this jungle is crossed by the Aragón Subordán river. It is surrounded by the peaks of Peña Forca (2,390 m), Acher Castle (2,384 m), Punta Agüerri (2,450 m) and Bisaurín (2,668 m).
In this forest you can enjoy the colors of autumn in the leaves of its fir trees, mixed with pine and beech. Yews, maples and birches also proliferate and abundant local fauna.
In the Selva de Oza, more than one hundred dolmens, menhirs and stone circles are hidden, which show the passage of Celtic culture through this forest and constitutes the largest concentration of megaliths in the Pyrenees. There are also vestiges of the Roman conquest, evidenced by one of the Roman roads of Antonino Pio.
Beech forest of Pedrosa (Segovia)
This 87-hectare forest protects the birth of the Riaza River, on the Segovian slope of the Ayllón mountain range.
It can be explored in a 2-hour walk along the slope of the Quesera port. There are 1,750 meters to hike between beech, holly, serbales, oaks and single-seeded hawthorn. But, for greater enjoyment, you can complete the excursion with a visit to Riaza, where the route of the red and black villages of Segovia begins.
The contrast of the forests with the clay and slate architecture is unbeatable.
Muniellos and Redes (Asturias)
If you want to visit one of the best preserved oak groves in Europe, the Asturian reserve of Muniellos has them. During the fall, they are joined by the ocher and reddish beech, chestnut and serbals to the green of the holly.
Next to it, there is also the Hayedo de Redes, so it is not surprising that they have been declared Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO in 2001. And if you want to appreciate the fauna that lives in the region, it contains the higher vertebrate biodiversity of Asturias.
Contained in the Natural Park of Redes, a permit must be requested to visit the forest in autumn.
It is located south of the Ultzama Valley. The Orgi forest, classified as a Regional Park, is an ancient oak grove that has three well-marked routes: the labyrinth (300 meters), the road (1,400 m) and the path (700 m).
It stands out for its variety and quantity of bats, with 15 different species; and the presence of the Quercus robur, a type of oak that grows in areas of flooded soil. Also in this forest you can see Red and American oaks, in addition to holly, maples and elms.
In its 80 hectares the aspect of conservation is accentuated, after having been subjected to intensive exploitation. Another curious fact about the Orgi forest is that it was the stage of the movie “Robin and Marian”, starred by Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn.
Fageda d’en Jordà (La Garrotxa, Catalonia)
This beech has special characteristics, as it grows in a cooled lava flow from the Croscat volcano, at a strange altitude for this type of vegetation (between 550 and 650 m) full of red, ocher and brown tones. The forest has 4.8 km2 of surface, full of lava prominences up to 20 m high, called tossols.
Another attraction is that it is surrounded by no less than 21 of the volcanoes present in the region. In general, the area of La Garrotxa is very peculiar, because it combines Pyrenean influence and a high level of rainfall.
Both the beech and the adjacent volcanoes make up the ideal setting for a good day of hiking.
An interesting selection, right? Of course, we have left out hundreds of forest routes that surely have the same merit. If your favorite is not on our list, mention it in a comment so that the Walkaholic family benefits from your experience.
Who knows? We may find ourselves one of these days on the road, touring the most beautiful forest routes to enjoy during the fall in Spain.
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