A wild unpaved road to the summit of Pico Tres Mares
Spain, europe
1.3 km
2,139 m
hard
Year-round
# Pico Tres Mares: Spain's Three-River Summit
Want to reach a peak that literally sits at the source of three major rivers? Welcome to Pico Tres Mares, a stunning 2,139-meter (7,017-foot) summit straddling the border between Cantabria and Castile and León in northern Spain.
Tucked within the Cantabrian Mountains, this adventure comes with serious cred – the Spanish Vuelta bicycle race finished here in 2015, and you'll start from that same legendary parking area at Collado Fuente del Chivo where the paved CA-916 ends.
Now, here's the real deal: the final 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) to the summit is pure unpaved dirt – and it's no gentle cruise. We're talking an 11.38% average gradient with a punishing 148-meter elevation gain packed into that short stretch. This is a chairlift access trail, which means it's steep, unforgiving, and seriously technical.
**Fair warning:** Winter? Forget about it. This road becomes completely impassable once snow arrives. Summer and early fall are your windows of opportunity. And come prepared – you'll absolutely need a high-clearance vehicle, ideally a 4x4, to tackle this beast.
If you're up for a challenging mountain drive with incredible scenery and serious bragging rights, Pico Tres Mares is calling your name.
Where is it?
A wild unpaved road to the summit of Pico Tres Mares is located in Spain (europe). Coordinates: 41.6192, -4.7675
Road Details
- Country
- Spain
- Continent
- europe
- Length
- 1.3 km
- Max Elevation
- 2,139 m
- Difficulty
- hard
- Coordinates
- 41.6192, -4.7675
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