The road to Portillo de Lunada is not recommended for people afraid of heights
Spain, europe
40 km
1,360 m
hard
Year-round
# Portillo de Lunada: A Thrilling Mountain Adventure
Want to experience a road that's been connecting Spain for nearly 2,000 years? The Portillo de Lunada is a stunning high mountain pass sitting pretty at 1,360 m (4,461 ft), straddling the border between Cantabria and Castile and León. This ancient route once guided Roman travelers from the Meseta down to Cantabria, and it's still doing the heavy lifting today.
Stretching 31.5 km (19.57 miles) from Espinosa de los Monteros in the south to San Roque de Riomiera in the north, this road is definitely one for the brave-hearted. The paved route—labeled CA-643 on the Cantabria side and BU-572 in Castile and León—climbs steeply through the Cordillera Cantábrica and the beautiful Collados del Asón Natural Park. Fair warning: if heights make you queasy, this isn't your casual Sunday drive. The cliff-side sections are genuinely heart-pounding, and with gradients reaching a steep 12% in places, the local authorities have capped the speed limit at 40 km/h for good reason.
The road itself is fully paved but honestly? It's seen better days. Expect plenty of potholes and rough patches that'll keep you on your toes. Rockslides are a real hazard here, so stay alert. If you're feeling extra adventurous, a closed-to-traffic minor road heads further north to Picón del Fraile at 1,590 m (5,216 ft).
The pass stays open year-round, though winter snowstorms occasionally force temporary closures. It's a wild, unforgettable ride through some of Spain's most dramatic mountain scenery.
Where is it?
The road to Portillo de Lunada is not recommended for people afraid of heights is located in Spain (europe). Coordinates: 39.0731, -2.0375
Road Details
- Country
- Spain
- Continent
- europe
- Length
- 40 km
- Max Elevation
- 1,360 m
- Difficulty
- hard
- Coordinates
- 39.0731, -2.0375
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