
The Wild Road to Coll de Triado in Lleida
Spain, europe
11.5 km
2,172 m
hard
Year-round
# Coll de Triadó: A Mountain Adventure Worth the Challenge
Ready to tackle one seriously epic mountain pass? Coll de Triadó sits pretty at 2,172m (7,125ft) in Lleida province, Catalonia, and it's absolutely not your average Sunday drive.
This beast of a road starts in the charming town of Espui and climbs 11.5km (7.14 miles) through 30 absolutely gnarly hairpin turns. You'll gain 922m of elevation with an average gradient that hovers around 8%, which means your knuckles might be white by the time you reach the top. Fair warning: the entire route is unpaved and seriously narrow in spots, so a 4x4 is basically essential if you're planning to attempt this.
But here's the thing—the views are absolutely spectacular. You're looking at breathtaking vistas of Vall Fosca and the dramatic Pallars Sobirà region stretched out below you. The pass sits right within Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park, so you're driving through some genuinely stunning Catalan landscape.
One important heads-up: winter can slam this pass shut without warning. Bad weather rolls in quickly at this elevation, so if you're thinking about attempting Coll de Triadó between November and March, check conditions first. But if you catch it during the right season? You're in for an unforgettable mountain experience.
Where is it?
The Wild Road to Coll de Triado in Lleida is located in Spain (europe). Coordinates: 40.4898, -4.4915
Road Details
- Country
- Spain
- Continent
- europe
- Length
- 11.5 km
- Max Elevation
- 2,172 m
- Difficulty
- hard
- Coordinates
- 40.4898, -4.4915
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