There is one piece of advice about the Lakes of Covadonga that is worth more than all the data in this article: climb before eight-thirty in the morning.

After that time, in summer, the road fills up with cars and buses heading up to the sanctuary and the lakes. And it is a narrow road, with fifteen percent ramps, where overtaking a cyclist is not always possible. You can climb the most historic mountain pass of La Vuelta a España enjoying it, or you can climb it choking on fumes behind a bus. It’s up to your alarm clock.

The numbers

From the sanctuary of Covadonga, it is 12.6 kilometers with 1,056 meters of elevation gain, an average gradient of 7.3%, and a maximum of 15%. Summit at 1,134 meters.

On our difficulty scale, it scores 67, well below the 128 of the Angliru. But that figure is more deceptive here than on any other pass, and you will now see why.

The profile, kilometer by kilometer

Km	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13
%	9	10	8	4	6	10	12	3	-2	12	15	10	8

 

Look at kilometer nine: minus two percent. That is not a mistake. In the middle of the climb, there is a descent, next to Lake Enol.

That broken profile is what makes Covadonga strange. It is not one mountain pass; it is three.

The first is the initial three kilometers, at nine, ten, and eight percent, climbing up to La Huesera. That’s where the fifteen percent ramp is, and it’s at the beginning, when you haven’t warmed up yet. Many people burn out at La Huesera by starting too hard from the sanctuary.

The second is the false respite of La Reina, with the four and six percent of kilometers four and five. It doesn't last long: at six and seven, it returns to ten and twelve percent.

And the third is the finale. After the descent by Enol, the road rises again with a twelve, a fifteen, and a ten percent grade up to the viewpoint. Climbing at fifteen percent with legs cooled down from having descended two minutes earlier is a feeling you won't forget.

How long it will take you

Cyclotourist	1h32
Fit amateur	1h10
Race pace	46 min
Professional	~34 min

The most historic pass of La Vuelta

The Lakes of Covadonga entered La Vuelta a España in 1983, with a victory by Marino Lejarreta, and since then they have been climbed more than twenty times. No other Spanish pass holds so much history.

The Angliru is tougher and the Gamoniteiru is longer, but both are recent. Covadonga has been deciding races for forty years.

What the data doesn't tell you

The time. We repeat it because it’s the only thing that really matters. Before 8:30 in summer, or in the off-season. In September and October on weekdays, you can have the road almost to yourself.

The fog. It is common and can appear in twenty minutes. You are at a thousand meters with the Cantabrian Sea right next to you. At the top, you can go from sunshine to not seeing the lake.

There are services. Unlike almost all Asturian passes, at the lakes, there is a restaurant and water fountains. It is the only one in the guide where you can climb without loading up on supplies.

The combo. Pair it with the Mirador del Fito and you have the classic of the east: seventy kilometers and 1,900 meters of elevation gain from Cangas de Onís, with the Picos de Europa on one side and the Cantabrian Sea on the other.

What you’ll find at the top

Lakes Enol and Ercina, and usually cows. Many cows, wandering loose and completely indifferent to your presence and your bike.

It is the only pass in this guide where the summit is a tourist destination in its own right and not just a peak with some antennas. That has its good side and its bad side, and both fit in the same sentence: there will be people up there.

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The other nine. Covadonga is one of the ten legendary passes of Asturias that we have compiled in a seventeen-page guide: kilometer-by-kilometer profiles, times by level, and six routes that link them. It’s free.

Download the guide to the mountain passes of Asturias

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is the climb to the Lakes of Covadonga?

12.6 kilometers from the sanctuary of Covadonga, with 1,056 meters of elevation gain, an average gradient of 7.3%, and a maximum of 15%. The summit is at 1,134 meters.

What is La Huesera?

It is the toughest section at the start, in the first three kilometers, with ramps that reach 15%. Being so early on, it catches many people without having warmed up, and it is where the most cyclists burn out.

Is it true that there is a downhill in the middle of the climb?

Yes. At kilometer 9, next to Lake Enol, the road descends briefly before climbing back up at 12 and 15% to the viewpoint. It is one of the peculiarities of the pass and surprises those climbing it for the first time.

What time is best to cycle up?

Before 8:30 in the morning in summer, or simply in the off-season. After that time, the road fills with cars and buses and it is narrow, with ramps where overtaking a cyclist proves complicated.

Is there water or food at the lakes?

Yes, there is a restaurant and fountains. It is the only one of the great Asturian passes where you can rely on services at the summit.