San Isidro: Trails, Lakes and Pilgrimage History

The San Isidro ski and mountain resort is located in the Cantabrian Mountains, within the Regional Park. Nearby hiking destinations have different starting points and lead to notable places in the mountain landscape. If you are looking for a hotel in San Isidro, you can plan your stay around whether a particular hike, Lago Ausente or the history of the pilgrimage routes is your main focus. Information about starting points and routes provides a practical guide.

Mountain Resort and Historical Traces

The San Isidro winter and mountain resort opened in 1974. Another historical trace is the former hospitals in San Isidro and Puebla de Lillo. They were intended for pilgrims on the Northern Way of St. James between Oviedo and León; today, only memories and ruins remain.

Hiking to Lago Ausente

The Camino de Wamba begins at Puente de Wamba in San Isidro and continues to Collada del Acebal. The route is listed as 5.3 kilometers one way, with a walking time of about 1 hour and 30 minutes. This time refers to the one-way journey and is not an estimate for a round trip. This distinction gives you a concrete timeframe for planning. The route is subject to high-mountain conditions, which can vary seasonally.

Trails to Lago Ausente start from different points. The El Praíco recreation area is close to the start of the Camino de Wamba; the PR-LE 26 hiking trail to Lago Ausente begins there. Another trail to Lago Ausente starts at Puerto de San Isidro and leads to a wetland of glacial origin in the Regional Park. This lets you distinguish between the two starting points: El Praíco is near the Camino starting point, while the other trail begins at the Puerto. Access to these trails can vary seasonally; check conditions before setting out.

At Lago Ausente, the hike has a specific connection to the landscape: the destination is a wetland of glacial origin in the Regional Park. For the Camino de Wamba, you can plan around the route length and walking time; for Lago Ausente, the different starting points and the destination help with orientation. This allows you to choose different priorities for your hike: the timeframe of a route or access to a particular landscape destination.

Near Puerto de San Isidro, there is a recreation area beside a stream that descends from the pass. Routes climbing to Lakes Ausente and Ubales can be accessed from there. This is a different combination from the route to Lago Ausente: at the recreation area near the pass, two lakes are the main points of reference for the routes.

Getting There and Finding Your Way in the Regional Park

Your direction of travel matters when planning your journey: San Isidro resort can be reached from León via the LE-332 and from Asturias via the AS-253. The FEVE station in Boñar is 35 kilometers from San Isidro resort. The road connections relate to two different regions of origin; Boñar is another reference point for planning your journey.

In nearby Puebla de Lillo, the Casa del Parque “Valle del Porma” provides information about visitor services and the Regional Park’s public infrastructure. This includes marked hiking trails, recreation areas and viewpoints. This can help you consider an individual route in the wider context of the park’s infrastructure when planning to visit several destinations. The Casa del Parque program may change.

For an overview of the wider trip: Puebla De Lillo.