Adventure Run · GR11, Spanish Pyrenees

GR11 Ordesa → Benasque — 4-Day Run

The wildest 100 km of the Spanish Pyrenees — Ordesa canyon, the Collado de Añisclo, and the Posets massif, refugio to refugio under 3,000 m peaks.

~101 km
Distance
~7,200 m
Elevation Gain
4 Days
Running
2,572 m
High Point

Route Map

West → east, Torla to Benasque. Numbered markers = overnight stops · triangles = passes.

Start (Torla)
Overnight stop
Finish (Benasque)
▲ Pass / landmark

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Click any day to expand · Pick a start date above

Day0
Arrival — Zaragoza/Toulouse → Torla-Ordesa
Travel Day 🇪🇸 Aragón
▾

✈️ Getting There

Fly Zaragoza (ZAZ), Toulouse (TLS), or Barcelona. Bus to Sabiñánigo/Aínsa, connection to Torla-Ordesa — the stone gateway village of Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park. Total ~3–4 hr from Zaragoza.
💡 Notes: Book Refugio de Góriz months ahead — it's the permit-equivalent bottleneck of this route. Carry EUR cash for the refugios. Evening stroll to the Ordesa viewpoint above town.
TypeArrival day
Transfer~3–4 hr
Overnight
Torla-Ordesa (1,033 m)
Booking.com →
Day1
Torla → Ordesa canyon → Refugio de Góriz
Moderate Monte Perdido option ~21 km · 4–5 hr
▾

Highlights

Ordesa canyon Cola de Caballo waterfall Faja de Pelay shelf (variant) Monte Perdido (3,355 m) option
💡 Notes: Up the floor of the Ordesa canyon — Europe's Grand Canyon, 1,000 m walls — past the Cola de Caballo falls and the Soaso steps to Refugio de Góriz. Short mileage on purpose: drop the vest and take the afternoon option up Monte Perdido (3,355 m, +1,200 m round trip, F-grade scramble) — third-highest in the Pyrenees. Runner's variant: take the Faja de Pelay high shelf instead of the canyon floor for airier running.
Distance~21 km
Elev Gain↑ ~1,300 m
Elev Loss↓ ~150 m
Moving Time4–5 hr (+ summit)
DifficultyModerate
Overnight
Refugio de Góriz (2,200 m)
Website / Book →
Day2
Góriz → Collado de Añisclo → Pineta → Parzán
Very Hard Añisclo descent ~30 km · 8–9 hr
▾

Highlights

Collado de Añisclo (2,453 m) Circo de Pineta Pineta valley
⚠ Notes: The crux day of the whole GR11. Traverse under Monte Perdido to Collado de Añisclo, then the infamous 1,300 m descent into the Pineta valley — steep, loose, hands-on in places, brutal on quads. Take it as a hike, not a run. Then fast valley track past the Parador and up the road-valley to Parzán (village hostal, supermarket — last resupply). Start at first light; the Añisclo face bakes by mid-morning.
Distance~30 km
Elev Gain↑ ~1,100 m
Elev Loss↓ ~2,200 m
Moving Time8–9 hr
DifficultyVery Hard
Overnight
Parzán (1,144 m)
Booking.com →
Day3
Parzán → Paso de los Caballos → Refugio de Viadós
Hard Posets west side ~20 km · 5–6 hr
▾

Highlights

Valle de Chistau Viadós meadows Posets west face (3,375 m)
💡 Notes: Quieter, shorter day into the roadless Valle de Chistau — old Aragón at its most untouched. Over the Paso de los Caballos and down to the hay-meadow granjas of Viadós, staring straight at the west wall of Posets, second-highest peak in the Pyrenees. Family-run refugio; dinner is legendary.
Distance~20 km
Elev Gain↑ ~1,450 m
Elev Loss↓ ~850 m
Moving Time5–6 hr
DifficultyHard
Overnight
Refugio de Viadós (1,760 m)
Maps →
Day4
Viadós → Puerto de Gistaín → Estós → Benasque — Finish!
Hard Aneto views ~30 km · 6–7 hr
▾

Highlights

Puerto de Gistaín (2,572 m) Valle de Estós Aneto / Maladeta views Benasque old town
🎉 Notes: Final pass — Puerto de Gistaín between the Posets and Aneto massifs, with the highest peaks of the Pyrenees lined up ahead. Long runnable descent through the Valle de Estós (refugio coffee stop) to Benasque, the mountaineering capital of the range. Celebration: tapas crawl in the old town.

🚌 Getting home: Benasque → Barbastro bus (~2 hr) → Zaragoza or Barcelona by train.
Distance~30 km
Elev Gain↑ ~1,150 m
Elev Loss↓ ~1,750 m
Moving Time6–7 hr
DifficultyHard
Overnight
Benasque (celebration!)
Booking.com →

Route Highlights

The wild heart of the Spanish Pyrenees.

Day 1
Ordesa canyon
1,000 m limestone walls, beech forest, and waterfalls — Spain's answer to the Grand Canyon.
Day 1
Monte Perdido option
Third-highest in the Pyrenees (3,355 m) straight from the refugio door — the afternoon bonus summit.
Day 2
Collado de Añisclo
The GR11's most feared crossing — a wild notch and a 1,300 m descent that earns every beer after.
Day 2
Circo de Pineta
Monte Perdido's glacier-hung north wall filling the head of the valley.
Day 3
Valle de Chistau
Roadless hay meadows and stone granjas — the least-changed valley in the range.
Day 3
Viadós refugio
Family-run hut staring at the Posets west face. The dinner-table stories are half the stay.
Day 4
Puerto de Gistaín
Final 2,572 m pass between the two highest massifs of the Pyrenees — Posets behind, Aneto ahead.
Day 4
Benasque finish
Mountaineering capital of the Pyrenees — stone lanes, gear shops, and a serious tapas scene.

Trip Planning

Everything needed to make it happen.

Total Distance

~101 km
~63 mi · Torla → Benasque

Elevation Gain

~7,200 m
~23,600 ft in 4 days — steepest route here

Daily Average

~25 km / day
But 1,000–1,500 m gain per day

High Point

2,572 m
Puerto de Gistaín (3,355 m w/ Perdido)

Best Season

Jul–Sep
Añisclo holds snow to late June

Lodging

Refugios + hostals
Half-board €50–60 at huts

Permits

None
Góriz bed = the real bottleneck

Character

Wildest
Rougher + emptier than any Alps route here

Sister trip to the GR10 run on the French side — drier, higher, rockier, and much quieter. Combine them: finish in Benasque, bus/taxi over to Luchon, and run the GR10 leg back west for a ~9-day double traverse.

✈️ Access

In: Zaragoza (ZAZ) / Toulouse (TLS) / Barcelona → bus via Sabiñánigo or Aínsa → Torla-Ordesa (~3–4 hr).

Out: Benasque → Barbastro bus (~2 hr) → train to Zaragoza/Barcelona.

⚠️ Route notes

🧗 Añisclo descent (Day 2): steep, loose, occasional hands — the one section to treat with full respect. Poles away, take your time; budget 2 hr for the 1,300 m.

❄ Snow: Collado de Añisclo and Puerto de Gistaín hold snow into late June — early July start earliest, ask Góriz guardians for conditions.

🌡 Sun: Spanish side = high-altitude desert light. SPF 50, sleeves, 2 L water capacity — sources are farther apart than the French side.

🧭 Navigation: Waymarked white-red but sparser than the GR10; GPX essential (multiple free sources; load on GAIA + watch).

🍽 Food: Refugios serve dinner/breakfast + picnic orders. Parzán has the only supermarket en route.

💶 Money

Refugio half-board €50–60 (cash), hostals/hotels €50–80. FEDME/alpine-club reciprocity discounts at Góriz and Estós. Budget €70–90/day.
📅 Booking Timeline
Refugio de Góriz is the bottleneck — 90 beds serving all of Ordesa + Monte Perdido; July–August sells out 2–4 months ahead on their online system. Book Góriz first, build dates around it. Everything else is 1–2 months.
Day0
Torla-Ordesa
Aragón 🇪🇸
Booking.com →
Easy — park gateway town
Day1
Refugio de Góriz
2,200 m · Ordesa NP 🇪🇸
Website / Book →
Book FIRST — 2–4 months aheadHalf-board · cash
Day2
Parzán hostal
Bielsa valley 🇪🇸
Booking.com →
Supermarket resupply here
Day3
Refugio de Viadós
Valle de Chistau 🇪🇸
Maps →
Phone booking — small hutHalf-board · cash
Day4
Benasque
Aragón 🇪🇸
Booking.com →
Easy — mountain town