The GR11 Trail. Brian Johnson
varied scenic route through magnificent, often remote, high or deserted mountains.
As the GR11 leaves the border town of Irún on the Atlantic Coast, it follows ridges on the gentle grassy and wooded hills of the Basque Country and Navarre. There is then a rapid transition into steep limestone mountains, passing through the world-renowned Ordesa Canyon before the fantastic granite peaks of the High Pyrenees are reached. The High Pyrenees rise to over 3000m, with snowfields surviving well into the summer and the remnants of the glaciers which carved out the deep valleys. The GR11 generally heads up these alpine valleys before crossing a high pass and descending into the next valley. These rough, tough mountains continue into Andorra. The mountains become gentler once Andorra is passed but, surprisingly, the highest point on the GR11 is reached after the High Pyrenees are left behind. As the Mediterranean is approached, the GR11 follows a line of steep, rugged, wooded hills to reach the sea at the spectacular peninsula of Cap de Creus.
National and natural parks
The GR11 passes through two national parks and six natural parks:
Parque Natural de Valles Occidentales
Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido
Parque Natural de Posets-Maladeta
Parc Nacional d’Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici
Parc Natural Alt Pirineu
Parc Natural Valls de Comapedrosa
Parc Natural Val del Madriu
Parc Natural Cap de Creus
The Valles Occidentales (western valleys) of Aragón is predominantly composed of limestone and is a relatively gentle introduction to the tough alpine terrain ahead of you.
Ordesa and Monte Perdido, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is the largest limestone massif in Western Europe. The highest peak is Monte Perdido (3355m) but it is the deep valleys, with thundering cascades and waterfalls edged by towering limestone, which attract the tourist.
Posets-Maladeta is a granite massif containing half the 3000m summits in the Pyrenees including Aneto (3404m), the highest mountain in the Pyrenees. Highly glaciated granite mountains provide some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in the world with thousands of little sparkling lakes nestling in a landscape dominated by bare rock.
As you pass into Catalonia, you pass through Aigüestortes and Sant Maurici National Park, another magical granite massif, and then the Parc Natural Alt Pirineu, the largest natural park in Catalonia. Alt Pirineu continues into Andorra as the Parc Natural Valls de Comapedrosa. The Val del Madriu as you leave Andorra is the final alpine section, with more fine granite scenery.
The GR11 ends with the Parc Natural Cap de Creus, which is a complete contrast: a rocky dry region, with almost no trees, on a peninsula sticking out into the Mediterranean Sea.
From the Atlantic to the Mediterranean
Col d’Angliós from Ibón d’Angliós (Stage 22)
There are three long-distance paths along the Pyrenees from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean:
GR10
High-level route (Haute Randonnée Pyrénénne, HRP)
GR11 (La Senda Pirenaica)
The oldest and most popular of these routes is the GR10, which is entirely in France. This well-waymarked path is not so wild and rough as the GR11 but it passes through equally spectacular terrain. Frequent visits to towns and villages means accommodation and supplies are not usually a problem. Staying to the north of the watershed, the GR10 has a much cooler and cloudier climate than on the GR11.
The HRP, which passes through France, Spain and Andorra, is not so much a walk as a mountaineering expedition. The route is not waymarked, except where it coincides with other routes, and you must expect to get lost! There is a lot of very rough terrain, including some very steep, possibly dangerous descents, and a lot of snow can be expected until late summer. Visits to towns and villages are infrequent so resupply is difficult and you will have to camp most of the time. You will spend a lot of time on high mountain ridges with a serious risk of thunderstorms and even fresh snow. The HRP is a daunting route for the inexperienced but is a magnificent expedition for those with the right experience.
The GR11 is a well-waymarked path which passes through Spain and Andorra. Like the HRP, it crosses many high mountain passes where there are boulderfields, scree and some easy scrambling at about the maximum difficulty the inexperienced would want when carrying a heavy rucksack. The weather tends to be considerably sunnier and drier than on the GR10 and thunderstorms are less of a problem than on the HRP as you don’t spend long periods on high ridges. Frequent visits to towns and villages mean that resupply isn’t much of a problem. Those who prefer not to camp or bivouac will find that a few of the days are rather long and that some of the alternative routes featured in this guide will need to be taken. There could be problems with snow in early season, but not later in the summer. Although the GR11 stays much higher than the GR10, there is actually considerably less climb.
Chisagüés on the descent to Parzán (Stage 18)
The GR11 is more difficult than the GR10 and takes you into tougher terrain, but they are both magnificent walks. Unless you are an experienced mountaineer you should prefer the GR10 or GR11 to the HRP.
The GR11
The total route is about 820km long with 46,000m of ascent and is described here in 47 stages. It can be seen as breaking into three broad sections.
The first 11 stages through the lower and more verdant Basque Country and Navarre, gradually climbing into the higher mountains south of Lescun before dropping to the Puerto de Somport cross-Pyrenees (Jaca–Pau) road. This section covers about 210km, and includes some long initial stages.
The High Pyrenees section from Candanchú through to Puigcerdà to the E of Andorra is covered in 25 stages and 380km, taking in the most remote and beautiful parts of the mountains. Access to the route, if needed, can be through Torla, Benasque, Espot and Encamp before reaching the busy main road/rail access at Puigcerdà running between Barcelona and Toulouse.
The final section runs through Catalonia from Puigcerdà to the Mediterranean, and is described in 11 stages, covering about 230km. It is here that the GR11 reaches its highest point (2780m) before crossing steep wooded terrain and descending to the dry and probably hot coast at Cap de Creus.
As well as these main access points, at many places the route crosses smaller mountain roads serving high villages, generally well served by bus, allowing the trekker to access or leave the route. Most routes quickly reach main bus and rail routes including the east/west rail lines between Bilbao, Pamplona, Zaragoza, Lleida and Barcelona in Spain or Hendaye, Pau, Toulouse and Perpignan in France.
Walkers with earlier editions of the Cicerone guide to the GR11 or maps should note that there was considerable rerouting of the GR11 between 2008 and 2011 and a major reroute in 2017.
The GR11 doesn’t pass over many summits, but suggestions are made for climbing many of the easier peaks which could be attempted while walking the route. If you want to climb some of the more difficult, higher peaks you should ask for advice from the guardians of the refuges.
It would be possible to walk the GR11 from Mediterranean to Atlantic, but this guide describes the route from the Atlantic so that you have the prevailing wind/rain on your back and have time to acclimatise to the heat before reaching the Mediterranean.
Weather and when to go
The Spanish south-facing slopes of the Pyrenees are much sunnier and drier than the French side and although you can expect good weather, you should be prepared for rain