One Of Europe's Prettiest National Parks Is A Spanish Gem With Scenic Trails And 'Hidden' Cheese Caves

Spain is home to 16 national parks that preserve the country's natural beauty, located in areas from the most beautiful islands you've probably never heard of to the mountains of the Sierra Nevada and the Pyrenees Range. One of the most scenic and historic is the Parque Nacional de los Picos de Europa in Northern Spain, which, according to legend, earned its name because its peaks (picos) were often the first to be spotted by sailors returning home from the Americas. The park is massive, with over 400 square miles of protected land sitting in three regions: Asturias, Cantabria, and León. It's also quite unique in the fact that this is the only national park in Spain where there is still an active population and much of the land is used for agriculture. This means you will see a lot of goats and cows along the trails, and the region's signature cheese — the funky blue Queso de Cabrales — is aged in the park's hidden cheese caves.

Although the caves are off-limits to visitors in order to prevent contamination, there are plenty of dairies, or queserías, where you can take tours and participate in tastings throughout the valleys and villages that make up this wonderful park. Here's everything you need to know about visiting one of Spain's best national parks, from where to stay and how to get there to the top trails to hike during your visit.

Spain is one of the best destinations for a European road trip, and renting a car is the best way to get to Picos de Europa. There are 11 villages where you can stay in the park, but the main areas are Potes and Cangas de Onís. From the closest airport in Asturias (OVD), it's a 67-mile drive to Cangas de Onís, or you could fly into Seve Ballesteros-Santander Airport (SDR) and drive about the same distance from the stunning and affordable beach city of Santander to Potes.

Usually, when national parks are created, local populations are relocated, but an exception was made for Picos de Europa, and that decision has contributed to the park's character. In addition to the park's trails, there are many charming areas to explore, like the beautiful basilica in Covadonga. If you want to see a recreation of one of the mountainous cheese caves, you can visit the museum Cueva del Queso de Cabrales in the town of Las Arenas.

After long days of hiking and exploring, the local drink of choice to wash it all down is hard cider. There are many cideries in the area where you can fill your cup with this fizzy alcoholic drink, but one of my favorites was Sidreria La Raiz. The ambiance is great, with beautiful wooden decorations, and they offer tasty meat dishes like the chistorra a la sidra, a local sausage cooked with cider.

To see the park's most famous residents, a herd of cows that like to graze by a picturesque lake, you can hike the easy half-mile Lagos de Covadonga loop. Just know that if you come in the summer or during a holiday, you'll be required to park in town and take a shuttle to the trailhead as a measure of crowd control.

For something a little more challenging, the next most popular hike is the Ruta del Cares, a moderate 15-mile (there and back) hike from Poncebos to Caín. The route follows the path of the Cares Gorge along a mostly level trail that takes you through many tunnels and passes along a steep drop. If you don't want to make the return trip, you can arrange a transfer back to your car (just keep in mind it's a 2.5-hour drive) from Caín. You can also book a hotel here, or at least stop for lunch at one of the restaurants.

If you want to get up high without breaking too much of a sweat, take the cable car up the mountain from the town of Fuente Dé; this will give you an up-close view of the park's famous picos. From the top, you can access even more hiking routes, like the two-mile hike to Hotel Aliva, a secluded mountain refuge where it's possible to arrange an overnight stay.