Trailrunning in the Parish of Encamp

Combine well-designed trails with exceptional views and a wide variety of routes and we get the ideal trail running area. Encamp has it all. Nafent lists the five best trail running routes, for runners of different levels, in the parish.

Pics: Formula Cinco | Bloovs

Grau Roig – Pic Alt del Cubil

This is a spectacular high-mountain route that leads through some of the most open and wild landscapes in the Cubil area. We start from the Cubil car park, where a short uphill path begins. We cross the ski slopes on a well-worn grassy track and head towards Estany Primer, where there is a refuge and restaurant-bar (km 1.2), a good place for a break.

We continue following the sign for Pic Baix del Cubil. After about 500 metres along the track, on the right, we see an open fence that allows access to a meadow leading to Orri d’Encenrera. We continue along the track, pass Cubil Lake and reach the Enradort pass. After this section, we follow the fence line along the ridge of the mountain until we reach the rocky base of Pic Alt del Cubil. From here, the clear path ends and the more alpine ascent begins.

Once at the summit, the effort is fully rewarded: the views and the feeling of openness make it easy to be left breathless.

Estació intermèdia del Funicamp – Solanelles – Pic Alt del Cubil

This is a demanding route. Although the scrambling and descending sections are not highly technical, sure-footedness and good orientation skills are needed, as the route is marked with cairns, blue paint marks, and poles that can sometimes be hard to see.

The track leads us to the Enradort pass (km 3.5). On the left we find the upper Funicamp station (Solanelles), and on the right a small maintenance hut. Just to the left of this hut, the trail begins and climbs steeply uphill.

It follows the mountain ridge until reaching the rocky base of Pic Alt del Cubil. Here the clear path ends and the most alpine section begins. When you reach the top, the effort is fully rewarded: the views and the sense of openness leave you breathless.

Solanelles – Estany Primer de Pessons

This is a very easy route, mainly on tracks and mostly downhill. We start from the upper Funicamp station (Solanelles) and descend along the wide track to the Enradort pass, where we find a signpost for mountain bike routes indicating that the track to Grau Roig is to the left. We take this track and descend with views over Cubil Lake and, in the distance, the ski lift of the same name, which we pass and continue along the track, now climbing.

At the top of the climb we find a sign pointing to Grau Roig, which we follow to the right. We continue downhill and around km 4.5, if we look to the right, we see a shepherd’s hut (orri), the Orri d’Encenrera. We follow the marked “Ruta dels Orris”, and after passing it, across the meadow, we reach the track that descends on the left and takes us to Estany Primer. A great place for a post-run summer swim.

Encamp – Bony de les Neres – Vertical Kilometre

A vertical kilometre is a mountain challenge where 1,000 metres of elevation are gained over a short distance, often under 5 km. It has become popular through trail running and ski mountaineering, attracting athletes looking for intense, direct, and easily measurable effort.

The route starts at the Encamp Tourist Office and follows Avinguda de Joan Martí, passing the Parc de la Gent Gran and crossing the bridge over the river. It continues along Passeig de Mojacar, down some stairs, and follows the street to the left. At the junction, it climbs up Carrer Balcó del Solà and soon reaches the path marked Camí de la Carrera.

After a short paved section, the trail enters the forest. The turn-off to Camí del Bau is ignored, and continues left on a sunny path that quickly gains height, with wide views over Encamp and the valley. Inside the forest, signs indicate points such as the Font del Torrent de la Canadilla to the right, while Camí del Solà stays to the left, which is the correct direction to follow. Another sign soon confirms the direction towards Bony de les Neres.

A logging area is crossed before re-entering the forest, where the climb becomes steeper and the ground looser. After crossing the Camí del Tomb de les Neres, the ascent finishes with a wide track that leads, in a few metres, to Bony de les Neres.

For a less steep descent on foot, you can follow the Encamp – Les Bons – Bony de les Neres route via Coll d’Ordino, with a more gradual descent towards Les Bons before returning to Encamp.

Encamp – Lake Engolasters

We start in front of the Tourist Office and follow Carrer Major, where we quickly find the GR trail markings (white line on a red line). We continue along Carrer Sant Miquel, pass the church, and follow Camí de l’Arena, cross the roundabout, and find the sign for Lake Engolasters.

We go up some stairs, cross the road, and enter the trail that steadily climbs through shaded forest, always following the GR markings, up to Lake Engolasters. Once at the lake, we can follow the medium circuit route that goes around it. Here we will also find some of the parish’s best MTB trails, as well as other routes that can be combined to extend the run.