Mirador de la Reina, on the road to the Lakes

On the road from Covadonga to the Lakes, about 8 km from the basilica, the Mirador de la Reina has parking and an open view over the valleys and mountains of Covadonga. It is at the roadside, at 910 m altitude, and is one of the most popular viewpoints in the Picos de Europa: a stop of about twenty minutes on the way up to the Lakes.

What you see

Turismo Asturias describes it as a balcony from the Picos de Europa to the rest of the world. With the Picos at your back, the view takes in the northern ranges of the massif, the plain of the River Güeña, Mount Sueve, the Sierra del Cuera and the councils of Onís, Cangas de Onís, Parres and Cabrales, as far as the Cantabrian coast at Ribadesella and Llanes. It owes its name to Queen Victoria Eugenia, wife of Alfonso XIII, who visited Covadonga and its surroundings.

The best times are first thing in the morning or at the end of the afternoon, in low light.

Other viewpoints on the climb

Before it, about 2 km from the Santa Cueva and on the left, is the Canónigos one, from where the canons of Covadonga used to look out over the Royal Site; it has a view of the sanctuary. Further up, already at the Lakes, the Entrelagos one, at 1,134 m, between Enol and La Ercina, and the Rey one, at the end of the Enol meadow track, above the Pome beech wood. For the route around the lakes, see the entry for the Covadonga Lakes.

Access

On days of restricted access to the Lakes (Holy Week, summer and some long weekends) the road can only be climbed by bus from Cangas de Onís: see the bus to the Lakes. The rest of the year you drive up and park at the viewpoint itself.

The parking is not entirely accessible: you have to walk a couple of metres up the small promontory it sits on. It is in the Picos de Europa National Park, so do not leave the paths and keep your dog on a lead. Below, the Covadonga Sanctuary completes the morning.