# Río Lobos Canyon A limestone canyon between Soria and Burgos with the hermitage of San Bartolomé, caves, vultures and flat paths beside the river, an hour from Soria. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/rio-lobos-canyon · Revisado: 2026-11-12 The Río Lobos Canyon is a 25-kilometre limestone gorge between Soria and Burgos, with the river at the bottom, poplars, junipers and pines, and walls where griffon vultures, Egyptian vultures and golden eagles breed. It has been a natural park since 1985. Its emblem is the hermitage of San Bartolomé, a 13th-century church attributed to the Templars, wedged beneath the cliffs with an enormous cave opposite. You reach it by a flat walk, and that is why it is the Sunday plan for half of Soria and for many families from Burgos, Valladolid and Madrid. ## How do you get there from Soria? By car, in about an hour: along the N-122 to El Burgo de Osma and from there along the SO-920 northwards to Ucero, about 15 km. From Burgos, along the N-234 to San Leonardo de Yagüe and the SO-920 southwards, in a little over an hour and a half. From Madrid, along the A-1 to Aranda de Duero and from there to El Burgo de Osma, in about two and a half hours. There is no public transport that works for a day in the canyon. ## Where to park? The most used entrance is Ucero. Call in at the Casa del Parque, on the SO-920, km 16, which has its own car park, and continue a few kilometres north to the track that goes down to the bottom of the canyon. On it there are three car parks: Fuente Engómez, free, and Cueva Fría and Valdecea, paid. From there you continue on foot. The other entrances are the Puente de los Siete Ojos, on the SO-934, between San Leonardo and Santa María de las Hoyas, and Hontoria del Pinar, in Burgos. ## How much time do you need? Half a day for the hermitage, the Cueva Grande and the Casa del Parque. A whole day if you add the Ucero castle trail or the Gullurías route, or a guided activity such as caving in the Galiana cave. With a night in Ucero or El Burgo de Osma, you can do a long stretch of the river path the next day and see the cathedral of El Burgo. ## When to go? In spring the river carries water, the meadow is green and the raptors breed. In October the poplars turn yellow. In summer the bottom of the canyon is cool, but the moorland has no shade. In winter it is a dry cold and there is ice in the shaded places. The Casa del Parque is open every day in summer and from Wednesday to Sunday the rest of the year, with hours that change every month. ## What to do The essential walk is to the hermitage of San Bartolomé, from any of the car parks on the track, along a flat path beside the river; opposite the hermitage, the Cueva Grande can be visited freely. The Casa del Parque, in a former mill in Ucero, has the model of the park and the water exhibition. On foot, the Castle trail (6 km, easy) climbs to the ruins of Ucero castle and the Gullurías route (9 km, 4 h) crosses the moorland. The river path runs the whole canyon, 25 km, and is done in stretches. With a guide, Pedrete Guiados organises introductory caving in the Galiana Alta cave and a route from Hontoria del Pinar. ## Where to eat and sleep There are no bars at the bottom of the canyon: bring a picnic or eat in Ucero or El Burgo de Osma. The Virrey Palafox, in El Burgo, serves lunches from 13:15 to 15:45 and is famous for its matanza days. In Ucero, the restaurant of the Posada Los Templarios serves mushroom cooking. For sleeping, the Posada Los Templarios, in the former priest's house, with a cave spa; El Balcón del Cañón, small, on Calle del Castillo; or the Hotel II Virrey, four stars in El Burgo de Osma. ## Dónde está - Cerca: Laguna Negra and Picos de Urbión (a 33.0 km), Covarrubias and Santo Domingo de Silos (a 50.7 km), San Millán de la Cogolla (a 66.0 km), Atapuerca (a 76.4 km) ## Qué hacer - **San Bartolomé Hermitage and the Cueva Grande** (1 h 30 · Everyone · Free · paid parking at Valdecea): It is the image of the park: a Romanesque hermitage, wedged beneath the cliffs of the Lobos river above a meander, and opposite it the mouth of the Cueva Grande, which you enter without difficulty. You reach it by a flat walk beside the river from the car parks on the track, so it suits almost everyone, from small children to older people who walk slowly. Count on between one and two hours with the outward walk, the return and the time in the cave. The hermitage The hermitage dates from the 12th century, Romanesque with proto-Gothic features, and was part of what was the Templar monastery of San Juan de Otero. It has a rectangular plan and a semicircular apse, and a slightly pointed doorway with archivolts on columns with decorated capitals. Look at the corbels and the rose window, with figures that tradition calls esoteric: the rose window, with its five-pointed star, is now the park's logo. From outside it can always be seen. Inside it opens at limited hours, with a €1 entry; in the Junta's official listing, outside the opening season, it appears closed every day, so if you want to go in, ask first at the Park House or at Ucero Town Hall, 975 363 541. Getting there and parking From the SO-920, north of Ucero, a wide track leaves and leads to three car parks at the bottom of the canyon: Fuente Engómez, free, and Cueva Fría and Valdecea, paid. They are described on the page for the canyon car parks. From any of them you continue on foot, along a flat path beside the river, which is the first stretch of the river trail. According to Patrimonio Natural, from the canyon entrance at Fuente Engómez it is about 3.7 km to the hermitage, passing the Valdecea pool at around km 2.6; from the Valdecea car park, considerably less. On Sundays and long weekends the track fills up early: go first thing. The Cueva Grande and what is nearby Opposite the hermitage, the Cueva Grande can be visited independently and without difficulty. If you want to carry on, the river trail continues up the canyon towards the Presón cave and the Cueva Negra. Bring water: on the river path there are no treated-water fountains, and at the bottom of the canyon there are no bars. For eating, the nearest is in Ucero; the Los Templarios restaurant, serving mushroom cooking, is in the village, and in El Burgo de Osma there is the Virrey Palafox. - **Río Lobos Canyon Park House, in Ucero** (45 min · Families): The Río Lobos Canyon Park House (Casa del Parque) is in Ucero, on the SO-920, km 16, between El Burgo de Osma and San Leonardo de Yagüe. It is the logical first stop before going down into the canyon: here they give you the maps of the trails, tell you how the river is and whether the hermitage is open, and in three quarters of an hour you understand what you are going to see. Neither the Junta nor the Fundación Patrimonio Natural publishes an entry price. The building It occupies a three-storey stone building of more than 1,200 m² beside the river Ucero, which was formerly a paper or chocolate factory, a fulling mill and a flour mill. The ground floor has the reception, the green shop, a visitor's corner and an area with aquariums and the River Classroom (Aula del Río). On the first floor is the wildlife room, with stuffed animals most of which arrived dead or donated over the last twenty years, and the Micoteca, one of the largest collections of wild mushrooms in Spain. There too are the Antonio Segura room, with herbaria and a library, which is consulted by appointment, the audiovisual room and a temporary exhibitions room. The exhibition The second floor holds the permanent exhibition, with a large scale model of the park that helps you place the hermitage, the car parks and the trails. It is divided into the riverbank, the cliffs and the moorland, the three environments you are going to cross, and has a section on Castilla y León's network of natural areas. The audiovisual Los reyes de la noche (Kings of the Night) closes the visit. With children, the model, the aquariums and the wildlife room are the most eye-catching. Outside There is parking with an accessible space and an electric charging point, toilets and vending machines. Outside, a pond and a naturalised channel serve for practical fishing and for showing how an aquatic ecosystem works; the Rincón del Ucero River Classroom, in the same building, is a reference centre for fishing. Two waymarked trails start from the door: the one to Ucero castle and the one to the Gullurías. Hours The hours change every month. In November it opens Wednesday and Thursday from 10:00 to 14:00, Friday and Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00 and Saturday from 10:00 to 19:00; from 1 to 8 December, every day from 10:00 to 17:00; from 1 July to 27 September, every day from 10:00 to 19:00. Outside summer it closes on Monday and Tuesday; on long weekends and at Easter it extends its hours. Phone: 975 363 564; groups arrange the visit on 975 363 507. Email: cp.riolobos.ucero@patrimonionatural.org. The track that goes down towards the San Bartolomé hermitage leaves the same SO-920, a little to the north, beside the Fuente Engómez area. - **Gullurías Trail (PRC-SO 67)** (3 h · 8.5 km · Walkers · Free): The Gullurías trail, the PRC-SO 67, leaves from the Park House car park in Ucero and loops over the moorland and the canyon rim before dropping to the river and returning along the bank. It is the route for anyone who wants to see the canyon from above and not only from the bottom. Patrimonio Natural gives it about 8.5 km, three hours and moderate difficulty (other guides round up to 9 km); with stops at the viewpoint and photos, count on a morning. Its name comes from the gulluría, as the crested lark is called in the area, a bird of the moorland. The route It begins with the hardest part: about 800 metres of steep climb until you come out onto the moorland. At the top you soon see a calera, the ruins of an old lime kiln, partly restored, and behind it, Ucero castle. Then you cross a flat area of aromatic plants and reach the Gullurías viewpoint, with views over the canyon; it is a good place to sit and watch birds. The route's maximum altitude is around 1,154 m and the minimum 957 m. From the viewpoint, the trail goes down a north-facing little valley, cooler and with larger trees, to the bottom of the canyon. There it joins the river trail, the PR-SO-BU-65, and follows it towards Ucero, passing Valdecea, Cuevafría and Fuenteengómez. At the end it passes the source of the river Ucero, crosses under the road bridge, passes the campsite gate and returns to the Park House. What you will see On the moorland, junipers that mix on the descent with the pines typical of the canyon, and bearberry covering the slopes. In the north valley, Scots pine and Pyrenean oak appear. For wildlife, besides the gulluría, birds in general from the viewpoint, and there are traces of wild boar. In spring and in October the walk is more pleasant; in summer the moorland has no shade, and in winter there is ice in the shaded areas. Practical tips At Valdecea and Fuenteengómez there are fountains, but the water is untreated: bring your own from the start. The initial stretch needs some fitness, and good footwear is advisable. Patrimonio Natural has a leaflet for the route that can be downloaded from its website, and at the Park House they tell you the state of the paths and the river before you set out. Its car park is where the loop starts and ends. If you prefer something easier and with less climbing from the same place, the Ucero castle trail also leaves from the Park House. And if you want to reach the San Bartolomé hermitage, from Valdecea it is a little over a kilometre upriver. - **Ucero Castle Trail (PRC-SO 66)** (2 h · 7.9 km · Families · Free): An easy loop, with few climbs, that leaves from the Park House, follows the river Ucero from its source, climbs to Ucero castle, crosses through the rock the Roman channel that carried water to Uxama and returns through the village. It is the PRC-SO 66 trail and Patrimonio Natural describes it as suitable for all kinds of people. Its official listing gives it 7.89 km, with altitudes between 953 and 1,023 m; other guides put it at about 6 km. Allow about two hours with stops. The route Leave the Park House heading north. After about 500 m you pass the campsite gate, cross under the SO-920 bridge over the river Ucero and carry on west to the Fuente Engómez car park. From there the trail goes east to the source, where the river Ucero springs, with a small viewpoint; on this stretch you walk about 300 m along the road. Then it continues on the left bank, crosses the Río Chico and climbs south along the steepest stretch of the loop, up to the castle. From the castle you go down about 600 m towards the SO-920 and take the SO-P-5119 road for about 50 m, towards Nafría de Ucero. After about 200 m you turn north towards the entrance to the Roman channel: a 130 m gallery cut into the rock that carried the river's water to Uxama, the Celtiberian and later Roman city beside El Burgo de Osma. Then you enter Ucero, cross the bridge, walk through the village's old vegetable gardens at the foot of the castle crag and return east over another bridge to the Park House. Ucero castle The castle is known from the 13th century, and in 1302 the Bishop of Osma bought the town; since then it passed through various prelates, and in the 15th century Bishop Pedro de Montoya rebuilt it. Today what remain are the walls of the rooms that closed the courtyard, the keep and the cistern. A pointed vault with decorated corbels survives, and a keystone with an agnus dei, which some scholars link to Templar symbolism. From the top you command the valley and the village. Among the ruins, watch where you step and keep children close. Tips Take care on the road sections: the 300 m to the source, the SO-920 crossings and the stretch of the SO-P-5119. In flood season the passage under the SO-920 bridge can be flooded; then cross above. You can go with a dog on a lead. Bring water. If you want more, the Gullurías route leaves from the same car park and climbs to the moorland, and the San Bartolomé hermitage can be reached on foot from Fuente Engómez. - **Río Lobos Trail, along the Canyon Floor** (4 h · 25 km · Walkers and cyclists · Free): The river trail, the PR-SO-BU-65, runs the whole canyon beside the river Lobos: 25 km one way between the Fuente Engómez entrance, in Ucero (Soria), and Hontoria del Pinar (Burgos), beside its Roman bridge. Patrimonio Natural rates it medium difficulty, because although the canyon floor is almost flat, the trail crosses the river many times and adds up to about 592 m of cumulative ascent between 961 and 1,051 m of altitude. Almost nobody does it in one go: the usual thing is to choose an out-and-back section, on foot or by bike. The most usual sections Fuente Engómez – San Bartolomé hermitage. It is the shortest and the busiest. It starts from the junction of the SO-920 with the canyon entrance, beside the Fuente Engómez recreation area, passes the Valdecea pool at around km 2.6 and reaches the San Bartolomé hermitage at km 3.7. With children, it is the one that makes sense. Hermitage – Siete Ojos bridge. From the hermitage, the trail continues upriver past the Presón cave (km 4.5), the Cueva Negra (km 7.1) and the Peña Palomera viewpoint (km 9) to the Siete Ojos (Seven Eyes) bridge, at km 12.2. The bridge can also be reached by car, parking on the SO-934 between San Leonardo de Yagüe and Santa María de las Hoyas, and from there you can go downriver towards the hermitage. On this stretch are the Colmenas de los Frailes. The park leaflet warns that the crossing between the Siete Ojos and the hermitage has some difficulty. Siete Ojos – Hontoria del Pinar. The second half, towards Burgos and the least visited, passes the La Canaleja spring (km 13.7), a resin tappers' hut (km 21.8) and the Los Agualinos spring (km 23.2) before reaching Hontoria. Between Agualinos and the Siete Ojos are the canyon's springs, the biggest being Las Raideras. Before setting out Check the state of the river. With heavy rain, the fords become very difficult or impossible, and with the river in flood some parts of the path get wet. Ask at the Park House in Ucero, on 975 363 564 or at cp.riolobos.ucero@patrimonionatural.org. Patrimonio Natural has the PDF sheet and the track on its website. Bring water from the start: there are fountains at some points, but they are untreated, and at the bottom of the canyon there are no bars or shops. In heat, a cap; in the cold, beware of ice in the shaded areas. Good footwear, because you will tread on stone and cross the river. Logistics As it is one-way, to do it whole you need two cars or someone to pick you up: there is no useful public transport between the ends. The car parks on the canyon track, Fuente Engómez free and Cueva Fría and Valdecea paid, are on the page for the canyon car parks. From Hontoria del Pinar, Pedrete Guiados runs a guided walk through the Burgos stretch. - **Guided Caving in the Galiana Alta Cave** (2 h · From age 5, as a family · Desde 22.5 € per person): The Galiana cave opens in the cliffs of the canyon beside the SO-920, north of Ucero. Pedrete Guiados, an adventure tourism company in the area, runs its introduction to caving activity here: two hours with a guide to go into a real cave, with a helmet and light, no previous experience needed. It is a way of seeing the canyon from the inside, and not just from the river path. Why there are caves here The Río Lobos Canyon has been a natural park since 1985 and protects more than 20 km of a gorge cut into limestone. It is a karst landscape: water dissolves the rock and leaves caves, shafts and sinkholes in the walls and on the moorland. The best known is the Cueva Grande, opposite the San Bartolomé hermitage, which you can enter on your own; the Galiana, on the other hand, is visited with a guide and equipment, because you have to move inside with a helmet and light. What the activity is like The level is introductory and the route is about 200 metres. On the way in, the guide explains the canyon's wildlife and plants, and once inside, how the water has formed the cave and its formations. Special attention is paid to the bats and their biology. The activity lasts two hours, or three if you add the optional abseil, a rope descent booked separately. The company provides approved technical equipment: harness, helmet, headlamp and gloves. You bring the clothing: comfortable and warm, and comfortable footwear with a good sole, because the floor is stone and slippery. It does not publish a minimum age, but it does have a rate for children aged 5 to 10, so it presents it as a family activity. Prices and booking You pay per person depending on the size of the group: 4 to 8 people, €25. 9 or more, €22.50. Children aged 5 to 10, €12. Optional abseil, €5 more per person. Book by phone or WhatsApp on 652 19 38 49, by email at reservas@pedreteguiados.com or with the form on its website. The company does not publish a fixed departure calendar or the exact meeting point: they are agreed when booking. If there are fewer than four of you, ask whether you can join another group. Before and after The guide tells you when booking where to meet and where to park. Before or after, the Park House helps you understand the relief with its large model and the area devoted to the cliffs, and the San Bartolomé hermitage, with the Cueva Grande opposite, is a flat walk from the car parks. If you want more, Pedrete Guiados also runs a guided walk from Hontoria del Pinar through the Burgos stretch of the canyon and its cave mouths. - **Guided Canyon Walk from Hontoria del Pinar** (3 h · 8 km · Families and groups · Desde 18 € per person): The canyon begins in Burgos, at Hontoria del Pinar, and this is its least visited stretch: almost everyone enters through Ucero, in Soria, and goes down to the hermitage. Pedrete Guiados, an adventure tourism company in the area, runs a guided hiking route from Hontoria of about 8 km and three hours, at beginner level and suitable from age 5. It is a good way of getting to know the other end of the park with someone who tells you about what you are seeing. What you do The route crosses the canyon's karst landscapes, the limestone relief that water has gradually dissolved, and looks into the mouths of its most distinctive caves; along the way you enter a small cave. The guide tells legends and curiosities about the canyon. No experience is needed: it is an introductory walk. The company asks for comfortable, warm clothing and comfortable footwear for stony, slippery terrain, and in its activities it lends equipment such as headlamp, helmet and gloves when needed. Prices and booking You pay per person depending on the group: €25 for groups of 6 to 10 people and €18 from 11. Children under 5 do not pay. If there are fewer than six of you, you can join other groups, and for large groups they make a tailored quote. Book by phone or WhatsApp on 652 19 38 49, by email at reservas@pedreteguiados.com or with the form on its website. They do not publish a fixed calendar or the exact departure point in Hontoria: it is agreed when booking. The Burgos stretch of the canyon Hontoria del Pinar is at the north-western end of the park, which has been a natural park since 1985 and protects more than 20 km of canyon between Soria and Burgos. From the village two waymarked Patrimonio Natural trails also start. The Hontoria trail, PRC-BU-05, is circular, 10.87 km and about two and a half hours, of medium difficulty and 236 m of ascent: it passes through the moorland of junipers and Scots pine, the cliffs and the riverbank, and along a stretch of the old Roman road between Clunia and Uxama, with its bridge of Roman origin and a recreation of resin tappers' huts. The caving trail, of 8.81 km and circular, links the Torca Ancha, the Torca de la Hiedra and the caves of Tío Dios, Matalacueva and Blanca, and returns by the church of the Asunción and the hermitage of the Virgen de la Cueva. The river trail, which runs the whole canyon, also ends at Hontoria, beside the Roman bridge. If you prefer the Soria side, the same company organises caving in the Galiana Alta cave, near Ucero. ## Dónde comer - **Virrey Palafox Restaurant** (Restaurant, El Burgo de Osma, €€€). Qué pedir: in winter, the Jornadas de la Matanza menu; the rest of the year, the à la carte or the tasting menu. - **Los Templarios Restaurant** (Restaurant, Ucero, €€). Qué pedir: something with fungi, which is the speciality, and a meat grilled over holm oak embers. - **El Balcón del Cañón** (Restaurant, Ucero, €€). ## By car: By Car to the Canyon Floor The car is the only practical way to get there: Ucero is on the SO-920, between El Burgo de Osma and San Leonardo de Yagüe, and there is no public transport that works for a day in the canyon. Inside the park, the car stays in the car parks on the track and you continue on foot. Presupuesto orientativo: 70–140 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Posada Los Templarios** (Small hotel): The Posada Los Templarios occupies the former priest's house of Ucero, from the 17th century, on the plaza de la Iglesia. The restoration left the limestone walls, almost a metre thick, and the juniper and pine beams exposed. Ucero is the village that acts as the southern gateway to the Río Lobos Canyon, so here you sleep at the entrance to the natural park and not half an hour away. On foot to the Park House From the plaza de la Iglesia you walk to the Park House, where almost all visits start, and to the Ucero castle trail, which climbs to the ruins above the village. For the San Bartolomé hermitage and the river trail you take the car a few minutes to the canyon car park, or do it by bike. Twelve rooms, each with its own bed The 12 rooms are for two people and the website identifies them by number, with each one's bed: there are standard rooms with a 1.35, 1.50 or 1.80 m bed and one with two 1.05 m beds; number 3 has a sitting room, number 7 is a suite and number 10 has a jacuzzi. If bed size matters to you, choose a number when booking. Rates appear on its booking page, with last-minute offers. For groups or families who want a house of their own, the inn also rents the Refugio del Cañón, an entire house. The cave-shaped spa The spa is for guests only and is built like a cave: a water area, a sensations path, a bi-thermal shower, a cold-water bucket and a sauna. It opens from 11:00 to 23:00, is booked in one-hour slots and costs €20 per person per hour according to the website's description (the header of the same page says €22.50: confirm). Only those over 12 may enter. Mushrooms and duck at the table The Los Templarios Restaurant, in the same inn, serves mushroom cooking, with pâtés and duck products from the area. Bikes, picnics and transfer to the canyon The inn hires out electric and mountain bikes, prepares picnics, offers transport to the canyon and books activities in the area: hiking in the canyon and on the GR 86, mountain biking, caving and mushroom outings. Ask prices when booking, because it does not publish them. - **Hotel II Virrey** (Hotel, desde 50 € / night): The Hotel II Virrey is at calle Mayor, 2, in El Burgo de Osma, in the same building as the Virrey Palafox restaurant and with the Doña Remedios café looking onto Plaza Mayor. It is a four-star hotel with 52 rooms, all exterior and each decorated in its own way, with its own garage: a comfortable base for combining the episcopal town with the Río Lobos Canyon, about fifteen minutes north along the SO-920. The cathedral a stroll away, the canyon fifteen minutes Leaving along the arcaded calle Mayor, you reach El Burgo de Osma cathedral and Plaza Mayor on foot without moving the car. In the morning you go up to Ucero for the Park House and the San Bartolomé hermitage, and in the evening you return to dine in the old town. 20 m² doubles and family rooms for five Double: 20 m², two 1.05 m beds or one 1.50 m; can be booked for single use. From €50 a night. Superior double and triple: on the website, with no further detail. Family: for four or five people. The quadruple has 40 m² in two connected spaces, with one 1.50 m bed and two 1.05 m; the quintuple adds 1.05 m beds. No extra beds. From €85 a night. All have a minibar, television and free wifi, and face outwards; many overlook calle Mayor and the square. Garage, garden and room service The hotel has its own garage and parking, a garden with terrace, 24-hour reception, central heating and air conditioning, room service, laundry and a safe, and access for people with reduced mobility. There are meeting rooms and an exhibition room. Eating and having breakfast at home The Virrey Palafox restaurant serves lunch from 13:15 to 15:45 and dinner from 21:00 to 22:45, with a €65 tasting menu and, in the first months of the year, the Jornadas de la Matanza. The Doña Remedios café opens every day from 8:00 to 24:00 for breakfasts, aperitifs and afternoon snacks, and serves dinners from Friday to Monday and on long weekends. Fishing at Sotos and Ucero The hotel arranges permits for the Sotos and Ucero fishing reserves, on the river Ucero, at the exit from the canyon. Ask when booking if you are coming with a rod. The website does not publish check-in and check-out times, the price of breakfast or whether dogs are admitted: ask on 975 34 13 11 or at info@virreypalafox.com. - **El Balcón del Cañón** (Small hotel): Six rooms in Ucero The Castilla y León tourism register lists it as a rural accommodation with six rooms, five doubles and one single, with 11 beds and two extra beds. It is on calle del Castillo de Ucero, the street on the way to the ruins, and has its own restaurant. Who it suits For those who want to sleep in Ucero itself, set out on foot to the Park House and the castle trail, and reach the hermitage track in five minutes by car. It has no website of its own: book by phone, on 975 363 576 or 615 299 739. ## As a family: A Hermitage Under the Rock and a Cave to Walk Into The canyon is one of the best places in Castilla y León for a first long walk with children: the path to the San Bartolomé hermitage is flat, the Cueva Grande can be entered without a torch and the vultures can be seen without binoculars. ### What works best The walk to the San Bartolomé hermitage, flat, beside the river The Park House, with a scale model, aquariums and a wildlife room The Castle Trail, an easy 6 km to the ruins Caving at Galiana Alta, with a child's price for ages 5 to 10 ### Where to sleep Posada Los Templarios, in Ucero, with a whole house for groups Hotel II Virrey, with triple and family rooms ### Where to eat Picnic in the canyon: there are no bars on the canyon floor Virrey Palafox in El Burgo de Osma, on the way back ### Good to know Bring water: there are no fountains on the river path The Park House closes on Mondays and Tuesdays outside summer ### Qué hacer as a family - San Bartolomé Hermitage and the Cueva Grande - Río Lobos Canyon Park House, in Ucero - Ucero Castle Trail (PRC-SO 66) - Guided Caving in the Galiana Alta Cave - Guided Canyon Walk from Hontoria del Pinar ## With teenagers: Caves, Cliffs and Nine Kilometres of Moorland The canyon gives teenagers what a city cannot: going into a cave with a helmet and light, doing an abseil and walking half a morning without a phone signal. ### What works best Caving at Galiana Alta, with optional abseil The Gullurías route, 9 km and four hours along the canyon rim The Cueva Grande opposite the hermitage, to enter independently ### Where to sleep Posada Los Templarios, with mountain and electric bikes for hire ### Where to eat Los Templarios Restaurant, meats grilled over holm oak embers ### Good to know Caving must be booked in advance and the price drops with the size of the group In summer, do the Gullurías route early: the moorland has no shade ### Qué hacer with teenagers - San Bartolomé Hermitage and the Cueva Grande - Gullurías Trail (PRC-SO 67) - Guided Caving in the Galiana Alta Cave ## Consejos ### Bring water and food There are no fountains on the river path or bars at the bottom of the canyon. ### Go in early on Sundays The track and the car parks closest to the hermitage are the first to fill up. ### Check the Casa del Parque's hours It closes Mondays and Tuesdays outside summer, and its hours change every month. ### Look for the vultures at midday With the heat they rise on the thermals above the cliffs. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How long does it take to walk to the hermitage of San Bartolomé? From the car parks on the track it is a flat walk beside the river, of less than an hour there and back from the nearest. ### Do you have to pay to enter the canyon? No. You only pay for parking at Cueva Fría and Valdecea; Fuente Engómez is free. ### Can you go with children? Yes. The path to the hermitage is flat and the Cueva Grande is visited without difficulty. The Casa del Parque has aquariums and a wildlife room. ### How long does it take from Soria? About an hour by car, via El Burgo de Osma and Ucero. ### Where can you eat near the Río Lobos Canyon? In Ucero, at the Los Templarios restaurant, or in El Burgo de Osma, 15 minutes away, at the Virrey Palafox. ### Can you go by bike? Yes. The river path and the Gullurías path can be done by bike, and the Posada Los Templarios hires electric and mountain bikes.