The best MTB trails around San Emiliano

The pass is now paved and can be driven on by car.

During the mining era, this pass served as a discreet link between mines on either side, and minimal traces of old cart and mule traffic remain, though they don't coincide with the current road. From above, the wind is almost constant, and the view towards the Saliencia lakes has that air of a "natural viewpoint" before the term even existed. It's perfect to mark on Komoot as a key point on your route due to its spaciousness, its somewhat hidden history, and its character as a natural border.

A glacial lake nestled between limestone walls, with a little-known detail: beneath the surrounding meadow, remnants of the old road used to transport materials for the region's former water network are still visible—a nearly erased trace that lends the place a dual character, both natural and industrious. The lake changes dramatically with the light: on cloudy days it appears opaque and heavy, but in sunlight it displays an intense green that reveals its depth and rocky bottom. It's a good spot to pause and appreciate the contrast between the wild landscape and the barely visible but still present vestiges of human activity.

A small mountain village in the Babia region, nestled among tall pastures and gentle hills. With a strong livestock tradition, stone architecture, and a landscape that blends wide meadows with access to mountain passes and high pastures, it's a common stop on routes to the Ubiñas mountains and along trails connecting mountain passes and refuges. It retains the typical atmosphere of Babia villages: low houses, old farmyards, and almost constant silence. A good place to start or finish mountain hikes, offering pristine scenery and a sense of seclusion in the valley.

San Emiliano is the capital of the Babia region in León, a small town surrounded by mountains and meadows where you can breathe the essence of rural León life. Its stone houses, church, and natural surroundings make it an ideal starting point for exploring Babia's protected landscapes.

San Emiliano is a quiet cattle-raising village in the Babia de Yuso at the foot of the imposing mass of the Peña Ubiña massif. The town has all the services and is the starting point we have chosen to begin the climb towards Puerto de la Ventana. In autumn the days are short and we start early, the first rays of the sun barely lighting up the crest of Peña Ubiña. In Torrebarrio we continue along a dirt cattle track to finish warming up our legs and begin the climb towards the border of Asturias along the path of the old Ventana or Santa Fe coal mine. The track has a good surface and the climb is quiet until the Cuspasante sheepfold, passing near the Roguera cabins and beginning the mine slope. The mining operation was inland, the buildings are in ruins, there are remains of the exploitation and enormous slopes of the waste dumps, one of them is at the end of the climb, at the foot of the Peñón de Ventana, and is a panoramic viewpoint of the valley of San Emiliano and a large part of Babia.

Beautiful port with very very hard climbs on both sides.

Beautiful, impressive environment.