GR11 Trail Profile
Trail: Gran Recorrido 11 (GR11)
Where: Northern Spain & Andorra from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean
Distance: 840 km, I walked 500
Days on trail: 29
Grade: Hard
Optimal season: Late June - September
Resupplies: None sent, numerous en route
The trail in a nutshell: Finding the ideal long-distance hike is very difficult. But the GR11 is perhaps as close as you can get if we take the most important factors into consideration: weather, terrain, accessibility, resupply, infrastructure, hiking culture. I have called it the Pacific Crest Trail of Europe. Europeans go to the Alps. The Pyrenees are all but neglected by anyone not local to the region in Spain and France. I met very few international tourists, and decidedly fewer other thru-hikers than on my other trails. Be prepared for days of solitude if you are going solo. I also highly recommend learning some basic Spanish, as plenty of locals absolutely refuse to engage with foreign languages – including many of the refugio hosts!
Seasoned thru-hikers should be prepared for a hybrid solution when it comes to accommodation on the trail and the extra cost this entails. While there are countless spectacular and secluded places to camp on certain parts of the trail, these will likely be away from water sources (dry camping). There will also be livestock for significant stretches of the high Pyrenees, which is all fun and games until it isn’t. Check out the Day 15 blog when I was attacked by a cow… Wild camping is definitely possible, but technically illegal (this is enforced in national parks!) and often difficult as the terrain may not be particularly tent-friendly. Camping is usually not permitted near the refugios with the exception of Góriz in Ordesa National Park (which must be reserved in advance) and Respomuso, where it was tolerated if not directly encouraged. Refugios are basic mountain huts with dorms, dinner and breakfast service, and some sale of snacks and basic gear. Most take card payments but the signal can be disturbed by bad weather, so always carry plenty of cash! Prices vary but an overnight stay with dinner included is usually between €30-40.
Another very significant consideration for those wishing to undertake the GR11 is the thunderstorms. Common throughout August and September, they can be absolutely horrific and decidedly dangerous. The storms will likely limit where you are able to camp – when storms are forecast you should always camp below treeline. Weather forecasts are notoriously unreliable as the storms can be local to specific valleys, but always err on the side of caution unless the forecast is absolutely spotless. Temperature wise, Spain during summer is hot. The coastal sections are crazy humid in late summer, with the Basque Country so misty that you’ll feel like you’re underwater. The high Pyrenees are hot and dry. My recommendation is to rise early and hike until the heat of the day, enjoy a lunch & siesta, then keep hiking in the afternoon (unless storms are forecast, in which case you should get to your destination before mid-afternoon). I used electrolytes 2-3 per day every day in my water which was invaluable!
Resupply is hassle-free on the GR11. Unlike all other major thru-hikes I have ever done, you don’t need to send any resupply boxes, as there are countless villages along the trail and the refugios provide both food and snacks if you need top-ups. I cannot say the supermarket selection was particularly riveting though, likely your diet will consist of about 80% bread and ham. The notable exception is Andorra, which sports an absolutely fabulous selection of imported foods (Maltesers anyone??!) at slightly higher prices. Enjoy that for the two days it lasts…
The trail is marked by white and red double stripes, which mark all GR trails around Europe. While these markers are usually straightforward to follow, you will absolutely need supplementary navigation tools. Pretty much everyone used the Cicerone Press guidebook, which unfortunately is in need of some serious updating. For digital maps I highly recommend the Czech app Mapy.cz which functions the same way as our dearly beloved Guthook/Far Out. Water sources were plentiful when I hiked because of the storms, and there are fountains that you can drink from unfiltered in the towns (usually by the church). You absolutely need to filter all mountain water because of the livestock, I met so many people who didn’t and were felled by stomach bugs.
There’s quite a bit of serious terrain all throughout the GR11. In the Pyrenees you mostly stay between 1600-2800m for weeks, and your daily mileage is likely to contain between 2000-4000m elevation change. Experienced hikers who are used to the more graded American trails will likely find that this limits their mileage quite considerably, a full day often amounts to no more than 18 km in the high mountains. Some sections – notably Col de Terrabay and Port de Baiau – are extremely steep and require scrambling. Trekking poles are an absolute necessity!
On the whole, the GR11 is an absolutely magnificent trail. It is the perfect trail for someone looking to do their first ultralong-distance trek, or for anyone who wants a tan and a trail that has it all. Above all, enjoy the stunning wilderness for all it’s worth, swim in every glittering lake, and don’t worry about the screams – it’s just marmots.
