San Emiliano Valley Nature Park (Leon)

In the north of the León province, not far from the Sierra Ancares, walkers can enjoy San Emiliano Valley Nature Park, a scenery with important contrasts between the abrupt mountain reliefs and the deep valleys. It is located at the foot of a huge rock, Peña Ubiña (2,417 metres) and it stretches along 55,200 h between the Babia and Luna valleys. The park shows the marks left by glacial erosion and clear examples of Karstic relief.

San Emiliano canyon is thickly covered by beeches, oaks and specimens of the "Querais pyrenaica". The vast colony of " Juniperus thurifera" of Mirantes de Luna is one of the most important wooded areas in the park. The fertile soil also grows birches and many autochthonous species.

The abundant woods are the habitat of a variety of birds of prey, chamois, roe deers, deers, wild boars...and otters.

This is an ideal place for an excursion by bycicle, on horseback or on foot, both for its beauty and history. In the Babia valley can be found the Somiedo lakes, the Bear´s Track, the Roman Road, the Barrios de Luna Dam, and a river teeming with trouts. At Riolago municipality stand the Renaissance Quiñones palace, the Clerk´s House and a sober walled enclosure, which are part of the local architectural heritage. Many surrounding villages contain emblasoned houses, that are a testimony of its past as a land of rural noblemen. There are also many vestiges of Iberian-Roman towns. 

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