Brañagallones from Bezanes: the walk to the refuge, on foot or by 4x4 taxi

The walk to the Brañagallones refuge is the PR-AS 066: it leaves Bezanes and climbs by track, past the Texu la Oración viewpoint and the Crestón tunnel, to the meadow at 1,215 metres. Turismo Asturias gives 20.72 kilometres there and back; you can also go up by 4x4 taxi.

Brañagallones is a mountain meadow at the far end of Caso, at 1,215 metres, with a refuge open all year and a track closed to private cars. You get there on foot from Bezanes or in a 4x4 taxi that is allowed up. This is what Caso Council, Turismo Asturias and the refuge itself say.

Where to stay here: Escapada a la montaña San Martín · From 45 € per night + cleaning fee →

The climb, stage by stage

The route is the PR-AS 066 and starts in the centre of Bezanes, by the river Nalón, where there is public parking according to Caso Council. The path zigzags up the slope, and the refuge website warns that the steepest part is the beginning.

Around the second kilometre you reach the Texu la Oración viewpoint, looking over Bezanes, the Nalón basin and Cascayón peak, according to Turismo Asturias. Then come meadows, beehives and centuries-old yews, such as the Texu de los Carrascales and the Grandiella one, and herders' huts such as La Cardosa and Andurviu, where there is a spring; to the south the Cantu del Oso appears.

After kilometre 8 comes the most striking part: the Crestón tunnel, cut through the rock, with the Escobiu Colorao viewpoint beside it. Before it, Caso Council points out the Argayu'l Llobu, with an overhang that stops the winter tongue of snow from blocking the way. From the tunnel, a beech wood keeps you company to the meadow.

How long it takes, depending on who you ask

The three official sources do not give the same figure, and it is worth knowing. Turismo Asturias gives 20.72 kilometres there and back, 829 metres of total climb, more than 5 hours and a very hard grade. Caso Council gives 21 kilometres and about 7 hours. The refuge website talks of just over 10 kilometres and about 3 hours up, with some 600 metres of climb.

They do not disagree that much: it is a round trip of about twenty kilometres, almost all uphill on the way out. The sensible thing is to allow the whole day, and the guide to Redes walks by effort shows how it compares with the others. Turismo Asturias lists it as an all-year route.

The track and the 4x4 taxi

Only authorised farm and public service vehicles may use the track, according to Caso Council. If you would rather not walk up, the refuge website gives two options: book a 4x4 taxi, one way or both, or book an outing at the Redes Natural Park Interpretation Centre, in Campo de Caso.

The 4x4 taxi number given by the refuge is the same as the Bezanes taxi listed by Caso Council on its transport page. Neither website publishes the price. One comfortable combination is to go up by taxi and walk down, which is downhill. You can cycle it, but only on a mountain bike.

In the snow season the 4x4 taxi is not available, and the refuge website asks you to come up with proper boots, skis or snowshoes. What else changes in winter is in the guide to Redes Natural Park in winter.

The meadow

The meadow is of glacial origin, ringed by beech and bilberry, and Caso Council describes it as a former lake. Livestock families used to live here in summer, sharing its use in family turns called interius, according to Turismo Asturias.

The name refers to the capercaillie, and up to six display grounds were recorded here, according to the same source. On the meadow is the Pandiu Quemao spring.

The refuge

The building went up in the 60s as a hunters' lodge, later became a hotel and is now run by the Asturian mountaineering federation, FEMPA, according to the refuge website. The federation lists 40 places in bunks, in rooms for 4, 5 and 6 people with their own bathroom, open all year, and you must book ahead to stay the night.

Its rules set the day: the refuge opens at 18:00 and the rooms at 19:00; breakfast is from 8:00 to 9:00; lunch from 13:30 to 16:00 and dinner at 20:00, both booked in advance. A sleeping bag is compulsory, pets and outside drinks are not allowed, and quiet time starts at 23:00. Prices are on its website.

Higher walks start here, according to Caso Council: Peña'l Vientu, 13.2 kilometres and about five and a half hours, and Cantu l'Osu via Valdebezón, 11 kilometres. And before setting off, the refuge webcam, linked from the Council website, shows what the meadow looks like.

Checked

Details checked in October 2026 with: Turismo Asturias (Ruta de Brañagallones), Caso Council (walks, transport and webcams), the Brañagallones refuge website (home, access, rules and prices) and the FEMPA refuges page.