The Ruta del Alba with children: how far to go, pushchairs and the stretches without railings

The Ruta del Alba, the PR-AS 62 from Soto de Agues, is 13.64 kilometres there and back and more than 5 hours according to Turismo Asturias, with medium difficulty. With children, the Siguiendo la Senda blog suggests the first 3 or 4 kilometres, on the track beside the river; some stretches have no railings and pushchairs are not advisable.

The Ruta del Alba appears on almost every list of family walks, and that is half true. The path is wide and flat at first, and children love the river and the pools; but the whole thing is almost fourteen kilometres, and there are stretches by the water with no protection. This is what helps you decide how far to go with kids.

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What the official pages say, which do not agree

Turismo Asturias's hiking page gives the route, the PR-AS 62, as there and back, 13.64 kilometres, 416 metres of climbing, between 429 and 791 metres of altitude, more than 5 hours and medium difficulty, with an IBP index of 52. It starts and ends in Soto de Agues, in Sobrescobio, and can be done all year.

Turismo Asturias's other page on the route, the protected areas one, speaks instead of about four hours, easy walking and a route suitable for the whole family. With children, go by the first figure: more than 5 hours for the whole route is a lot for small legs.

Everything about parking in Soto de Agues and how the Alba fits among the other Redes walks is in our guide to the Redes walks by effort.

What the path is like

According to the official page, the route follows a wide track, closed to traffic, beside the river Alba, also called the Llaímo. At the first kilometre you pass a fish farm, and from the second there are pools and springs. Then come El Vigilante, the Campurru, where the loading bay of the Carmen mine was, and the Llaímo meadow.

The narrowest and most spectacular stretch is the Llaímo gorge, close to the end, with the La Pontona and Resquiebra bridges. The route ends at the Cruz de los Ríos, where the official page places a well-equipped picnic area and an old refuge.

How far to go with children

There are no official intermediate distances, so what follows comes from hikers, not from the administration. The Siguiendo la Senda blog, in May 2026, suggests the first 3 or 4 kilometres for children. That is the track section, with the river alongside and the first pools, and it keeps the way back reasonable.

With older children and good legs you can reach the gorge and the Cruz de los Ríos, but count on it taking the whole day: almost fourteen kilometres there and back. The usual rule: set the turnaround time in advance, whether or not you have arrived.

And with a pushchair?

Here the sources contradict each other. A video quoted by El Español in April 2026 says the first 4 or 5 kilometres can be done with a pushchair, though it is harder after rain. The Siguiendo la Senda blog considers it not advisable and recommends a baby carrier.

The sensible choice is a carrier if the baby allows it, and if you take a pushchair, one with big wheels and only for the first track section.

The stretches by the river

The same blog warns that in many places there are no railings or protection: the path runs along the edge of the gorge with the river several metres below, wet rock is slippery and in winter there may be ice. With small children, hold hands on those stretches.

Turismo Asturias recommends going to see the waterfalls during the snowmelt, when the river carries the most water; that is also when the edge deserves the most respect.

Water, dogs and getting there

The official page mentions springs from the second kilometre, but Siguiendo la Senda warns that there are no guaranteed drinking water sources: better to carry water for everyone. As for the Cruz de los Ríos, the blog says there is no picnic area and the official page mentions one; to be safe, bring the snacks in the backpack.

If the dog comes, the official page asks for it always to be on a lead and for you to keep away from the livestock mastiffs. The bus between Pola de Laviana and Soto de Agues has run in summer, as in 2025, but we have found no service outside that season: in autumn you need the car.

Checked

Facts checked in October 2026 against: Turismo Asturias (Ruta del Alba hiking page and Ruta del Alba protected areas page), Consorcio de Transportes de Asturias (summer 2025 notice), Siguiendo la Senda (May 2026) and El Español (April 2026).