The Los 4 puntos cardinales hiking route leads to Peña Salona, at an altitude of 1,241 metres, and offers views of Boñar and the course of the Porma River. The named destinations alone show how the routes around Boñar differ: some follow the river, others pass through woodland or offer views of the landscape. This lets you choose between different natural and cultural highlights for your stay.
Hiking along the Porma, with views and woodland
The PRC-LE 55 – Ascensión a Pico Cueto route follows the Porma from Soto de Boñar through riverside woodland. The trees mentioned there include poplars, birches, cherry trees, ash trees and alders. From Pradera de la Jana, the route offers views of the Picos de Europa and the Porma reservoir. The river, riverside vegetation and viewpoints give this route several distinct landscape features.
The PRC LE-56 – Por el río Porma also follows the river, passing poplars, cherry trees and birches along its banks. The PRC-LE 57 – Las Ermitas offers a different natural highlight: it passes through a Mediterranean holm oak forest with centuries-old trees. Together with the view towards Peña Salona, these routes let you choose based on specific landscape features: riverbanks, a variety of trees, old holm oaks or views of Boñar and the Porma. The route descriptions cover different themes, not one shared trail or a single standard duration.
A spring, a bridge and architectural history
The Fuente de la Calda combines a natural feature with a historical detail: its water emerges at 26 °C, and 50 litres flow from the spring every second. It also bears a Roman inscription. Its temperature and flow rate give the site a distinctive, measurable quality; the inscription adds a historical dimension.
The Puente Viejo, also known as the San Pedro Bridge, dates from the 14th century. The parish church of the Iglesia y Plaza de Boñar was built in the 17th century under the patronage of the Marqués de Astorga. Its tall bell tower houses a clock donated by the Marqués and a moving statue of a Maragato—a resident of the Maragatería—who strikes the bell. On Plaza del Negrillón, the parish church and the petrified tree after which it is named are explicitly connected. These buildings and names offer several specific points of interest if you would like to explore Boñar’s history and townscape.
Nicanores de Boñar are part of the local food-making tradition. One family branch still makes them using the original artisan method and ingredients: butter, flour, eggs and sugar. The Feria de Nuestra Señora del Pilar takes place in the municipality of Boñar on 12 October. Both offer a distinct insight into local traditions, without requiring any particular service or visitor programme.
Places to visit in the surrounding area
In the area around Boñar, the Porma reservoir offers a wide range of water sports, with the exception of motorised boating. The Junta de Castilla y León has also established a school for water sports there. The reservoir thus adds another option specifically related to water sports to the river and woodland themes of the trails.
The Parque Regional Montaña de Riaño y Mampodre can be reached from Boñar via the LE-331 towards San Isidro, the N-625 towards Cistierna and the N-621 towards Riaño. Also in the surrounding area, between Valdehuesa and Rucayo, is the Museo de la Fauna Salvaje: an educational and museum complex with 25 exhibition rooms showcasing more than 8,000 animal species. The protected landscape and the museum offer different highlights from the trails and buildings in Boñar itself.
Discover more destinations: Quintanilla De Somoza, Valderrueda, Boca De Huérgano, Riello, Salamón, Noceda Del Bierzo, Congosto, Las Médulas.
For the main travel overview: León.
