Acequia Alta - Refugio de Poqueira - Hoya del Portillo

In Capileira you can continue driving uphill on a dirt road which is just "good" enough for a normal, non 4x4 car in dry weather. You can drive till you encounter a barrier near a parking and an information center. From this point onwards, you can only drive higher with a special bus which drives from the information office in Capileira (where you can reserve your seat) to the Alto Del Chorrillo (2721m). This walk is a circular one which follows the dirt road 1,4 km downhill of the barrier, so, to avoid unnecessary driving on this difficult road, you can park your car at the lower parking, where the water channel Acequia Alta crosses the road. When you are driving uphill, this is in hairpin bend to the right with a small parking to the right (possibly without any car as this parking is not widely used). It's possible that you don't see the water channel immediately as it can be dry. I suggest to do this circular walk clockwise as this offers you an open view to the mighty mountains for at least one hour and a half while you follow the water channel. Near the park site, the water of the channel is diverted to a lower channel, so don't be disappointed if you don't see the water immediately : it will appear soon ! Apart from a few obstacles, the path along the channel is easy going and very gently gaining heigth. While you are walking along the Acequia Alta, you will also see, from time to time, the Acequia Baja (the lower channel) and its path. At a crossing you have to turn right (uphill), following the poles which indicate the path if the path is still under the snow. Soon you'll arrive at the Refugio de Poqueira where you can enjoy a drink before continuing. After leaving the mountain hut, you still have to climb a little more along a dirt road to reach the highest point of your walk. Near the mountain hut we saw a lot of chamois and soon after the highest point, we spotted a few capricorns. This is really a very beautiful walk with magnificent views !