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Desfiladero de los Beyos 02

Spain Spain Gorge

Desfiladero de Los Beyos

1,022 m of rock, cut by the Sella.

See the cutWhen to go

Tnarik · CC BY-SA 2.0

The cut

1,022 metres, to scale.

A slice through Desfiladero de Los Beyos where it is deepest and narrowest, measured on the Copernicus relief model every 30 m. Same scale as the landmark standing on the floor.

1,310 m1,549 m1,022 m5.9 km rim to rim1.0 km1,310 m1,549 m1,022 m5.9 km rim to rim1.0 kmvertical scale × 1.1

Standing on the floor, to scale: Eiffel Tower · 330 m · Burj Khalifa · 828 m

Depth is measured to the lower rim; the width is from rim to rim. A 30 m relief model smooths the narrowest walls, so a slot canyon reads shallower than it is.

1,022m

Depth

measured on the 30 m relief model

5.9km

Rim to rim

measured on the 30 m relief model

36°

Steepest wall

average over 300 m, from the relief

20km

Length

Rim to floor

8 °C warmer at the bottom.

In July the afternoon reaches 28 °C on the floor, against 20 °C on the rim. The best months to hike are in May and in October. The rim freezes at night from December to March. The wettest months are from October to December.

rim · 1,549 mfloor · 288 m
  1. 11°2°Jan
  2. 11°3°Feb
  3. 15°6°Mar
  4. 18°9°Apr
  5. 21°13°May
  6. 26°18°Jun
  7. 28°20°Jul
  8. 28°20°Aug
  9. 25°17°Sep
  10. 20°12°Oct
  11. 14°6°Nov
  12. 11°3°Dec
Hike: May, OctFrost on the rim: Dec–MarWettest: Oct–Dec

Afternoon highs, 1991–2020 averages (NASA POWER) brought to the altitude of the rim and of the floor with the standard lapse rate (6.5 °C per 1 000 m). Shade, wind and rock change this on the day. Not a forecast.

Desfiladero de Los Beyos is a gorge in Spain, cut by the Sella river. The relief model measures 1,022 m from the floor to the lower rim, and 1,261 m to the higher one. It runs for 20 km. Rim to rim it is 5.9 km wide where the cut was taken.

Getting there.

  • Amievanearest town · 6.4 km in a straight line
  • Parking 240 m awaynearest car park in OpenStreetMap, straight line
  • Mirador de Vistalegrenearest viewpoint · 7.8 km from the floor
  • León Airport (LEN)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 81 km in a straight lineCar hire at OVD airport (Ranón)Discover Cars · sponsored link
  • In May and in Octoberbest months to hike (estimate)

Plan the visit

Guided hikes, a bed nearby, a car.

Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.

The river

The Sella runs highest from November to April.

The Sella carries about 3.5 m³/s on average here. It runs highest from November to April. It is lowest from July to September.

  1. 6.2 m³/sJan
  2. 5.7 m³/sFeb
  3. 5.6 m³/sMar
  4. 5.3 m³/sApr
  5. 4.2 m³/sMay
  6. 2.6 m³/sJun
  7. 1.2 m³/sJul
  8. 0.9 m³/sAug
  9. 1.3 m³/sSep
  10. 3.8 m³/sOct
  11. 5.8 m³/sNov
  12. 5.8 m³/sDec

From about 0.87 m³/s in the lowest month to 6.2 m³/s in the highest. Its basin above this point covers 129 km².

The Sella from source to mouth on Riveryas — coming soon

Estimate: long-term flow from the HydroATLAS model (WaterGAP, 1971–2000) shaped by the monthly rain, snow and temperature of the area (NASA POWER). Dams change it. Not a forecast.

From the sky.

The canyon from above, with the relief shaded, the line of the cut, the river and what people have mapped around it.

Desfiladero de Los Beyos seen from above (Sentinel-2) N 3 km

Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 13 × 13 km, north up. The line is the cut above. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Around the canyon.

  • 2viewpoints within 5 kmMirador de Vistalegre, Mirador de Los Porros
  • 2marked hiking routes within 4 kmSenda del Arcediano, Soto de Sajambre-Vegabaño
  • 5footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 kmPuente de Aguasalio and 4 more
  • 1named waterfalls within 4 kmCascada de Aguasalio
  • 7caves within 3 km
  • 11car parks within 3 km
  • 5information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
  • 1campsites within 8 km
  • 17hotels and guesthouses within 8 kmLos Belenos, Apartamentos Rurales Casa Severa, Albergue Peña Santa and 14 more
  • 1restaurants and cafés within 4 km
  • via ferrata routes within 4 km
  • climbing crags within 3 km
  • rafting, canoe, kayak or canyoning spots within 4 km
  • swimming spots within 3 km
  • bus stops within 2 km

Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, around the floor of the canyon. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

Towns nearby

  • Amieva6.4 km in a straight line
  • Oseja de Sajambre6.5 km in a straight line
  • Posada de Valdeón13 km in a straight line
  • Acebedo17 km in a straight line
  • Maraña17 km in a straight line
  • Burón18 km in a straight line
  • Cangas de Onís19 km in a straight line
  • Parres19 km in a straight line

In our other atlases

What else is around Desfiladero de Los Beyos.

The river that carved it, the waterfalls inside it, the mountains on the rim, the lakes, beaches and island nearby — from our six sister atlases, each with its own figures.

Riveryas2 rivers in the canyon
Sella56 km · 18 m³/sPiloña40 km
Peakyas6 mountains within 15 km
Sierra de Beza · 4.8 kmSierra de Covadonga · 8.4 kmTorre de Santa María2,486 m · 9.6 kmTorre Santa2,596 m · 11 kmTiatordos1,950 m · 11 kmPeña Ten · 13 km

Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, NOAA, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.

Month by month

The weather, at the floor and at the rim.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Afternoon · floor111115182126282825201411
Afternoon · rim236913182020171263
Night · rim-4-4-20268863-1-3
Rain (mm)816968665945293343849985
Rainy days14111213129679131614
Sun hours/day2.73.85.26.27.17.37.77.46.84.83.02.8
Snow on the ground (cm)121294100001611
Afternoon · floorAfternoon · rimNight · rimRain (mm)Sun hours/day
Jan112-4812.7
Feb113-4693.8
Mar156-2685.2
Apr1890666.2
May21132597.1
Jun26186457.3
Jul28208297.7
Aug28208337.4
Sep25176436.8
Oct20123844.8
Nov146-1993.0
Dec113-3852.8

Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (288 m) and the rim (1,549 m) with the standard lapse rate. Not a forecast.

Photographs

Seen from the trail.

"...que los otros desfiladeros célebres..." - panoramio
Wamba Wambez · CC BY-SA 3.0
Desfiladero de los Beyos o del Sella - panoramio
Wamba Wambez · CC BY-SA 3.0
Carretera de los Beyos, Asturias. - panoramio
McBodes · CC BY 3.0

Recent years

Wet years, dry years.

Rain of each month as a share of the 1991–2020 average. A dry year means a lower river and hotter rock; a wet one, more water in the gorge.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
202047%31%119%131%99%126%54%205%181%282%39%305%
2021166%127%34%70%78%211%96%55%156%59%175%165%
202251%37%128%112%45%106%44%110%176%55%100%129%
2023215%66%31%37%74%154%44%105%203%131%127%75%
2024106%137%139%67%117%142%82%122%247%171%61%87%
2025103%90%249%93%130%72%92%166%142%41%132%117%

130% or more: wet month 70% or less: dry month

Compare with the neighbours.

Desfiladero de Los Beyos

Spain

  • 1,022 mDepth
  • 5.9 kmRim to rim
  • 20 kmLength
  • 36°Steepest wall

Desfiladero de La Hermida

Spain · 39 km

  • 767 mDepth
  • 3.5 kmRim to rim
  • —Length
  • 45°Steepest wall

See the guide

Cañón de la Horadada

Spain · 86 km

  • 230 mDepth
  • 11 kmRim to rim
  • —Length
  • 24°Steepest wall

See the guide

Hoces del Esva

Spain · 114 km

  • 571 mDepth
  • 6.9 kmRim to rim
  • —Length
  • 35°Steepest wall

See the guide

Where these figures come from

Name, type, published depth and lengthWikidata (Q8355057) · CC0
The cut: depth, width, wall and 3D modelCopernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA
River flow and basinHydroATLAS / RiverATLAS v1.0 (Linke et al. 2019) · CC BY 4.0
ClimateNASA POWER, 1991–2020
Viewpoints, trails, bridges and the river line© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
ImagesEOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons
Rivers, waterfalls, mountains, lakes, beaches and islands nearbyCoastya, Lakeyas, Peakyas, Cascadyas, Islandyas, Riveryas

Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.

The family

Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?

Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.

beachesCoastyaFind your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit
lakesLakeyasEvery lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Coming soonVisit
mountainsPeakyasEvery summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit
waterfallsCascadyasEvery waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Coming soonVisit
islandsIslandyasEvery island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit riversRiveryasEvery river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit
canyonsCanyonyasEvery canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.You are here