Ibón de Cregüeña is a glacial lake at 2,657 m in the Pyrenees of Huesca province, within the municipality of Benasque in Aragon, northern Spain. It sits in a rock basin high above the valley floor and is known for the size and colour of its water, which is glass-clear and cold. There is no road in, and no toilets, drinking water or information board within 800 m of the lake. Everything about a visit turns on the walk: a steep, rough path through boulder ground, and a descent that punishes the legs.
Ibon de Creguena
Glacial lake at 2,657 m above Benasque, reached on foot by a relentless climb over boulders.
- Entrance
- Free. No gate and no ticket.
- Accessibility
- Not step-free. The only way in is a steep footpath over rough ground and boulders — unsuitable for wheelchairs, prams or limited mobility.
- Parking
- Car parks in the valley below, about 2,877 m and 4,207 m from the lake in a straight line; the further one is gravel.
- Difficulty
- Hard. A relentless ascent from the valley floor over rough ground and boulders, signed 2 hours 30 minutes and walked in 3 hours 30 minutes, with a steep descent back.
- Transport
- Stop Vallibierna / Ref. Coronas, about 2,847 m from the lake in a straight line; a second stop about 4,938 m away.
- Advance booking
- Not needed — there is nothing to book.
- Hours
- Open at any time; daylight and weather set the limits, not opening hours.
- Address
- Ibón de Cregüeña, 22440, Huesca, Spain
What makes it special
You come over the last of the boulders and the lake is simply there, wide and still, held in bare rock at 2,657 m. The colour is what people carry home, and the water is glass-clear and properly cold — cold enough that getting in after the climb counts as an achievement rather than a swim. The shore is broken rock the whole way round, so there is nowhere soft to sit; find a slab, let the legs come back, and look at the ridges above, where the summit is another two hours on from the water. The climb is hard and the descent is harder, and that is the trade the place asks of you.
Good to know
- Time on the path: the sign gives 2 hours 30 minutes to the lake; the climb as people actually walk it runs to 3 hours 30 minutes, and longer in the heat.
- Nothing up there: no toilets, no drinking water and no information board within 800 m. Carry water for the whole day, up and down.
- The descent is the hard part: steep and continuous, over the same boulders. Poles and boots with a proper sole save the knees.
- Swimming: the water is cold enough to take your breath. If you get in, stay close to the shore and keep it short.
- The peak adds two hours from the lake, on top of the climb up and the descent still to come — decide before you set off, not at the water.
Getting there
The road ends in the valley below and the rest is on foot. Two car parks sit down there, the nearer about 2,877 m from the lake in a straight line and the further one, on gravel, about 4,207 m — and because the line is straight and the path is not, the walking distance is longer than either figure. From the bottom the path climbs and keeps climbing: rough underfoot, steep from the start, with stretches of boulder where the line is yours to pick. The sign at the foot of the climb says 2 hours 30 minutes. Three hours 30 minutes is the time it takes.
Best time to visit
Best: a cool, clear day, started early enough to have the boulders behind you before the afternoon.
Avoid: the heat of the day, and winter unless you are equipped for snow.
Heat slows the climb noticeably, and with three and a half hours up and the whole descent still ahead, the day runs long whatever pace you keep. At 2,657 m snow and ice lie on this ground in winter, and the walk in becomes a mountain outing that wants the gear to match.
Sun & daylight
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Ibon de Creguena on the map
Much of the way is boulder and loose rock, and the descent is steep and unrelenting — this is where ankles and knees go. The water is cold enough to shock; if you swim, stay near the shore.
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Frequently asked questions
How long does the climb to the lake take?
The sign gives 2 hours 30 minutes; the climb as people actually walk it takes 3 hours 30 minutes, and heat makes it slower. The descent comes on top of that.Is there a road to Ibón de Cregüeña?
No. The nearest car parks are down in the valley, about 2,877 m and 4,207 m from the lake in a straight line, and everything beyond them is on foot.Can you swim in the lake?
People do get in after the climb. The water is clear and very cold, so keep it short and stay close to the shore.Are there toilets or drinking water at the lake?
No toilets, no water point and no information board within 800 m. Bring everything you will need for the climb and the descent.Can you carry on to the summit from the lake?
It is another two hours from the lake to the peak, on top of the climb already done and the descent still ahead.