Hiking in Catalonia: Roc Perer Trail in Montseny
Roc Perer is a 4.7km (3 miles) long trail in Montseny natural park in Catalonia, mostly used for hiking. The elevation gain on this loop trail is 200m (700 ft). It makes for a nice day trip from Barcelona, especially if you combine it with another hike in the area.
Finding the Roc Perer trail in Montseny natural park
You start from and finish at Can Casades information center in Santa Fe de Montseny. There are maps, picnic tables and bathrooms available. There’s an app also, but no cell phone service anywhere near where the QR code is displayed. Here it so, so you can download it from home. Personally, I didn’t find the app helpful though.
Starting left of the main building follow the sings with the green marking for the Roc Perer hike. I highly recommend you do the hike in the direction indicated on the trail map, because the ascend on the arid side is rocky, sometimes on gravel, and the descend on moister, softer ground. Be kind to your bones 🙂
Highlights of the Roc Perer trail
You will pass through meadows of wild flowers, beech forest and mixed forest on your way up. The highlight of this hike is the view from the halfway point Roc Perer. There is plenty of space for several hiking parties to have a snack and picture break here, with rocks to sit on.
Even though I went on a weekend in summer I only encountered about a handful of people on this hike, so I would call this moderately trafficked.
After the halfway point, the green signs will say “Santa Fe” or “Can Casades” instead of “Roc Perer”, guiding you back to the welcome center.
What to bring
If you go in the summer and want to hike in shorts due to the heat, make sure to put on insect repellant. Some stretches of this trail pass through tall weeds and ticks in the part of the world spread serious diseases.
Bring sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat, 2 liters of water, food, and an extra layer, rain gear and small first aid kit just in case. As you may remember from my post about the Font de Baladrell hike in Montseny, I was surprised by a thunder storm in these mountains on what was supposed to be a sunny, fair day.
How to get to Santa Fe
From Barcelona take train R2 Nord and get off at Sant Celoni. Depending where you board the train in Barcelona, it’s roughly an hour ride. From there Segales busses take you up to the park on weekends and holidays. You can by a combination ticket at the train station that is valid for both train and bus. This summer it’s 10.80 Euros.
Buses to Montseny Natural Park
Just outside the station is the bus stop for line 572. That bus will take you to the park’s welcome center in Montclús. Here, you will have to change busses to get up the winding mountain roads to Santa Fe. It’s impossible to miss, the driver will advise passengers and there is only one other bus at this stop.
Line 573 will take you from Montclús to Can Cascades information center in Santa Fe. If you get motion sick, make sure to prepare and sit in the front. It’s quite a drive up that mountain, takes about 70 minutes from Sant Celoni, both busses combined.
In the afternoon, there are three busses that take you back to Sant Celoni station. At the time of writing they go on weekends and holidays at 3pm, 5pm and 7pm but make sure to check on bus schedules before you go.
You can also drive, even though parking at the visitor’s center is limited.
Hope you’re all set for your day hiking trip in Catalonia to Montseny Natural Park now. If you have any questions or have tried this hike and have more tips, please comment below!
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