Caminos Mineros

Spain

The Caminos Mineros de Andorra Sierra de Arcos is a network of historic mining routes in the Andorra-Sierra de Arcos region, conceived as an openair museum that brings the coalmining history of the area to life through cultural and natural exploration. These paths, which now cover about 42 kilometres and can be travelled on foot and by bycicle connect the most emblematic sites of a landscape long shaped by extraction and industrial activity.

The project integrates several distinct itineraries, including the old mining railway line between Andorra and Escatrón, the Sierra de Arcos route between Andorra, Alloza and Ariño, and trails through historically significant openpit mining areas such as Corta Alloza and Corta Gargallo. Each route offers rich physical testimony of the region’s industrial past — old excavations, remnants of mining infrastructure, spoil heaps and panoramic viewpoints that reveal how extraction reshaped both land and community.

Rather than isolating mining heritage as static relics, the Caminos Mineros weave these vestiges into the surrounding environment, inviting visitors to understand them in relation to ancient geology and the dramatic relief of the Sierra de Arcos. Interpretive signage, downloadable GPS tracks and spaces for reflection along the way help frame the experience as both educational and reflective, where the memory of labour resonates within the silence of restored landscapes.

Since their inauguration in 2025, the Caminos Mineros have become a dynamic cultural and recreational resource, serving as an invitation to experience the territory’s identity through the lens of its mining legacy.