MICROTRIP #10 RC

Microtrip #10
ROC COLOM FROM VALLTER 2000

A cross-border hiking route through the Eastern Pyrenees, from Vallter 2000 to Roc Colom via Portella del Callau and Portella de Mentet.

A hiker stands on a rocky mountain ridge under a blue sky, viewed from behind, wearing a red backpack and looking out over distant green hills.

Some routes feel open from the very beginning. No long approach, no slow build-up. Just altitude, grass, wind, and the feeling that the day is already moving.


For Microtrip #10, we left Barcelona at 7:00 AM from Fabra i Puig, heading north towards Vallter 2000. The forecast was clear enough to go, but not clear enough to ignore: a storm was expected around 3 PM. Artur, our mountain guide, decided to reverse the direction of the planned loop. Summit first, lower ground later. If the rain had to catch us, better to be away from the highest and most exposed sections.


It was the right call.

A group of hikers with backpacks navigating a rocky, grassy mountain slope covered in dense green pine trees under bright daylight.
A natural animal skull with long curved horns, placed outdoors among green shrubs and rocks.
Three hikers on a grassy mountain slope under a blue sky. The central person wears a wide-brim hat, sunglasses, a light top, dark pants, and carries trekking poles and a backpack.

Route: Portella del Callau, Roc Colom and Portella de Mentet from Vallter 2000
Start / finish: Vallter 2000
Type: Circular route
Distance: 16.75 km
Elevation gain: +965 m
Max altitude: 2,507 m
Moving time: 4 h 31 min
Total time: 6 h 14 min
Difficulty: Moderate +
Date: July 11, 2026

A scenic mountain landscape with a group of hikers walking across a grassy, rocky slope under a blue sky with white clouds.

Starting from Vallter 2000, the route quickly moved past Font d’en Xavier, Pla de Coma Ermada and Portella de Morens before opening towards Portella del Callau. From there, the landscape became wide and exposed in the best possible way: open meadows, rounded ridgelines and long views across the high valleys near Mantet, already on the French side of the border.


The summit of Roc Colom (2,507 m) came early in the day. It is the first Pyrenean peak above 2,500 metres when coming from the Mediterranean, and from the top the route made sense as a whole: Vallter behind us, the Reserva Natural de Mantet ahead, and a border that feels more like a change in rhythm than a line on a map.

A hiker stands near a large, bare, dead tree on a grassy mountain trail under a cloudy blue sky, with other bare trees and evergreen forest in the background.
A group of hikers rests on a rocky, grassy mountain ridge under a bright blue sky with white clouds. In the foreground, a man in a navy shirt and green cap sits on a large white rock, while others are seated or standing further back with hiking backpacks and gear.

Key points
Vallter 2000 → Font d’en Xavier → Pla de Coma Ermada → Portella de Morens → Portella del Callau → Roc Colom → Cabana Caps dels Rocs → Portella de Mentet → Vallter 2000

Two hikers on a dirt trail in a grassy mountain landscape under a bright blue sky with scattered white clouds.

After the summit, we continued the loop towards Cabana Caps dels Rocs and Portella de Mentet. Around kilometre eight, we reached a natural pool fed by the mountain streams. The timing couldn't have been better. Some couldn't resist jumping into the freezing water, while others preferred to enjoy the scene from the warm granite rocks. An unplanned stop that ended up becoming one of those moments everyone remembers long after the summit.

A scenic outdoor landscape with large gray boulders, a small stream, dense evergreen trees, and a person hiking in the background under a blue sky.

The second half of the route changed character: still open in places, but with more forest sections, softer terrain and a different kind of silence. Around the time the storm was expected, only a few drops arrived. Almost punctual, but harmless.


In the end, it was a long mountain day without technical steps, but with enough distance, elevation and weather uncertainty to make it feel real. A good reminder that difficulty is not always about exposure. Sometimes it is about timing, route reading, and knowing when to change the plan.


As always, we ended the day the same way we always try to: looking for a good place to sit down and have a beer together before heading home. This time we stopped in Setcases, one of those small Pyrenean villages that still feels tied to the rhythm of the mountains. Some of the group couldn't resist taking home a few local products from Ca la Núria—honey, mountain cheese and cured meats—before the drive back to Barcelona. A small tradition we hope never changes.


With Artur, Martí, Laia, Juan, Simon, Maddie, Raquel and Sandy.

Thanks for coming.