About 30 kilometers east of Pamplona lies the Itoiz reservoir, the Embalse de Itoiz. Named after the place it flooded, it was planned during the Franco era and built in the 1990s. The bad news: its dam is not safe and is considered to be at risk of breaking. The good news: there are plenty of challenging off-road tracks in the mountains around it.
One of them leads south of Elcóaz through the mountains to the reservoir in Aoiz. In some parts it is only occasionally used by forest workers and hunters, which is why it is in poor condition and requires some off-road driving experience. You reach Elcóaz on road no. 2100 from the valley of the Rio Irati. Just two kilometers before Elcóaz, a forest path branches off to the left and you are immediately in the middle of an off-road adventure and fun. The path looks like a mountain path looks when it is not maintained. Rainwater has dug deep gullies into its two lanes, landslides have washed boulders onto the road, thick branches hang into the path from the left and right.
At a crossroads where the path goes down to the right to Elcóaz, the route has reached its highest point and branches off to the left. It is now much more peaceful and even offers some views. A few beautiful hairpin bends at the end, then the track meets the valley of the Rio Irati in the town of Aoiz. On the right it goes up to the dam, on the left over to the national road.
Conditions, closures and tips — from members who drove here recently.
The entrance from the north is blocked by a gate. Continue driving until just before the town of Elcoaz, and turn left at the last hairpin curve before the town; this will take you back to the trail. Best regards, Stefano
German
Spain
