When "It´s not far" is farther than you thought

Late afternoon, after several days of pretty intense hiking, we wanted to explore more of the park, but we were also in the mood for something easy. 

"Oh, Las Cascadas del Cubo", said the park ranger (Bucket Falls). "It´s not far, you´ll be there in 15 minutes!"

It sounded like a great way to end the day, and to let Baby work on his emerging walking skills, so off we went. And went, and went.

I should have known - the sense of time in Spain is, well, open to interpretation.

The trail was easy, but longer than we had been expecting, and Baby quickly tired of walking. The falls were lovely, but the most fun we had was playing with Baby, who loved splashing in the river and picking up every stone he saw under the water. 

from Fotonatura.org

The falls are so named because of the bucket-like pool at their base. The water was cold, and one couple´s intent at a romantic dip was stymied by all the families posing for photographs. Large boulders in the river make perfect stages for posing, and everyone was jostling to get that one really nice family picture to remember their vacation. 

From the parking lot, Las Cascadas del Cubo is about a half hour walk on a flat, wide trail. Maybe the ranger had meant to say 50 minutes? Anyway, by the parking lot are picnic facilities, and the river is calm and clear (and cold!) if you´re up for a dip. While not the most spectacular route (you really don´t experience the density of the forest on this trail), it´s a good initiation to the park and easily doable for families with younger children.