The best MTB trails around Figaró-Montmany

Very nice. It looks so much better than it did years ago.

It was built between 1920 and 1935 to supply a hotel that never quite lived up to expectations. Interestingly, it was conceived as a luxury tourism destination but ended up becoming part of a nature reserve. Today, it's a popular spot on hiking and biking routes, although the terrain isn't easy: lots of roots, rocks, and waterlogged areas after rain. The reservoir dries up considerably in summer, completely transforming the landscape and revealing mudflats and a rocky bottom. It's one of those places where the water level rises and falls as it pleases, giving it character. It's not ideal for cyclists, but it is photogenic, secluded, and has the feel of a place that holds a secret.

The large Cànoves reservoir, built in the 1980s on the former agricultural valley that was submerged. In addition to its function as a water reserve, there is a little-discussed detail: under its waters still lie the remains of terraces, old paths and some dry stone walls that can only be glimpsed in periods of extreme drought. During construction, springs and water mines were diverted that still drain the area. Access is easy, the perimeter path is gentle and the closed valley creates a characteristic silence that accompanies the entire tour. A perfect point to understand how this corner of Montseny went from an inhabited valley to a peaceful lake.

Located at a strategic point between La Garriga and Figaró. In addition to the legend of Louis the Pious, what stands out is its practical use: for centuries it was a stop for the porters who came down from Montseny loaded with coal and firewood. There they would dismount their horses, have a drink and leave small offerings to Saint Christopher, patron saint of travelers. Until the 1940s it was common to find horseshoes hanging there as protection. The esplanade still maintains the atmosphere of a place of passage and a place to rest before continuing on their journey.

Beyond the green and open route that everyone knows, this space occupies old areas of cultivation and wet meadows that, until the 1970s, served as pasture for the livestock of several farmhouses in the area. Even today, under some unevenness in the terrain, you can sense the old layout of the fields and dry stone banks. During its construction, some traditional water channels were respected, which continue to drain part of the subsoil. Access is easy and the environment maintains that combination of plain and forest typical of the foot of Montseny. A place where the agricultural past still rears its head if you pay a little attention.

Built during the Napoleonic era, this tower was part of the optical telegraph network that connected Barcelona with Vic using light signals and mirrors. Interestingly, according to local chroniclers, it never fully functioned: the wind and fog from Puiggraciós made it impossible to see the next station. Even so, it remains a symbol of a time when messages traveled at the speed of the sun, long before the telephone and fiber optic cable.

An old stone dam that diverted water to the fields and mills of the valley. Today, half-covered in moss and roots, it's a quiet corner where time seems to stand still. When the water flows gently, the trees are reflected as if the forest were folded in two. Some of the older residents say that, in dry summers, children used to come here to swim and used the weir as an improvised diving board.

Legend has it that in the 19th century, during a fierce storm, lightning struck the bell tower and the bells rang on their own as the villagers ran for shelter. No one was hurt, but ever since, it is said that when they ring with a long echo, "Sant Julià warns of rain." Beyond the legend, the truth is that the church has witnessed millennia—Visigothic remains still lie hidden beneath its foundations—and continues to set the rhythm of the village, amidst the ancient clang of the bronze bells and the scent of damp earth.