The mountain of the Montsec
Excursions in the mountain of the Montsec
The Mont-Rebei is one of the most attractive proposals; It is a natural reserve of birds where the hiker can admire how the river Noguera Ribagorçana cuts the mountain range, as if is was an axe, leaving the Montsec de Estall to his right and the Montsec d'Ares to his left. This division nowadays coincides with the line that separates Aragón and Catalunya.
The route can be followed clearly without the possibility of getting lost following the marked ways in the historical GR11 long distance footpath.
The Montsec is an extensive area of the Pre Pyrenean range, of more than 1,000 km2, included in the region of La Noguera, except the North Slope of the Montsecs de Ares and of Rúbies, that belong to the Pallars Jussà excepted the Montsec de Montgai or Estall, which belongs to the Baja Ribagorça (Aragón).
It is a territory with a certain structural uniformity and landscape, in spite of the strong differences in the altitude, the relief and the vegetation. It is a mountainous set formed by wild calcareous mounts alternated with softer argillaceous materials that have formed eyelets-type hole excavated by the erosion and that divides it in three: the Montsec de Montgai, the Montsec de Ares and the Montsec de Meià or of Rúbies.
The southern sector is surly with a double fault step giving it the appearance of an enormous vertical wall, in a mountain range of 1,000 meters, fencing the passage towards the north. With time, the rivers have been cutting into the hard rock, originating spectacular mounts of Montrebei (river Noguera Ribagorçana), Terradets (river Noguera Pallaresa) and the New Step (Boix river).
