Ubiñas-Babia Mountain Range in Asturias — Live Webcam
Where Ubiñas-Babia Is Located
Ubiñas-Babia is a mountain range in the heart of the Cantabrian Mountains, situated on the border of the Asturian municipalities of Lena, Teverga, and Quirós, and the Leonese comarca of Babia. This small mountain chain in northern Spain draws travelers with its wild nature and imposing rock formations. The online camera is positioned to capture a panoramic view of snow-covered ridges and rocky slopes — the classic landscape of this stretch of the Cordillera.
The Ubiña massif is not the most famous spot on tourist maps, but it is here that some of the most untouched mountain ecosystems of the Iberian Peninsula have been preserved. Watching Ubiñas-Babia in real time is also fascinating because the weather here changes rapidly: a clear sky can be replaced by a dense veil of clouds within minutes, and the snow cover can appear or disappear depending on the season and altitude.
Las Ubiñas-La Mesa Natural Park
The massif is protected as part of the Las Ubiñas-La Mesa Natural Park, established in 2006 and designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2012. The protected area covers 451 km² — over 45,000 hectares, making it one of the largest natural parks in Asturias. Within its boundaries lie the entire municipality of Teverga and a significant portion of the municipality of Quirós.
The biosphere reserve status means that this is not just a place of scenic beauty — it is a territory where nature functions with minimal human intervention. Forests, alpine meadows, rock outcrops, and mountain rivers form a unified ecosystem that can be observed through the camera in real time. On clear days, the transitions from forested lower belts to bare rocky ridges are clearly visible from above.
Peña Ubina — The Highest Peak
The dominant feature of the entire massif is Peña Ubina, at 2,417 meters. It is not simply a high point — it is the visual center of the landscape around which the other ridges and valleys are grouped. Nearby lies "Ubina Pequeña" (Little Ubina), located entirely on Leonese territory to the southeast of the main peak.
Peña Ubina is composed of quartzites and sandstones, giving its slopes a characteristic light-gray coloration that contrasts with the dark green of the lower belts. In winter and early spring, the summit is almost entirely covered in snow, and snow patches on the north-facing slopes can persist until June. The camera captures this contrast well — the whiteness of the ridges and the dark rock walls.
The Glacial Past of the Massif
There are no active glaciers on Ubiña today, but the terrain bears traces of recent — in geological terms — glaciation. In the 19th century, Peña Ubina had a large ice cap (glaciar de casquete), and valley glaciers occupied all the slopes of the massif. Their traces — cirques, trough-shaped valleys, and moraine ridges — are clearly distinguishable on the slopes even without specialized knowledge.
At the foot of the rocky scree slopes (canchales), glacial-origin lagoons have been preserved — small lakes in depressions left by retreating glaciers. At around 1,900 meters, sections with river meanders cut into the bedrock can be seen. All of this creates the rugged mountain landscape that the camera broadcasts.
Flora and Fauna
The natural park is home to large predators and rare species. The park is inhabited by the brown bear and the Iberian lynx — two species that have become symbols of the Cantabrian Mountains' wild nature. Bears feed on berries, acorns, and carrion, while the lynx hunts small mammals and birds. Catching them on camera is a great stroke of luck, but traces of their presence are felt throughout the landscape.
Among the park's rare flora, the Asturian daffodil, the trumpet daffodil, and gentian are preserved — species adapted to the harsh conditions of high altitudes. In summer, the slopes are carpeted with alpine wildflowers, while beech and oak forests dominate the lower belt. The camera shows the change in vegetation zones with increasing altitude — from greenery at the base to bare rock at the top.
Comarca of Babia — Cultural Heritage
On the Leonese side, the massif is framed by the comarca of Babia — a natural historical region in the north of the province of León, bordering Asturias. This is a territory with its own identity, where transhumance — the seasonal movement of livestock between winter and summer pastures — has been practiced for centuries. Babia holds biosphere reserve status, underscoring the value of not only nature but also the traditional way of life.
Traditional shepherd huts — chozos — are found throughout Babia, built from stone without mortar. They served as shelters for shepherds during the grazing season and still stand on the high mountain pastures. The region maintains its connection to transhumance — the seasonal migration of livestock — making it a living open-air museum.
How to Get to Ubiñas-Babia
Access to the park is possible from two sides. From Asturias, roads lead through the municipalities of Quirós and Teverga. From the Leonese side — through the comarca of Babia. Mountain passes cross the region, including Collado-Terreros at 1,900 meters, connecting Babia with Asturias. It is a dirt road passable in dry weather by high-clearance vehicles.
For those who want to see the massif without a long climb, the webcam offers an alternative: you can watch the mountains from anywhere in the world. The broadcast runs around the clock, and at different times of day the landscape looks completely different — morning mist in the valleys, vivid sunset colors on the rocks, a starry sky above the snow-covered ridges.
Climate and Best Time to Watch
The Cantabrian Mountains receive abundant rainfall thanks to their proximity to the Bay of Biscay. At altitudes above 1,500 meters, snow cover lasts from November to April, and in some years — through May. Summer weather is mild but changeable: a clear morning can turn into foggy overcast by midday.
All seasons are interesting for watching via the online camera. Winter brings snow-white peaks and a low sun that accentuates the relief. Spring offers the contrast of melting snow and the first greenery. Summer provides an opportunity to see landscape details in good light. Autumn brings golden tones on the slopes and clear skies after the passage of weather fronts.
What the Camera Shows
The camera is positioned facing the Ubiñas-Babia mountain area and covers a panoramic view of snow-covered peaks and rocky slopes. In the frame are mountain ridges covered in snow during the cold season, light-gray rock outcrops, and glacial landforms: cirques, trough-shaped valleys, and moraine ridges. Above the massif is a clear sky that, in good weather, provides maximum visibility to the most distant ridges.
Under favorable conditions, transitions between vegetation zones are discernible in the background — from dark forest masses at the bottom to bare rock walls near the peaks. In winter months, the contrast between white snow and gray rock creates a striking black-and-white picture. In summer, the slopes take on softer tones — gray stone, green patches of alpine meadows, and dark forest strips in the depressions.
The Ubiñas-Babia webcam is a live broadcast from a real mountain location where you can monitor changes in weather, snow cover, and lighting in real time. No staging, no processing — only the real Cantabrian Mountains as nature created them.
