Riding Enduro in Spain

Spain is a big, mountainous country with a huge network of dirt roads. The Trans Euro Trail, a network of mapped dirt routes, runs 7,509 km through it. What you can ride depends on where you are. Spain has no single national off-road rulebook. The national forest law hands motor access to the 17 autonomous communities. So the same kind of forest track can be open in one region and closed in the next (see Regulations/Permits).

For hard enduro, the terrain that made Spain's name is in the north. The 24MX Hixpania Hard Enduro at Aguilar de Campoo, in Palencia, closes the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship. For classic enduro, Spain has hosted the International Six Days five times, from El Escorial in 1970 to Galicia in 2024.

Palencia and the northern mountains

Aguilar de Campoo hosts Hixpania, the final round of the 2026 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship. It is the one place in Spain where you can watch, or race, world-level hard enduro every year.

Catalonia

Catalonia is where Spain's off-road factories grew up. GASGAS was founded in Salt, Girona, and Rieju is based in Figueres. Its motor-access law, Llei 9/1995, spells the rules out in detail, so you know them before you go.

Former 6DAYS regions

The International Six Days has used El Escorial (1970), La Molina (1985), Granada (2000), Navarre (2016) and Galicia (2024) as bases (ISDE host list).

Circuits

Catalan law lets town councils set up dedicated circuits for motor vehicles, subject to an environmental impact assessment (Llei 9/1995, art. 12). Licensed motocross and enduro circuits are the legal answer when trails are closed.

Event	Where	2026 dates	Notes
24MX Hixpania Hard Enduro	Aguilar de Campoo, Palencia	23–25 October	Final round of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship
6DAYS FIM Enduro of Nations	Grândola, Portugal	12–17 October	Spain's riders chase their first World Trophy

Hixpania Hard Enduro

Hixpania (our race page) runs Friday to Sunday, 23–25 October 2026, as the final round of the world championship. The 2025 edition ran on 19–21 September. Entries for 2026 are closed.

Spanish riders on the world stage

• Alfredo Gomez won the Erzberg Hare Scramble in 2017 and shared the famous four-rider finish in 2015 (Erzberg winners).
• Mario Román won Hell's Gate in Italy in 2018 (ADB Magazine) and the Adventure Ultimate class at Red Bull Romaniacs 2026 on a CFMOTO 450MT (CFMOTO).
• Josep Garcia has been the outright individual winner of every 6DAYS since 2021 and goes for a sixth straight win in Portugal in October 2026 (FIM 6DAYS). Spain has still never won the World Trophy, the team prize.

Also see Pol Tarres and Sandra Gomez.

• RFME. The Real Federación Motociclista Española is the national federation. Its site handles licences and entries, including a page for foreign riders.
• The factories. Spain's off-road industry is concentrated in Catalonia: GASGAS in Salt, Rieju in Figueres, and Montesa in Barcelona, now assembling for Honda (Wikipedia).

The national framework

Spain's forest law, Ley 43/2003 de Montes, article 54 bis, makes access a regional matter. It says the autonomous communities set the conditions for motor vehicles on forest tracks outside the road network and on forest land. It also lets authorities close high fire-risk areas to anyone not involved in fire control, provided the closure is made public.

So the first question is always: which region am I in?

Catalonia: Llei 9/1995

Catalonia's Llei 9/1995 on motorised access to the natural environment is the clearest example. Key rules:

Rule	Article
On forest land, ride only paved tracks, tracks at least 4 m wide, or routes expressly authorised	Art. 6.2
Narrower signed networks can be opened by agreement with the owners	Art. 6.3
In specially protected areas, only tracks designated in the management plan	Art. 6.1
No riding cross-country, on firebreaks, logging tracks, cattle paths, or in riverbeds	Art. 7
Maximum 30 km/h on dirt roads and tracks	Art. 13
No groups of more than seven motorcycles in specially protected areas	Art. 16.2
No gatherings of more than 15 vehicles on other natural or forest land	Art. 16.3
Organised group rides must notify their route a month ahead (council, comarca or park managers)	Art. 17
No organised group riding at night, except on tracks linking villages	Art. 18

Authorities can also close routes for high fire risk.

Elsewhere

Other regions set their own rules under the same national law. The Trans Euro Trail notes that competitive events need special permission and insurance or deposits.

Visiting riders

Ride a registered, insured, road-legal bike, and only on tracks open to motor vehicles. Racing needs a licence; the RFME has an entry page for foreign riders.

The Trans Euro Trail recommends spring and autumn for riding Spain.

Summer brings fire-season restrictions. Periods vary by region and year. The TET's 2025 guidance gives two examples:

Region	High-risk period
Andalusia	1 June–15 October
Catalonia	15 June–15 September

In these windows, access to unpaved roads can be totally forbidden. Check the regional authority before every trip.

Hixpania runs 23–25 October in 2026.

Getting there. Spain's big international airports are the usual way in. For Hixpania, Aguilar de Campoo is in northern Palencia.

Camping. The Trans Euro Trail says bivouacking is usually tolerated if you are sensible. Pitch after 20:00 and leave before 08:00. Keep tents under 1.2 m high. Never camp within 100 m of the sea or 2 km of military sites.

Fire. The same page is blunt: never light a fire anywhere in Spain.

Groups. In Catalonia, keep groups to seven bikes or fewer in specially protected areas. Organised rides must notify their route a month ahead.

Guided tours. For the tour operators we list in Spain, with prices, licence and insurance terms side by side, see enduro tours in Spain.

• Know your region. Rules change at every regional border. Catalonia's are among the clearest.
• Measure the track. In Catalan forest land, an unpaved track under 4 m wide is closed unless it is part of an authorised route.
• 30 km/h. That is the Catalan limit on dirt roads and tracks.
• Summer closures. Check fire-risk closures before you unload.
• Emergency number. Dial 112, free across the EU.
• Prepare for Hixpania terrain. Our hill climbs and descents module is a good start.

Spain's off-road history is a Catalan industrial story.

Year	Milestone
1944	Montesa founded in Barcelona by Pere Permanyer and Francesc Xavier "Paco" Bultó
1958	Bultaco begins building two-stroke motorcycles (until 1983)
1970	Spain hosts the International Six Days, at El Escorial
1985	GASGAS founded in Salt, Girona, by Narcís Casas and Josep Pibernat, both from the closed Bultaco factory
1985	Six Days at La Molina
2000	Six Days at Granada
2016	Six Days in Navarre
2024	Six Days in Galicia

Sources: Montesa Honda, Bultaco, GasGas and the ISDE host list.

GASGAS is now owned by India's Bajaj Auto through KTM AG. The brand still carries its Catalan off-road and trials roots.

The modern era belongs to the riders. Alfredo Gomez and Mario Román win hard enduro races around the world, and Josep Garcia dominates the 6DAYS.

• The world championship final. Hixpania closes the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship season.
• Five Six Days. Spain has hosted the event in 1970, 1985, 2000, 2016 and 2024.
• A home-grown industry. Montesa, Bultaco, GASGAS and Rieju all come from Catalonia.
• Clear rules, region by region. The national law delegates to the regions, and Catalonia writes its rules down to the metre.

Heading west? Read our Portugal guide. Portugal hosts the 6DAYS in October 2026.