Peñalara
2,430 m
Spain
Also known as ПеньялараAlso known as
Пеньялара
- Elevation
- 2,430 m
- Prominence
- 1,113 m
- Difficulty
- 2/10
- Hike
- Best Season
- Jun–Oct
- Routes
- 2
Lift closedReported 11 Jul 2026
The Cercanías C-9 railway from Cercedilla to Cotos remains closed for a full renewal of track and catenary, with no official reopening date as of July 2026. A Renfe replacement bus serves Cercedilla, the Puerto de Navacerrada and Cotos, but it is suspended in heavy snow.
eldiariodemadrid.es
Routes
2Sources differ: MIDE 3-1-2-3 ('senderista avanzado') (Parque Nacional de la Sierra de Guadarrama)
The national park's signposted route to the high point of the Sierra de Guadarrama: a forest track and stony path from the Puerto de Cotos (1,830 m) past the Mirador de la Gitana, zigzags up to the Dos Hermanas col and an easy ridge walk north to the summit. 10.2 km return, about 620 m of ascent, 3 h 50 min.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 5.3 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +613 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 2,430 m
- Time Up
- 2h 44m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 1h 57m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Start at the Puerto de Cotos car park (about 1,830 m) and the Peñalara visitor centre. Take the forest track, rising gently past the Mirador de la Gitana and the Cobertizo del Depósito on the right. At a fork go straight on up a steep slope to a junction at about 2,100 m, where the path to the Refugio Zabala and the Laguna Grande goes right; keep left. The track zigzags (Las Zetas) up the slope to the Collado de Dos Hermanas (about 2,255 m) between the Hermana Menor and the Hermana Mayor, about 50 minutes from Cotos. Do not cut the zigzags: the slope is under erosion restoration. From Dos Hermanas follow the broad, stony ridge north over the Hermana Mayor to the summit, about 40 minutes more. Near the top paths multiply but all lead to the rocky, rounded summit with its geodetic pillar. Return the same way. The park's MIDE time for the 10.2 km out and back is 3 h 50 min. In winter ice and cornices on the ridge make the route a mountaineering outing; the park advises against it for inexperienced walkers.
Start
Puerto de Cotos1,829 m
- Cercanías C-8 to Cercedilla, then the Renfe replacement bus for the closed C-9 line to Cotos (suspended in heavy snow).
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Puerto de Cotos → Peñalara | 5.3 | 613 | 12 | 2h 44m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Puerto de Cotos1,829 m
Car park (quota 250 vehicles per day), Peñalara visitor centre and Cotos station
- Feature: Mirador de la Gitana1,897 m
- Col: Collado de Dos Hermanas2,255 m
- Shoulder: Hermana Mayor2,282 m
- Summit: Peñalara2,430 m
Key Passages
- Steep slope above the first fork
- Las Zetas zigzags to the Collado de Dos Hermanas
- Broad stony ridge over the Hermana Mayor
Equipment
0/5 packedDownloads
Route confidence 85%Overview
The highest summit of the Sierra de Guadarrama (2,428 m), a broad granite dome above glacial lakes on the Madrid–Segovia border, in the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park. A popular, easy half-day walk from the Puerto de Cotos, with a daily visitor quota.
Peñalara is the culminating point of the Sierra de Guadarrama, the range that forms Madrid's northern skyline, on the border between the Comunidad de Madrid and Segovia (Castilla y León). From the south and west it is a rounded, stony ridge; its east side falls in cliffs and couloirs to a string of glacial cirques holding the Laguna Grande de Peñalara and the Cinco Lagunas, a landscape protected first as the Peñalara Natural Park and since 2013 as part of the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park.
The normal route from the Puerto de Cotos (1,830 m) is a broad track and path with about 600 m of ascent, signposted by the park and walked by many thousands of people a year. It climbs to the Dos Hermanas col and follows the easy ridge north to the summit, which has a geodetic pillar and a boundary stone. The more interesting line climbs past the lakes to the Risco de los Claveles and follows its broken granite ridge to the summit, with some exposed scrambling.
In winter Peñalara is Madrid's local snow mountain: the ridge is often icy and corniced, and the eastern couloirs above the Laguna Grande are classic short snow climbs. Access is regulated: the park caps daily visitors to the massif and the number of cars at Los Cotos.
Climbing Notes
In summer the normal route needs only moderate fitness: about 620 m of ascent and 3¾–4 hours return for the 10.2 km out and back (the park's MIDE time is 3 h 50 min). Stay on the path in the zigzags above 2,100 m, where shortcuts damage restored ground. The Claveles ridge is for experienced walkers comfortable with exposure and easy scrambling; a bypass avoids the hardest parts.
In winter the park advises against the route for inexperienced walkers: ice and cornices are common on the ridge, and crampons and an ice axe are needed. Check conditions with the Peñalara visitor centre at Cotos. On weekends and holidays, phone the visitor centre (+34 918 520 857) before setting out to confirm that the daily quota has not been reached; once it is full nobody else may enter until midnight.
Season
Best Jun–Oct- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Good
- May: Good
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Best (best window)
- November: Good
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Winter conditions: ice and cornices on the ridge; crampons and ice axe; replacement bus to Cotos sometimes suspended by snow
- Feb
- Winter conditions: ice and cornices; crampons and ice axe
- Mar
- Snow; popular for snowshoeing and snow climbs
- Apr
- Spring snow on the upper slopes
- May
- Snow patches; check conditions
- Jul
- Busy; car park quota fills at weekends
- Aug
- Busy; car park quota fills at weekends
- Nov
- First snow possible
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Permits
- Group visit authorisation (Los Cotos and Peñalara massif)Optional
Groups of 15 or more people need prior authorisation and an appointment from the national park; individuals and smaller groups do not need a permit.
parquenacionalsierraguadarrama.es
- Rules
- Sierra de Guadarrama National Park: daily quota of 945 visitors in the Peñalara massif and 250 vehicles in the Los Cotos car park; once reached, no entry until midnight. Climbers and bivouackers count towards the quota
- Stay on the paths; shortcuts in the zigzags below Dos Hermanas are forbidden because of erosion restoration
- No swimming in the lakes and streams of the national park
- No bicycles in the Peñalara massif
- Getting There
Rascafría and Cercedilla (Madrid)
Madrid-Barajas (MAD)
- Car: M-604 from Rascafría or from the Puerto de Navacerrada to the Puerto de Cotos car park (1,830 m)
- Train: the Cercanías C-9 mountain line from Cercedilla to Cotos has been closed for rebuilding since spring 2024 with no reopening date as of July 2026; a replacement bus runs between Cercedilla, the Puerto de Navacerrada and Cotos
- Cercanías C-8 trains run from Madrid to Cercedilla
Hazards
- Weather
- Cornices
- Avalanche
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,075 m
Refugio ZabalaBivouacUnstaffed
2 beds · Year-round emergency shelter for 2–3 people; unstaffed