Sierra de Guadarrama
A granite range of pine forest and two-thousand-metre peaks an hour from Madrid, made a national park in 2013.
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The Guadarrama runs northeast to southwest between Madrid and Segovia, rising to 2,428 metres at Penalara, and it became Spain's fifteenth national park in 2013 after decades of campaigning; the range has been used for recreation since the late nineteenth century, when the Institucion Libre de Ensenanza promoted mountain walking as education and the first Madrid hiking clubs formed. The landscape is granite and Scots pine, with glacial cirques and lagoons near Penalara, high moorland above the treeline, and Roman and medieval routes crossing the passes. Cercedilla is reachable by commuter train and is the standard car-free base, with a mountain railway continuing to the Navacerrada pass.
What you actually see
- Penalara - the highest peak at 2,428 metres with glacial lagoons below.
- The pine forests - extensive Scots pine on the slopes.
- The old passes - Roman and medieval routes over the range.
- The Cercedilla railway - a mountain line to the Navacerrada pass.
When to go
May to June for flowers and long days, September to November for autumn colour and clear air; winter brings snow and skiing at Navacerrada and Valdesqui. Summer weekends bring very heavy traffic from Madrid.
Honest expectations
Popular trailheads including Penalara operate parking quotas that fill early at weekends. Weather changes quickly at altitude and the range has claimed lives in winter. Trains and buses from Madrid are crowded on weekend mornings.
Nearby
La Pedriza lies east; Segovia and La Granja are on the far side of the range.
What to pack for Sierra de Guadarrama
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
