Winter Zoning in Los Cotos Pass

Posted in Winter activities.

The Sierra de Guadarrama National Park has a free winter recreation area where you can practice cross-country skiing, snowboarding and sledding.

To make compatible these activities with each other and with other activities that are carried out in the Peñalara Massif, there are specific areas for each one. Those areas, marked on the ground, are:

Sleds area: there are two, one exclusively for CHILDREN up to 7 years. It is forbidden to slip with plastics or other means entering a risk for users and other visitors.
Snowboard area: snowboarding is allowed in Los Cotos Pass marked areas. In the rest of the massif slipping (not jumping), is permitted, excepting in areas with risk for other visitors.
Cross-country skiing area: for classic and skater modalities. Depending on the snow season, cross-country ski track reaches 5 km of excellent quality hard snow. Access is free, while companies with commercial purposes must apply for authorization at the Peñalara Visitors Center, as well as groups of more of 15 people. In addition, companies wishing to use this track for their activities must have qualified instructors. There is an area for beginners.

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Nordic skiing and snowshoeing

Under the generic name of Nordic skiing, we can group different modalities whose common characteristics could be the absence of facilities and infrastructures (unlike in the alpine ski) and the way to fix the boots to the skis, permitting to let heels untied. The two best known modalities are cross-country skiing and mountain skiing. Snowshoeing and Nordic skiing are becoming more and more popular and they are one of the most interesting ways to get…

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The Sierra de Guadarrama provides excellent birds observation opportunities, including large birds of prey such as the black vulture or the Spanish imperial eagle, as well as many forest bird species living in these mountains woods. It is, without doubt, the most easily observable animal group, and this specially if we walk softly and we do not betray our presence. Binoculars would help our work of observation. At certain times their singing will accompany us all…

Walking routes

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Geology hikes

National Park nature is clearly influenced by its abundance in mountains, which is reflected in the vegetation, in its fauna and its landscapes. But there are three principal topics on the geology of the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains: the particular granitic landform at La Pedriza, the Seven peaks (Siete Picos) and the glacier geomorphology at the Peñalara Massif, a legacy thousands of years old, from the time in which perennial ices covered its summits. We suggest…

Botanic Hikes

Sierra de Guadarrama most emblematic vegetation are the Scots pine groves, Albar pines or Valsaín pines (Pinus sylvestris Iberian variety), mountain broom and common junipers bushes, and hippocrepis carpetana grass living in the Sierra summits. But in sites such as shady streams or slopes, these woods are enriched by a multitude of species which are infrequent in the Central Mountain Range. For example, specimens of some very rare species in this area grow in sites named…

Escalada en roca

Escalada en roca

×There is no translation available.La Sierra de Guadarrama, y especialmente La Pedriza, es una de las escuelas y zonas de escalada más importantes del país.

Hiking areas suitable for kids

Some of Sierra de Guadarrama hikes and trails are relatively short and they do not present great unevenness; while this does not make them less impressive. They are particularly appropriate to spend a whole day with your family, taking simple walks in which kids would enjoy the nature. There are lots of these trails, but we suggest you a selection we have picked from different geographical areas. Should you want to get more information on…

Winter ascents

The surroundings of the National Park are considered as Mediterranean high mountains, where winter time can show its hardest side, accumulating snow and ice that allow all kinds of typically alpine ascents. Climbing channels, ridges, shovels, icy walls, etc. are attractive for mountaineers. Plenty of itineraries that, depending on how winter comes, could be more or less technical, attractive and even dangerous. This page is only intended to give a brief notice on where the…

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