Sierra de Guadarrama National Park

Located in the eastern part of the Central System, the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park stretches across the high mountain ridges of the Guadarrama range, covering an area of 33,960 hectares. Almost 64% of this surface lies within the Community of Madrid, while just over 36% extends into the province of Segovia, in the Autonomous Community of Castile and León.

The highest summit is Peñalara (2,428 metres above sea level). Together with four neighbouring peaks rising above 2,271 metres, it forms the striking Peñalara Massif, a crest that runs from Puerto de Los Cotos in a north–north-easterly direction as far as Los Neveros Peak.

From this point, the National Park continues north-eastwards along the central axis of the Sierra de Guadarrama, crossing Puerto de Navafría and reaching the summit of Reajo Alto (2,100 metres). Another imposing mountain ridge, Cuerda Larga, begins at Puerto de Navacerrada and maintains elevations above 2,000 metres for 16 kilometres, reaching its highest point at Cabezas de Hierro (2,383 metres). Puerto de la Morcuera marks the end of Cuerda Larga and the start of the Sierra de la Morcuera, a lower range that extends beyond the boundaries of the National Park.

Other mountain ranges and peaks of interest include Siete Picos, which runs between Puerto de Navacerrada and Puerto de la Fuenfría, the Sierra de los Porrones, La Pedriza, Peña del Oso (2,196 metres) and Montón de Trigo (2,195 metres).

The National Park occupies 33,960 hectares of the Sierra de Guadarrama within the Central System, a mountain massif that divides the Castilian plateau in two and separates the Duero and Tagus river basins, as well as the provinces of Segovia and Madrid. Much of its surface is dominated by high-altitude summits, characterised by rocky outcrops, alpine grasslands and mountain scrub.

During the process leading to its official designation, the area was at one point referred to as the “Summits of the Sierra de Guadarrama”. However, the inclusion of extensive Scots pine forests and smaller areas of Pyrenean oak woodland, occupying the supra- and oromediterranean bioclimatic zones, meant that the term “summits” no longer fully reflected the diversity of landscapes within the park.

Source: www.parquenacionalsierraguadarrama.es