penalara natural park

We visited this area of the Guadarrama National Park (not that far from Madrid) on a birding tour. We made a number of stops and finally we walked to the Cirque higher up. Very nice trail and landscapes. Towards the end of the trail on a relative easy climb you get to the cirque area with impressive rocks and nice alpine type of vegetation with no trees. Saw a number of rare and uncommon birds here. Went on a weekday so it was not crowded at all. Bring a jacket and be prepared to enjoy a very nice hike.Not sure how easy it is to get here without a car, but probably there are buses or you can hire a taxi for the day.The whole area is very nice including the roads nearby so I would return there if I am in Madrid again.

A nice walk and a good hike. Many people had their bikes and seemed like they were enjoying it quite a bit. If you going for it in the summer, go early when it is cool othewise you may be miserable.

I've just taken an alpine safety course conducted in the park. The park itself is accessible through the Puerto Los Cotos entrance. Buses from Madrid go to Puerto Los Cotos from Moncloa - check online for line 691 for departure times. Ample parking may also be found near the Venta Marcelino inn. The inn is a favorite amongst hikers and mountaineers looking for a beer or some hot chow after a day out.The eponymous highest peak of the Sierra Guadarama range is within the park. The peak is above 2.4km, but the rise from the entrance is only 600 meters since the parking lot is at 1.8 km above sea level. There was ample snow cover for snow shoeing, skiing, and other winter activities even in early April. Check out my photos!

A fabulous spot so close to Madrid, with walks for everyone. Maps available from the info centre, though hard to find online and generally in Spanish. Well worth it, a prime day out from Madrid.

There are two great aspects of the Park as I saw it - getting there and being there.!. Getting there.There are three park offices and I have only been to the one near Los Cotos station. This involves two trains on RENFE's Madrid Cercanias routes. I started from Atochas and the times and cost given are from there but Nuevos Ministerios or Chamartin would give a slightly shorter journey. Whichever you use, first take the line to Cercedilla, a small town on the edge of the Sierra de Guadarrama. Cercedilla is said to be a great start for walks but for this trip you only have time for a quick drink before another train trip, this time to Los Cotos. This, the only Madrid Cercanias line not to touch Madrid is narrow gauge and, for most of its journey, single track. it winds up through glorious mountain scenery. If you can do no more, a return trip from Madrid would more than justify the two hous each way (including the break at Cercedilla) and the cost - only €10 (October 2009).2 Being thereMy mountain activities are very limited by a heart condition but as the Park entrance was only 4 minutes from the station and the Casa del Parque (Park Office) another 3 minutes, I had to find out if there was an easy and worth while walk. There is! They have a very helpful short leaflet that gives a good idea of the height involved, the slope and the approximate time taken on several walks. I decided that the easiest route to the Laguna Grande de Peñalara was something I could manage (although I rightly estimated that the 1 hour walk up would take me an extra 50 minutes.Much of it is a contour path and for the final uphill the paths laid in the interests of conservation make life a bit easier. The Laguna is what in Scotland would be called a coire loch, beautifully fringed by mountains.I returned to Los Cotos with just time for a beer before the 15.45 train and, fortunately because I was desperately hunger they brought me a traditional (ie FREE) tapa of Spanish tortilla. A great day out!

Merece la pena el recorrido. A poco más de una hora de Madrid. Es un espacio natural muy buien cuidado y que conserva rincones increibles.

Es un entorno privilegiado. Un día espectacular con nieve y sol. Sin duda, cargas energía para la vida en la ciudad.

Preciosa ruta hasta la laguna grande Para salir al campo a respirar aire fresco cerca de madrid es muy aconsejable !!!!

Caminando hacia laguna de peñalara, se ve un paisaje muy bonito, el camino muy facil de hacer, no es empinado, Nosotros no llegamos hasta el final, nos quedamos en un prado al pie de la laguna, habían vacas pastando.

Si quieres estar en contacto con la naturaleza, no dejes de visitarlo, aunque sea con niños. Si quieres tener una pequeña idea del parque, lo mejor es ir hasta la laguna de Peñalara. Ahora está cercada y no se permite el baño como se hacía antiguamente. Si se encuentra uno con más fuerzas, se puede subir hasta la Laguna de los Pájaros. Dos horas y media en ir y otras tantas en volver. Y ya si eres un experto, puedes atacar el pico de Peñalara.

No hay palabras el valle es precioso, caminos de todo tipo rutas para andar montar a caballo vistas de todo tipo rios mantañas pantanos.

Sitio muy recomendable para gente que le guste la montaña, con un monton de rutas para hacer.En fin de semana hay que ir prontito para coger sitio en el parking, ya que es mucha la gente que va a pasar el dia.Ademas de subir al pico Peñalara (2428 m), el encanto de este parque natural es la cantidad de lagunas que hay y que se pueden visitar dando un paseo.

Parque Nacional reciente, nosotros lo conociamos desde siempre pero ahora parece que hay mas esfuerzos para su conservacion. Un gustazo pasear por sitios asi tan cerca de madrid.

impresionante entorno natural, accesible sin tener que ser montañero experto. Todas las rutas señalizadas y se pueden hacer en diferentes grados de dificultad y tiempo de duración. Atención en invierno, ya que es muy posible encontrar placas de hielo, que pueden ser muy peligrosas. Si no eres experto montañero, y si no estas bien equipado, no te recomiendo que accedas hasta la cumbre del Peñalara, ya que puede ser peligroso (sobre todo en invierno)

Escenario natural incomparable aunque con bastante gente el todas las epocas del año.Aun asi un sitio muy recomendable para los que les guste la montaña y la naturaleza.La subida a la laguna Grande de Peñalara es muy facilita y se puede hacer con niños y con gente que no esté habituada a andar por la montaña.