Mountains | Losmolinos

The main hiking areas of Guadarrama are easily accessible from Los Molinos. In the winter these mountains pose serious challenges, but in other seasons they offer fairly gentle walking in a wide range of landscapes. They are older than the Alps, the Pyrenees or the Rockies—not as vivid, but, like any mountains, still perfectly capable of cleansing one's soul.

Good information (in Spanish) about hiking around Los Molinos here, from the local expert.

You can walk to the top of la Peñota from Los Molinos in a couple of hours. The summit is a mess of granite slabs, as if a giant had had a tantrum. Majestic.		Horses near la Peñota.
Siete picos from up close.	The Fuenfría Valley leads to one of the mountain passes crossing Guadarrama, the only one without a modern road for motor vehicles. The old road is preserved. It might be of Roman origin.	The Fuenfría Valley is one of the main destinations for day-trippers from Madrid, but during the week it's very quiet.
	El Camino Schmid, named after the Austrian émigré who created it in the 1920s, is an excellent easy hiking trail, from Puerto de Navacerrada to the Fuenfría Valley.	Camino Schmid, early spring.
At nearly 8,000 feet, Peñalara is the highest peak of Guadarrama. Here seen from Camino Schmid.	Risco de los Claveles is a wild summit on the Peñalara ridge.	The view from Peñalara.
Horses on the Peñalara meadows.	La Pedriza, just east of la Maliciosa, is an area of dream-like rock formations. A climber's paradise.
	Hueco de San Blas	The Peñalara area is home to herds of mountain goats. They are everywhere. Always watching you.
Madrid in the distance.	Going back down

You can walk to the top of la Peñota from Los Molinos in a couple of hours. The summit is a mess of granite slabs, as if a giant had had a tantrum. Majestic.

Horses near la Peñota.

Siete picos from up close.

The Fuenfría Valley leads to one of the mountain passes crossing Guadarrama, the only one without a modern road for motor vehicles. The old road is preserved. It might be of Roman origin.

The Fuenfría Valley is one of the main destinations for day-trippers from Madrid, but during the week it's very quiet.

El Camino Schmid, named after the Austrian émigré who created it in the 1920s, is an excellent easy hiking trail, from Puerto de Navacerrada to the Fuenfría Valley.

Camino Schmid, early spring.

At nearly 8,000 feet, Peñalara is the highest peak of Guadarrama. Here seen from Camino Schmid.

Risco de los Claveles is a wild summit on the Peñalara ridge.

The view from Peñalara.

Horses on the Peñalara meadows.

La Pedriza, just east of la Maliciosa, is an area of dream-like rock formations. A climber's paradise.

Hueco de San Blas

The Peñalara area is home to herds of mountain goats. They are everywhere. Always watching you.

Madrid in the distance.

Going back down