Hiking

The region north of Madrid, into some parts of Ávila and Segovia, is taken up by the Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range, a national park. Long favored by naturalists, writers (including John Dos Passos), painters, poets, and historians, it also attracts sporty madrileños looking to get away from the chaos of the capital. The Sierra's eastern border lies at Puerto de Somosierra, west of the A1 highway heading to Burgos; the little town of Robledo de Chavela, southwest of El Escorial, marks the park's western edge. Near the middle of this long stretch sprouts another branch to the northeast, giving the Sierra de Guadarrama the shape of a fork, with the Valle de Lozoya in its tines. Hiking options are nearly limitless, but two destinations stand out for their geological importance: the Parque de la Pedriza, a massive, orangey, fancifully shaped granite landscape in the Cuenca Alta del Manzanares, and the Peñalara's alpine cirques (basins) and lakes.