#1 - Ascenso al Macizo de Peñalara
La Cumbre, Circo and Lagunas Natural ParkLength: 7.1 mi • Est. 3 h 52 m
The route begins in the parking lot of the port of Cotos towards the north, in the direction of the Alpino Club. Behind this hostel there is a path marked with yellow dots in the pines. Following this path, about 300 m. of unevenness, you reach the hill that forms between Peña Cítores and Dos Hermanas. It is worth going to Peña Cítores to take advantage of this natural balcony from where you can see an amazing perspective of the head of the Eresma river valley, where you can see peaks such as Seven Peaks, Montón de Trigo, La Mujer Muerta and more. to the north the Watchtower. Return to the hill to continue ascending the Dos Hermanas hill, in a terrain without trees and with a gentler slope.
From the highest summit of Dos Hermanas, the one to the north, you can see if you look to the south the Long Rope from the Ball of the World to the Iron Heads and if you look north you can distinguish the path that leads Peñalara is marked with large stone milestones that are very useful on foggy days since it is a very wide and poorly defined hill.
Descend slightly to the hill and from here face the last ramps until reaching Peñalara, the highest peak in the Sierra de Guadarrama with its 2,428 m above sea level. From this summit you can enjoy excellent panoramic views highlighting the Castilian plateau that extends to the north and if you are lucky and the day is clear you can see the distant Sierra de Gredos to the SW.
Continue the route along the line of peaks towards the NNE, in principle without difficulty, until little by little the rope narrows, turning into a ridge that gives access to Los Claveles, where maximum caution must be exercised, especially in winter. This ridge can be avoided by descending a few meters to the left until reaching a more comfortable terrain. Continue along the rope, up to a wide hill. On the right you can see the Black Wall of the Laguna de los Pájaros. Overcome the last cliff to descend to the Laguna de los Pájaros, supplied by a small spring.
Follow the route in a southerly direction, following large stone milestones. This part of the itinerary runs through a landscape shaped by the Quaternary ice. Proof of this are the glacial lagoons and moraines.
Walk through Cinco Lagunas, from where the path becomes more evident. Ascend to the great moraine from where you can see the Laguna Grande de Peñalara.
You can descend directly to the lagoon or follow the moraine to the drainage stream, which you have to cross to continue along the path that descends to the middle of the slope to Puerto de los Cotos or del Paular.
This description of the route has been extracted from ProdesTur Segovia Turismo. For more information about all the routes in the southern area of the province of Segovia, the starting points, etc. Check the Segovia Sur tourism page here: https://www.segoviaturismo.es/
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