Sierra de Guadarrama - Hoyo Cerrado and Hueco de San Blas

fr de

A circular route that starts and finishes at the small car park above the Palancares Reservoir in Soto del Real. On this route, you will cross multiple streams, some of them even several times. On your way, you'll enjoy the Hoyo Cerrado and El Hueco de San Blas.

Details

n°90351078
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
–
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.54 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 2,329 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 2,320 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 5,830 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 3,747 ft
Downloads
Open in the mobile app
Download GPX GPX
Download PDF PDF

Description of the walk

Start: Car park above Palancares Reservoir, Soto del Real

(S/E) Go North and once past the barrier, take the path up to the left in the pine forest.

(1) After about 1km, just past a forest track, bear right.

(2) Go past a small lake to reach the forest track on the other side.

(3) Follow this track across the stream Arroyo de la Herrada (4), across the stream Arroyo de Matasanos (5), across the stream Arroyo del Niestro (6), until you reach the stream Arroyo del Veneno.

(7) Climb up the right-hand side of this stream, then bear right to pick up the path as it begins the switchbacks.

(8) This path continues up until it crosses the stream Arroyo Mediano (9) and comes out onto the glacier-formed Hoyo Cerrado.

(10) The route down continues along the side of the mountain, passes by a couple of disused mountain goat traps, before dropping down into the valley on a wide forest track.

(12) After crossing the stream Arroyo Mediano (13), it crosses the Hueco de San Blas (15) back to the car park.(S/E)

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 3,747 ft - Car park above Palancares Reservoir Soto del Real
  2. 1 : mi 0.2 - alt. 3,862 ft - Path left into the pine forest
  3. 2 : mi 0.94 - alt. 4,839 ft - Right after the forest track
  4. 3 : mi 1.43 - alt. 4,836 ft - Forest track, go left
  5. 4 : mi 1.53 - alt. 4,865 ft - Arroyo de la Herrada
  6. 5 : mi 2.28 - alt. 4,797 ft - Arroyo de Matasanos
  7. 6 : mi 2.43 - alt. 4,790 ft - Arroyo del Niestro
  8. 7 : mi 2.71 - alt. 4,767 ft - Arroyo del Veneno
  9. 8 : mi 3.27 - alt. 5,361 ft - Switchbacks
  10. 9 : mi 4.01 - alt. 5,804 ft - Arroyo Mediano
  11. 10 : mi 4.05 - alt. 5,823 ft - Hoyo Cerrado
  12. 11 : mi 4.62 - alt. 5,571 ft - Arroyo de los Virros
  13. 12 : mi 5.31 - alt. 5,367 ft - Forest track, go right
  14. 13 : mi 7.07 - alt. 4,341 ft - Arroyo Mediano
  15. 14 : mi 7.49 - alt. 4,186 ft - Arroyo de Matasanos
  16. 15 : mi 7.83 - alt. 4,131 ft - Hueco de San Blas
  17. S/E : mi 8.54 - alt. 3,747 ft - Car park above Palancares Reservoir Soto del Real

Notes

Part of the route does not align with a designated path on the map, but it remains navigable as recorded.

Other walks in the area

Walking Sierra de Guadarrama - Lower Pedriza and the Pyramids

Association / Club / Walk leader
↔7.46 mi ↗+2,333 ft ↘-2,326 ft ◔5h 30 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Manzanares el Real (Community of Madrid)
A circular route from the Tranco del Berrueco, into La Raja (a popular rock-climbing place, especially in the summer), along the GR-10 to the Gran Cañada in the Pedriza to find the Senda Maeso.This is the PR M-1 and is a real scramble through the rocks, typical Pedriza terrain, to reach the Cuatro Damas.From there, the route weaves through the rocky Peñas Sordas to reach the three mysterious pyramids.An easy descent to the forest track that borders the stream Arroyo de Santillana takes us past the Jaralón Youth Hostel and back to the car.

Walking Rambling in the Sierra de Guadarrama - From Soto del Real to Parada del Rey

Association / Club / Walk leader
↔13.97 mi ↗+2,392 ft ↘-2,382 ft ◔8h 30 ▲Difficult
⚑Departure from Soto del Real (Community of Madrid)
This is a pleasant stroll up to the lower regions of the Sierra de Guadarrama. Once in the pine forest, the walk is pleasant and the gradients are comfortable as the route hugs the hillside until reaching the Parada del Rey. The route back to Soto del Real is pretty straightforward. A good distance to stretch the legs without any major climbs.

Walking Rambling in the Sierra de Guadarrama - Soto del Real to Manzanares el Real

Association / Club / Walk leader
Rambling in the Sierra de Guadarrama - Soto del Real to Manzanares el Real
↔11.02 mi ↗+1,775 ft ↘-1,804 ft ◔6h 35 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Soto del Real (Community of Madrid)
A challenging route due to the length, but not complicated technically. Although it finishes in a different place to where it starts, there is a bus that connects Manzanares el Real to Soto del Real (720). The Pedriza is an area popular with walkers but especially with rock climbers.

Walking Sierra de Guadarrama - Parada del Rey and Camino del Mostajo

Association / Club / Walk leader
↔8.23 mi ↗+1,404 ft ↘-1,407 ft ◔5h 00 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Miraflores de la Sierra (Community of Madrid)
A circular route that starts and finishes at the car park Fuente del Cur in Miraflores de la Sierra. There's usually plenty of spaces in the car park and buses (725) run regularly from Madrid to the village.

Walking La Pedriza and Cueva del Ave María in the Sierra de Guadarrama

Association / Club / Walk leader
↔4.40 mi ↗+2,123 ft ↘-2,100 ft ◔3h 50 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Manzanares el Real (Community of Madrid)
This is a circular route starting and finishing in El Tranco (Manzanares el Real). There isn’t a lot of parking space at the start of the route, so it’s best to arrive early if you want to secure a spot nearby. If the main parking area is full, you can usually find additional spaces a little further up the road towards the village.

Walking Sierra de Guadarrama - Pedriza, Poza colgada, Maza, Yelmo

Association / Club / Walk leader
↔5.06 mi ↗+2,113 ft ↘-2,126 ft ◔4h 10 ▲Difficult
⚑Departure from Manzanares el Real (Community of Madrid)
A circular route starting and finishing in Canto Cochino. A testing route, but spectacular views. There is limited parking here as it's in the National Park Sierra de Guadarrama. For safety reasons, as well as to avoid the damage that this transit causes to natural resources, there is an entry control at the barrier located in the La Camorza area, which allows the entry of vehicles up to the maximum quota of 270 vehicles per day. Weekdays are normally fine, but at weekends it's best to get there early.

Walking Rambling in the Sierra de Guadarrama - La Pedriza - Puente de los Poyos

Association / Club / Walk leader
↔6.36 mi ↗+1,991 ft ↘-2,008 ft ◔4h 40 ▲Difficult
⚑Departure from Manzanares el Real (Community of Madrid)
A tough circular route, starting and finishing in the car park at Canto Cochino. The route goes clockwise along the "Circular de la Pedriza", following the PR-M1 yellow and white markings through rocky landscapes and scenic viewpoints.

Walking Miraflores, Cabeza Arcón and El Pendón

Association / Club / Walk leader
↔9.24 mi ↗+2,251 ft ↘-2,260 ft ◔6h 15 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Miraflores de la Sierra (Community of Madrid)
A pleasant route that starts and finishes at the abandoned railway station of Miraflores de la Sierra. A gentle climb over the Cabeza Cristina to Cabeza Arcón gives a 360º view of the Sierra de Guadarrama and the southern plains down to the city of Madrid. The walking is easy enough, on grassy slopes and higher up on stony plateaus. The approach to El Pendón takes the easier and greener route behind the summit, although there are more direct routes clambering up the rocks if that gets your adrenaline going. The Senda Buford straddles the Cerro de los Canteros to pick up the stream Arroyo del Mosquil and follow it down to the railway. There are no trains on this disused section of the old Madrid-Burgos line, so it's easy to go back to the station at Miraflores de la Sierra.

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.