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

fr de

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.

Details

n°90351081
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.06 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 2,113 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 2,126 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 5,466 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 3,363 ft
Downloads
Open in the mobile app
Download GPX GPX
Download PDF PDF

Description of the walk

Start: Canto cochino

(S/E) The route goes up to the Giner de los Ríos hostel (1) and then climbs steadily to La Maza.

(2) From there, it passes El Predicador (3) before the Corral Ciego (4) and the Collado de la Vistilla to reach El Yelmo.

(5) The descent begins with the Senda de las Carboneras to take the path down between Las Pilas and La Lagunilla (6) , through the Hueco de las Hoces.

(7) Once past Peña Sirio (8), the route descends sharply to reach the Cordel del Ortigal and lead you back to the car park.(S/E)

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 3,412 ft - Canto Cochino car park
  2. 1 : mi 1.47 - alt. 3,921 ft - Giner de los Ríos hostel
  3. 2 : mi 2.21 - alt. 4,977 ft - La Maza
  4. 3 : mi 2.36 - alt. 5,164 ft - El Predicador
  5. 4 : mi 2.51 - alt. 5,249 ft - Corral Ciego
  6. 5 : mi 2.78 - alt. 5,427 ft - Collado de la Vistilla & El Yelmo
  7. 6 : mi 3.49 - alt. 4,987 ft - Between Las Pilas and La Lagunilla
  8. 7 : mi 3.65 - alt. 4,760 ft - Hueco de las Hoces
  9. 8 : mi 3.86 - alt. 4,478 ft - Peña Sirio
  10. S/E : mi 5.06 - alt. 3,412 ft - Canto Cochino car park

Reviews and comments

3.3 / 5
Based on 1 review
Reliability of the description
3 / 5
Ease of following the route
2 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
El Sud
El Sud

Many thanks for the feedback. Yes, it's true some of the markings (both GR and PR) are a bit weather-worn but that's also part of the fun. The Pedriza is a real labyrinth and can be confusing but that's where navigation using the Visorando App comes in as it will let you know if you are on or off track. It might mean retracing your steps to get back on the route and seeing a painted marking that you might have missed. Also, look out for stone cairns as walkers usually help to keep them in view by adding a stone or two. The painted markings depend on the authorities to keep them visible, so the maintenance is not always guaranteed. As they say "You should lose yourself in the Pedriza to find yourself" but best to know where you are!

User 16591779

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 25, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The route markings (white and yellow) are visible at the start but disappear further on. We eventually lost sight of them, didn’t reach Yelmo, and carried on following the red and white markings (GR). This GR route is no longer maintained at all; it has become very difficult to navigate and even dangerous in some sections of the descent. It is, however, a magnificent hike, with superb scenery. (This was the third time I’d done it in 15 years.) We didn’t see a single other hiker on the route, despite it being peak season. As mentioned in some comments, the hardest part about the Pedriza is not getting lost!

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

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 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 - Senda de las Cabras and the clavijas

Association / Club / Walk leader
↔7.40 mi ↗+2,493 ft ↘-2,484 ft ◔5h 35 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from El Boalo (Community of Madrid)
A circular route that starts and finishes in the small village of Mataelpino, at the foot of the Sierra de Guadarrama, with plenty of parking in the village, and the 672 bus from the bus depot at Moncloa goes through Mataelpino.

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 Sierra de Guadarrama - Hoyo Cerrado and Hueco de San Blas

Association / Club / Walk leader
↔8.54 mi ↗+2,329 ft ↘-2,320 ft ◔5h 55 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Manzanares el Real (Community of Madrid)
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.

Walking Rambling in the Sierra de Guadarrama - La Maliciosa & Alto de Guarramillas

Association / Club / Walk leader
↔9.38 mi ↗+3,425 ft ↘-3,419 ft ◔7h 20 ▲Difficult
⚑Departure from Navacerrada (Community of Madrid)
A testing circular route that starts and finnishes in the car-park of La Barranca (Navacerrada village). The climb is tough and without respite but as the tree cover thins out there are some great views looking towards La Maliciosa and behind, looking down to Navacerrada with it's reservouir and the village of Becerril de la Sierra. There's a detour to have a look down from the Paso de la Cagalera and an interesting passage through the Ventana de las Buitreras (the vulture's window). On the approach to La Maliciosa there might well be snow and ice (November to April) so crampones are recomended. Likewise, crossing over to the Alto de las Guarramillas there might be some snow but the terraine is quite accessible as the route reaches the head-waters of the river Manzanares (that flows through the city of Madrid). The descent is fairly straightforward once past the Collado de los Emburriaderos but the Camino de la Tubería might have some snow in the winter months.

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.

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.