Bouldering in La Pedriza with a hired crashpad

According to the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park, La Pedriza is one of the most important friction-climbing areas in the world: domes, cracks, walls, crags and granite boulders, with loose blocks all over the massif. For bouldering, rope-free climbing at low height, all you need is climbing shoes and a mat or crashpad to cushion falls. If you do not have one, in Manzanares el Real the Hostel La Pedriza rents them.

Crashpad hire

The hostel rents Mushroompads crashpads, Stereo model, for €17 a day. Open it measures 140 × 100 × 11.5 cm and closed it folds to 70 × 100 × 23 cm, with ballistic Cordura fabric, three layers of foam, reinforced corners and a weight of 6.8 kg. It is collected at the hostel itself, on Calle Real, near the 724 bus stop. Write to them beforehand to make sure one is left on the day you go.

It is not a guided activity or a course: it is for those who already climb and know how to fall and place the mat. If it is your first time, look first for an introductory session with a qualified guide.

Park rules that affect bouldering

Climbing is regulated by the Park's Plan Rector de Uso y Gestión, in its article 47. What affects you most as a boulderer:

• You may only climb in the sectors marked on the Park's climbing zones map.
• No chalk is used, to avoid visual impact on the rock. The hostel also sells chalk, but inside the National Park the rule is not to use it.
• No new holds are carved or existing ones retouched, and no holds or footholds are glued on.
• No new routes are opened or equipped.

In addition, each year a cliff-nesting bird protection plan temporarily closes sectors, routes and alleys during breeding, normally from 1 January to 31 July. In 2026 in La Pedriza Anterior it affects, among others, Cancho Cofre or La Cripta, the cancho and alley of Arroyo de los Huertos, the alley of Peña Sirio and some routes of the Cueva de La Mora. There are signs and tape at the access points; check the updated list on the Park's website before going.

When to go and how to get there

Autumn, winter and spring, with cool temperatures, are the best season; in summer, first thing is better. To reach the interior boulder area by car you have to pass the Canto Cochino barrier: parking is free but has a quota of 270 cars, which at weekends and public holidays from October to May usually fills between 8:30 and 9:00. If you arrive late, enter on foot via the Camorza gorge from the visitor centre.

Remember that camping is not allowed and dogs must always be on a lead. Afterwards, the hostel has a bar-restaurant for the return.