# Navacerrada Pass and Cercedilla

Skiing at Valdesquí and the Navacerrada Pass, guided snowshoeing and the Roman road of the Fuenfría, an hour from Madrid by car or train.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/navacerrada-pass-and-cercedilla · Revisado: 2026-11-12

The Navacerrada Pass is the snow closest to Madrid: at 1,858 metres, on the border with Segovia, about 60 km from the Puerta del Sol. Around it you have two ski resorts, the Cotos pass with Peñalara, the pine forests of the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park and, below, Cercedilla, the train village, from which you walk up to the Fuenfría valley.

## Where do you ski?

At two resorts. Valdesquí, next to Cotos, is the big one: 29 pistes and 22 km between 1,860 and 2,265 metres, 15 lifts, a school, rental and a snowpark. In the 2026-2027 season the adult day lift pass costs €47 when more than 11 km are open, and €26 for Pradera only, the beginners' area.

The Navacerrada Pass resort, the oldest, now opens its lower area, in Madrid: the Bosque piste and three easy pistes, with a lift pass from €28 on weekdays. Its upper area, in Segovia, is under a final dismantling order since the Supreme Court rejected the last appeals in March 2026. If you want variety of pistes, Valdesquí; if it is your first day or your children's, either will do.

## And if you don't ski?

With snow, snowshoes: the Navacerrada Spanish Ski School organises guided routes from the pass, and at Valdesquí snowshoes can be hired for €12.50. Without snow, or with little, the pass is the starting point for classic routes: the Camino Schmid and Siete Picos, an 11.2 km circuit, and below, from Cercedilla, the Roman road of the Fuenfría. From Cotos leaves the route to the Laguna Grande de Peñalara, which we cover in the Lozoya valley.

In the National Park there are no sledging areas, and sliding down the slopes is discouraged by the rangers. If you are with children who want snow without skiing, snowshoes are the option.

## How do you get there from Madrid?

By car, along the A-6 to Collado Villalba and the M-601 to the pass: about 60 km, an hour without traffic jams. Valdesquí and Cotos are a few minutes further along the SG-615. From Segovia you go up along the CL-601 in a little over half an hour.

Without a car, the Cercanías C-8 takes you to Cercedilla. The C-9 rack railway, which used to climb to the pass and Cotos, has been closed for works since May 2024, and Renfe replaces it with a bus that stops at the pass and does not run on days of heavy snow. Bus 691 leaves from Moncloa and reaches the Valdesquí car park, and from Cotos there is a free shuttle to the resort for skiers.

## Where do you park?

It is the question of every snowy Sunday. At Valdesquí, reserve your space on its website: it is free. At Cotos there is a free 250-space car park, open 24 hours, which fills before 8:00 when there is snow. In the Fuenfría valley, the Las Dehesas car park has 240 spaces and can only be entered with a reservation and a fee from Cercedilla Town Council. When the car parks fill up, the road signs say so: don't drive up to circle around.

## What happens on the road when it snows?

With snow, the M-601 and the SG-615 may require chains or winter tyres, ban lorries or close. Check the state of the accesses on the DGT (website or phone 011) before setting out and carry chains even if it isn't snowing in Madrid: up there the weather is different.

## How much time and when?

A day is enough: the morning on the pistes or on snowshoes and lunch at Cotos or Cercedilla. If you want to combine skiing and a hike, sleep in Cercedilla. Snow usually arrives in December and lasts until March, but it varies a lot each winter: check the resorts' reports before going. In autumn, the Fuenfría valley and its oak trees are the best plan.

## Where to eat and sleep?

At Cotos, the Venta Marcelino has been serving judiones (large beans) and tripe since 1924, is open every day and does not take bookings. In Cercedilla, La Maya is open from midday to night, with a holm-oak grill at the weekend, and the restaurant of the hotel Luces del Poniente welcomes non-guests, by reservation. To sleep, Luces del Poniente and La Maya in the village and Las Rozuelas, a stone house in the Fuenfría valley.

## Dónde está
- Zonas: The Central System
- Cerca: Manzanares el Real and La Pedriza (a 11.6 km), Lozoya Valley: Rascafría, El Paular and Peñalara (a 17.0 km), Segovia (a 20.6 km), San Lorenzo de El Escorial (a 24.6 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Skiing at Valdesquí** (7 h · Beginners and intermediate · Snowpark for freestyle · Desde 47 € adult day pass with more than 11 skiable km, 2026-2027 season): Valdesquí is the most complete resort in the Sierra de Guadarrama. It is on the Segovia side of the Bola del Mundo, next to the Cotos pass, and you ski almost always above 1,900 metres.
Runs, altitudes and lifts
There are 29 runs and 22 km of skiable terrain, between 1,860 and 2,265 metres, served by 15 lifts: six chairlifts (Del Prado, Del Arroyo, Collado, Tubo, De la Fuente and Bola del Mundo), six drag lifts, a rope tow and the school conveyors. The longest runs descend from the Bola del Mundo and Valdemartín, with more than 1 km and up to 310 metres of vertical drop. Those at La Pradera, next to the base, are for beginners: there is a lift pass for them alone. The resort does not publish the breakdown of runs by colour in its technical sheet; the downloadable piste map shows it.
How much a day costs
The day lift pass depends on the kilometres open. With more than 11 skiable km, in the 2026-2027 season adults (13 to 64) pay €47 in high and low season, and €41 on skier's day; children aged 3 to 12, €41 in high and €35 in low season. With fewer than 11 km, adults pay €36. The Pradera-only pass costs €26 for all ages. It is recommended to add accident insurance, €4.50 a day, which must be bought before using the lift pass.
Lessons and hire
The school opens from 8:30 to 15:00. A private lesson costs €52 an hour for one student, €32 per person for two and €20 per person for five; children and adults go in separate lessons and students do not queue at the lifts. The hire shop is in the Cerradillas building, at the base: a full ski set costs €25 for a beginner adult and €21 for a child, helmet included. It also hires snowboards, touring skis and snowshoes.
Snowpark
Park Center opens from 10:00 to 15:00 next to the base, with a progressive line of boxes for starting, a fixed line of dubbies and rails for those who already have the level. The snowpark is outside the conditions of the lift pass: you use it at your own risk.
Getting there and parking
By car, along the A-6 to Collado Villalba and the M-601 to the Navacerrada pass, and from there along the SG-615 towards Cotos, which passes next to the resort. From the Lozoya valley you go up along the M-604 from Rascafría. The parking space is booked free on the resort's website: without a reservation, first check the car park's status on the website or app, because on snow days it fills up.
Without a car, the 691 bus leaves from the Moncloa interchange and stops at the resort car park. The C-9 train from Cercedilla to Cotos has been closed for works since May 2024 and is replaced by a Renfe bus with a stop at the Navacerrada pass; from Cotos there is a free resort shuttle for skiers. At weekends with more than 11 km open, the resort sells online a bus package from Calle Martín de los Heros with a day lift pass, for €55.
- **Guided snowshoeing from the Puerto de Navacerrada** (3 h · No experience · Families with children who walk): Snowshoes are the easiest way to get into the snowy sierra without skiing. They spread your weight so you do not sink, and with poles you walk almost as on a path.
With a guide
The Navacerrada Spanish Ski School, at the pass itself, organises guided snowshoe routes for all levels: gentle walks through the forest and open areas for beginners and families, and longer routes for those seeking something more sporty. Each outing is adapted to the group and the state of the snow. Before starting, the guide explains how to put on and use the snowshoes, the safety rules and the route, and on the way tells you about the fauna, flora and geography of the National Park. The price and time are agreed when you book, on 918 52 03 59.
Independently
If you already know the sierra in winter, hire the snowshoes at Valdesquí: €12.50 with poles or €17.50 with boots, in the Cerradillas building, by the car park. At the Peñalara visitor centre, in Cotos, no equipment of any kind is hired. Always keep to marked paths, because in the National Park you may not leave them, and with the weather forecast checked: fog at the pass makes you lose the path in minutes.
Who it is for
For anyone who can walk a couple of hours. With children it works if they already walk well in the mountains; in soft snow they tire sooner than it seems. Sledges are not allowed in any area of the National Park.
- **Skiing at the Puerto de Navacerrada resort** (5 h · Beginners and children · One hard run, El Bosque · Desde 28 € adult day pass in low season (published rates from the last season)): The Puerto de Navacerrada resort is the closest to Madrid and one of the oldest in Spain. Today it is mainly its lower area, on the Madrid side, that operates: a few short, cheap runs, ideal for a first day in the snow.
What is open
The resort has two sectors. The lower area, in Cercedilla, brings together the El Bosque run, 800 metres long and of high difficulty, the Escaparate and the Telégrafo, which are easy, and two beginners' runs, with three chairlifts and two conveyor belts between 1,760 and 1,931 metres. The upper area, with Guarramillas, Pala de Montañeros and Pluviómetro, is on the Segovia side and appears on the resort's website as "in recovery".
In March 2026 the Supreme Court made final the ruling that obliges the Junta de Castilla y León to dismantle the resort's installations in Segovia, whose concession expired in 2021. The Madrid part continues to open: the 2025-2026 season closed on 25 March and in November 2026 the resort announced the sale of passes for the new one. Before going, check on its website which runs and lifts are operating.
How much it costs
The rates published on the website, for the last season, are €28 for the adult day pass and €22 for the child's (up to age 13) from Tuesday to Friday on working days, and €32 and €28 at weekends, public holidays and holidays. The half day, sold from 13:00, costs €19 or €24 for adults. The pass includes rescue insurance on the slopes. The resort's hire shop, at the base of the Telégrafo, opens at weekends and on public holidays: a full ski set costs €17.
Lessons
At the pass, the Navacerrada Spanish Ski School works, with a building 150 metres from the runs for more than sixty years, and Daktak, a snowboard school that has taught here since 2012.
Getting there
Along the A-6 and the M-601 from Collado Villalba, about 60 km from Madrid. Without a car, the 691 bus from Moncloa goes through the pass and the bus that replaces the Cercedilla C-9 also stops here. On snow days, the DGT may require chains or close the M-601.
- **Camino Schmid and Siete Picos, a circuit from the pass** (5 h · 11.2 km · Used to walking in the mountains · Independent · free): The classic loop from the Navacerrada pass: you set out westwards along the Camino Schmid, the path that Eduardo Schmid marked out in 1926 along the hillside on the Segovia face of Siete Picos, reach the Fuenfría pass and return along the ridge, from saddle to saddle, skirting the seven granite peaks. The official leaflet from the Valsaín Mountains and Sawmill Centre, which calls it Route H, gives it 11.2 km and a maximum ascent of 325 metres. Allow about five hours with stops.
Out along the hillside
From the pass you go down the ski run and the road to the path marked with yellow circles on the pines. After about 3 km, at a fork, you follow the left-hand branch signed as Camino Schmid. It is the comfortable part of the route: a path along the hillside through the pinewood on the Segovia side up to the Fuenfría pass.
Back along the Siete Picos ridge
From the Fuenfría you climb to the Collado Ventoso and to Siete Picos along a path marked with stone cairns. This is where most of the climb is. You walk the ridge leaving the peaks on your right, drop to the Peña Hueca saddle and, along a wide track, reach the top of the Escaparate run, which brings you back to the pass. On the ridge the paths cross: the official leaflet recommends carrying a map.
When to go and when not
From spring to autumn, any clear day. In winter the Camino Schmid and the ridge are covered with snow and ice: only with snowshoes or crampons and experience, or with a guide, such as the snowshoeing from the pass. If there is fog, do not go up to the ridge: come back from the Fuenfría along the same Camino Schmid, which is the natural shortcut if you are short of time or legs.
Dogs on a lead throughout the National Park
Yes, always on a lead, as in the whole of the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park.
Getting there and eating afterwards
You set out from the Navacerrada pass. By car, along the M-601; on snow days the pass car park fills early. Without a car, the 691 bus from Moncloa stops at the pass. For eating on the way down, in Cercedilla you have La Maya, open all day, and if you sleep in the area, Las Rozuelas is in the Fuenfría valley, on the other side of the ridge.
- **Fuenfría Roman road from Las Dehesas** (2 h 50 · 5.5 km · Families with children who walk · Independent · free; Las Dehesas parking with reservation and fee): What it is
The paved track that climbs up the Fuenfría valley towards the pass of the same name, the route that linked Madrid and Segovia before the Navacerrada road existed. You walk among pines and oaks over the same stretches of stone that muleteers and carriages travelled for centuries; very close runs the Bourbon road, from the 18th century.
What it is like
The National Park trail (PNSG-036) is about 5.5 km long and takes about three hours at an easy pace. It starts from the Las Dehesas area, in Cercedilla, next to the Fuenfría Visitor Centre, and climbs steadily but without difficult sections. From the Fuenfría pass you can link up with the Camino Schmid or return by the Camino Viejo de Segovia.
Getting there and parking
The Fuenfría Visitor Centre is at km 2 of the Las Dehesas road (M-966), in Cercedilla. The Las Dehesas recreation area car park has a maximum of 240 cars and can only be entered with a prior reservation and payment of the fee, which is handled by Cercedilla town council. Without a car: the C-8 train to Cercedilla and, from the station, on foot along the path parallel to the road, the Camino Puricelli or the Camino del Agua, or on the bus that goes up to the Hospital de la Fuenfría, which stops in front of the centre.
In snow
In winter the valley is often covered in snow. With hard snow or ice, it is better with snowshoes or a guide.

## Dónde comer
- **Venta Marcelino** (Restaurant, Cotos pass, €€). Qué pedir: the judiones beans from La Granja with chorizo or the Madrid-style tripe, both stewed fresh every day, and rice pudding or fried milk for dessert
- **La Maya restaurant** (Restaurant, Cercedilla, €€). Qué pedir: mountain meat over holm-oak embers if it is the weekend, and for tea its pancakes with cream or chocolate with fried bread
- **Hotel Luces del Poniente restaurant** (Restaurant, Cercedilla, €€€). Qué pedir: ask for a table on the terrace if the day is clear; the menu and the tea menu are on its website

## By car: By car, with chains in the boot
A car lets you choose between the two ski resorts, Cotos and the Fuenfría valley in the same day. In return, on snow days you have to fight for parking and check the state of the M-601 before you leave.
Presupuesto orientativo: 70–130 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Hotel Rural Luces del Poniente** (Small hotel): A hotel built for quiet
Luces del Poniente is a small country hotel on Calle Lina de Ávila, in the lower part of Cercedilla, about 45 minutes from Madrid. It is designed for resting: it limits the number of children aged 0 to 10 staying at any one time (families should check before booking) and rents the whole hotel to companies who want to meet without other guests. The rooms look onto the valley, the pine woods or the Sierra de Guadarrama, depending on which one you get.
Fourteen doubles, almost all different
It has 14 rooms, all doubles, with beds together or apart as you choose, television, heating, hairdryer, toiletries, a kettle with tea and coffee and a desk, and a lift to all floors. The categories:

Hydromassage suite: views of the sierra, a hydromassage bath in the room and a bathroom with shower and bath.
Fireplace suite: fireplace, freestanding clawfoot bath and views of the sierra.
Room with terrace and lounge: its own lounge and a terrace over the valley, designed for long stays.
Rooms with terrace: five, each decorated in its own way, with a private terrace.
Duplex: its own staircase up to an attic bedroom, with a freestanding bath and a shower.
Exterior doubles: three, bright and quiet.
Attic room: sloping ceilings and views; the most secluded in the house.
Ground floor: no stairs, with a window onto the garden and a walk-in shower.

Some admit an extra bed or a cot; the attic room does not, and the ground-floor room is not recommended for them.
A pool at 33 degrees
The hydromassage pool, heated to 33 degrees, is open from 20 March to 10 November and is for guests only; in season it is included. If you want to make the most of your last day, late check-out until 16:00 costs €40 per room with a pool (€50 in the hydromassage suite) or €30 without one.
Breakfast and meals in the house
Breakfast is a buffet from 8:30 to 11:00. The hotel restaurant serves lunch and dinner with a terrace over the sierra and a menu of afternoon snacks in between.
Booking, arrival and surroundings
When you book directly there is no advance payment, cancellation is free up to 48 hours before and there is a discount from two nights. The Navacerrada pass and its slopes are about 10 minutes away by car, and the Fuenfría valley, with the Roman road, about the same. Without a car, the C-8 commuter train reaches Cercedilla from Madrid and the hotel explains on its website how to continue. Telephone 918 52 55 87, WhatsApp 699 925 402.
- **Hostal La Maya** (Hotel): In the heart of Cercedilla
La Maya has been a guesthouse and restaurant since 1982, at Calle Carrera del Señor, 2, in the centre of Cercedilla. It is simple, practical accommodation: you sleep in the village, the commuter-train station is a few minutes' walk away and the restaurant is on the floor below, open until 1:00 every day.
Fifteen doubles
It has 15 double rooms, with a double bed or two beds, television, free wifi and a full bathroom; some have a balcony and the website says which ones have air conditioning. There is heating. If you book on their website they take 10% off the price, and the booking is made directly with the establishment. The website does not publish prices, whether breakfast is included, check-in and check-out times, or what the policy is on dogs or parking: ask on 91 852 22 52 or 91 852 12 67. It has its own published cancellation policy.
A base for the snow and the Fuenfría without a car
It is a practical base for the sierra: you arrive by train from Madrid and sleep in the village. By car, the Navacerrada pass is 12 km away by road and Valdesquí a little over half an hour, so you can head up early and come back down for dinner without hunting for a space at the pass. From here you can do the Navacerrada Pass ski resort or Valdesquí in a day, as in the Sunday of skiing at Valdesquí, and in summer the Fuenfría valley is a few kilometres away.
Eat without going out
Downstairs you have the La Maya restaurant, with a holm-oak charcoal grill at weekends, afternoon snacks and a terrace, part of it covered all year round.
By the A-6 and the M-622, or on the C-8
C/ Carrera del Señor, 2. From Madrid, take the A-6 and the M-622, or the C-8 commuter train to Cercedilla.
- **Hotel Rural Las Rozuelas** (Small hotel): A 1940 stone house in the oak wood
Las Rozuelas is a stone house from 1940, restored as a country hotel and blended into the mountainside, at Carretera de las Dehesas, 45, in an oak wood halfway up the Fuenfría valley, above Cercedilla. It is not in the village or on the main road: you reach it by a short forest track and what surrounds you is woodland. Cercedilla has mild summers and cold, damp winters, often with snow.
Eight rooms
Two attic suites of 40 and 28 m² with a balcony-terrace and views of the Fuenfría pass, Majalasna and Montón de Trigo; two doubles of 20 m² under a timber roof; and double rooms with a 1.80 m bed that splits into two. All have a minibar, television and free wifi; rooms 1 to 4 also have air conditioning. The website does not publish prices outside its booking system, nor check-in and check-out times, nor whether pets or children are allowed: ask on 629 829 288.
Breakfast by the fireplace
Breakfast is the house speciality: a generous buffet with quality produce, included in the price, served in the lounge with its wood fire and large windows onto the garden and the forest. The lounge is always open to guests, with board games, and outside there are several terraces. The hotel does not advertise a restaurant for lunch and dinner, so go down to Cercedilla to eat: La Maya is in the centre, open all day.
Getting here and parking
Along the Las Dehesas road, leaving Cercedilla: at kilometre point 1.8, going uphill, a 160-metre forest track branches off to the left with a sign saying "Las Rozuelas". Parking is private and free, an advantage in a valley where the Las Dehesas car park works by reservation and charges on the busiest days.
What you have on foot
The Fuenfría Visitor Centre and the Fuenfría Roman road are a few minutes away; the Navacerrada pass and the Schmid Path are a quarter of an hour by car.
### Servicios
- **Fuenfría Visitor Centre and Las Dehesas Car Park**: National Park information in Cercedilla · Las Dehesas car park by reservation and fee only, 240 spaces
- **Cotos Pass Car Park and Peñalara Visitor Centre**: Free car park with 250 spaces, open 24 hours · On snow days it fills up before 8:00

## Car-free: Car-free, by commuter train and bus
The sierra is easy to reach without a car, and on snow days it is the calmest way to go: the bus does not have to look for parking. Cercedilla is the base, with a train from Madrid.
Presupuesto orientativo: 60–110 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir without a car
- **Hotel Rural Luces del Poniente** (Small hotel): A hotel built for quiet
Luces del Poniente is a small country hotel on Calle Lina de Ávila, in the lower part of Cercedilla, about 45 minutes from Madrid. It is designed for resting: it limits the number of children aged 0 to 10 staying at any one time (families should check before booking) and rents the whole hotel to companies who want to meet without other guests. The rooms look onto the valley, the pine woods or the Sierra de Guadarrama, depending on which one you get.
Fourteen doubles, almost all different
It has 14 rooms, all doubles, with beds together or apart as you choose, television, heating, hairdryer, toiletries, a kettle with tea and coffee and a desk, and a lift to all floors. The categories:

Hydromassage suite: views of the sierra, a hydromassage bath in the room and a bathroom with shower and bath.
Fireplace suite: fireplace, freestanding clawfoot bath and views of the sierra.
Room with terrace and lounge: its own lounge and a terrace over the valley, designed for long stays.
Rooms with terrace: five, each decorated in its own way, with a private terrace.
Duplex: its own staircase up to an attic bedroom, with a freestanding bath and a shower.
Exterior doubles: three, bright and quiet.
Attic room: sloping ceilings and views; the most secluded in the house.
Ground floor: no stairs, with a window onto the garden and a walk-in shower.

Some admit an extra bed or a cot; the attic room does not, and the ground-floor room is not recommended for them.
A pool at 33 degrees
The hydromassage pool, heated to 33 degrees, is open from 20 March to 10 November and is for guests only; in season it is included. If you want to make the most of your last day, late check-out until 16:00 costs €40 per room with a pool (€50 in the hydromassage suite) or €30 without one.
Breakfast and meals in the house
Breakfast is a buffet from 8:30 to 11:00. The hotel restaurant serves lunch and dinner with a terrace over the sierra and a menu of afternoon snacks in between.
Booking, arrival and surroundings
When you book directly there is no advance payment, cancellation is free up to 48 hours before and there is a discount from two nights. The Navacerrada pass and its slopes are about 10 minutes away by car, and the Fuenfría valley, with the Roman road, about the same. Without a car, the C-8 commuter train reaches Cercedilla from Madrid and the hotel explains on its website how to continue. Telephone 918 52 55 87, WhatsApp 699 925 402.
- **Hostal La Maya** (Hotel): In the heart of Cercedilla
La Maya has been a guesthouse and restaurant since 1982, at Calle Carrera del Señor, 2, in the centre of Cercedilla. It is simple, practical accommodation: you sleep in the village, the commuter-train station is a few minutes' walk away and the restaurant is on the floor below, open until 1:00 every day.
Fifteen doubles
It has 15 double rooms, with a double bed or two beds, television, free wifi and a full bathroom; some have a balcony and the website says which ones have air conditioning. There is heating. If you book on their website they take 10% off the price, and the booking is made directly with the establishment. The website does not publish prices, whether breakfast is included, check-in and check-out times, or what the policy is on dogs or parking: ask on 91 852 22 52 or 91 852 12 67. It has its own published cancellation policy.
A base for the snow and the Fuenfría without a car
It is a practical base for the sierra: you arrive by train from Madrid and sleep in the village. By car, the Navacerrada pass is 12 km away by road and Valdesquí a little over half an hour, so you can head up early and come back down for dinner without hunting for a space at the pass. From here you can do the Navacerrada Pass ski resort or Valdesquí in a day, as in the Sunday of skiing at Valdesquí, and in summer the Fuenfría valley is a few kilometres away.
Eat without going out
Downstairs you have the La Maya restaurant, with a holm-oak charcoal grill at weekends, afternoon snacks and a terrace, part of it covered all year round.
By the A-6 and the M-622, or on the C-8
C/ Carrera del Señor, 2. From Madrid, take the A-6 and the M-622, or the C-8 commuter train to Cercedilla.
### Servicios
- **C-8 Commuter Train to Cercedilla and C-9 Bus to Cotos**: C-8 train from Madrid to Cercedilla · The C-9 to Cotos, closed for works since May 2024, with a replacement bus
- **Bus 691 Madrid (Moncloa) – Valdesquí**: Intercity bus from the Moncloa interchange to the Navacerrada Pass, Cotos and the Valdesquí car park
- **Fuenfría Visitor Centre and Las Dehesas Car Park**: National Park information in Cercedilla · Las Dehesas car park by reservation and fee only, 240 spaces

## As a family: First snow an hour from home

The sierra is the place to try snow with children without staying overnight: beginner slopes with a magic carpet, lessons from age 4 and snowshoeing for those who do not want to ski. Set out early and head home before the road ices over.

### What works best
Pradera de Valdesquí: a Pradera-only lift pass at €26 and magic carpets to start on

Lower area of the Navacerrada Pass: easy slopes and a children's lift pass from €22

Guided snowshoeing with the pass's school, gentle walks through the forest

The Fuenfría Roman road, with little or no snow

### Where to sleep
Hostal La Maya, in the centre of Cercedilla, with a restaurant downstairs

Las Rozuelas, with spacious suites and a lounge with a fireplace

### Where to eat
Covered picnic area in the La Pausa building at Valdesquí, for packed sandwiches

Pancake snacks at La Maya, on the way down

### Worth knowing
At Valdesquí, little ones aged 5 to 8 get free mini-motorbikes in high season

There are no sledging areas in the National Park

Private lessons from age 4 at the Navacerrada school, one instructor per child

### Qué hacer as a family
- Skiing at Valdesquí
- Guided snowshoeing from the Puerto de Navacerrada
- Skiing at the Puerto de Navacerrada resort
- Fuenfría Roman road from Las Dehesas

## With teenagers: Snowpark, ropes and a bit of a challenge

With teenagers, the sierra offers a full day of snowboarding or a proper mountain route. What gets them hooked is the snowpark and the views from Siete Picos.

### What works best
Park Center at Valdesquí: boxes to start on and rails for those who already jump

Freestyle lessons at the Valdesquí school

Guided snowshoeing through the National Park

Schmid Path and Siete Picos, 11.2 km, outside the snow season

### Where to sleep
Luces del Poniente if you are after peace and quiet

Hostal La Maya to get around Cercedilla on foot

### Where to eat
Mirador café at Valdesquí, at 2,000 metres

Venta Marcelino on the way down

### Worth knowing
The snowpark is not covered by the lift pass: you use it at your own risk

In fog, nobody goes up the Siete Picos ridge

### Qué hacer with teenagers
- Skiing at Valdesquí
- Guided snowshoeing from the Puerto de Navacerrada
- Camino Schmid and Siete Picos, a circuit from the pass
- Fuenfría Roman road from Las Dehesas

## Consejos

### Leave before eight
With snow, by nine there is no room at Cotos or at the pass.

### Reserve the Valdesquí car park
It is free and guarantees you a space.

### Carry chains
Even if the sun is shining in Madrid, the M-601 may require them.

### Check the report the day before
The open pistes, and the price of the Valdesquí lift pass, depend on the snow.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### Is the Navacerrada ski resort open?
Its lower area opens when there is snow; the upper area, in Segovia, is under a final court order of dismantling. Check its report before going.

### How much does skiing at Valdesquí cost?
In the 2026-2027 season, €47 for the adult day lift pass with more than 11 km open, €36 with less and €26 for Pradera.

### Can you go to the snow by train from Madrid?
Yes, on the C-8 to Cercedilla and the bus that replaces the C-9 to the pass and Cotos, or on bus 691 from Moncloa.

### Where can you go snowshoeing near Madrid?
At the Navacerrada Pass and at Cotos, with a guide from the pass school or on your own with snowshoes hired at Valdesquí.

### Can you go sledging?
In the National Park there are no sledging areas and it is not recommended.

### When is there snow at Navacerrada?
Normally from December to March, with January and February the most reliable months.