Cotos Pass Car Park and Peñalara Visitor Centre

The car park at the Cotos pass is free, open 24 hours and has 250 spaces. It closes only when it is full, and road signs and the National Park's social media announce it: at weekends it fills up between 9:00 and 11:00, and with snow, even before 8:00. The Peñalara Visitor Centre does not hire out equipment (no snowshoes, crampons or sledges) and there are no sledging areas in the park.

Car park and massif quota

The car park is part of the regulation of the Peñalara massif. As well as the 250 spaces, the National Park sets a maximum quota of 945 visitors a day for the massif, which includes those who climb, go mountaineering or bivouac. When it is reached, no one can enter until 00:00 the following day. Groups of 15 or more need authorisation and a prior appointment. On weekdays the car park does not normally fill up, except in the snow months.

Before setting out at the weekend, call the Peñalara Visitor Centre (918 52 08 57): they will tell you whether there is quota left and whether the car park is full, and suggest alternative routes around Cotos. According to the Park's website, the centre is open every day from 8:00 to 18:00 and has public toilets, one of them accessible.

Getting here

• From the A-1: exit 69 and the M-604 to Rascafría; then up to the Los Cotos pass.
• From the AP-6: exit 39, the M-601 to the Navacerrada Pass and the SG-615 to Cotos.
• From the M-607: to km 58, then up the M-601 to the Navacerrada Pass and the SG-615.
• Without a car: the 691 bus from Moncloa, the 692 from Cercedilla and the 819 from Rascafría at weekends, or the replacement bus for the C-9 from Cercedilla station.

If the car park is full, the alternative is to come back another day earlier or go up by bus.

What to do from here

From Cotos leaves the network of paths of the Peñalara massif, such as those that climb to the Laguna Grande de Peñalara and to Peñalara peak. In winter, when there is snow and conditions allow, people go ski touring, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowboarding and ice climbing; for snowshoeing at the pass you have to bring your own equipment.

Rules

• You may not leave the marked trails, and some are closed for erosion at certain times of year.
• Dogs must be on a lead and are never allowed in the bivouac.
• Swimming or entering lakes and streams is not allowed.
• You may not pick plants, mushrooms or stones.

For lunch, Venta Marcelino is on the Los Cotos pass itself.