What to do · Navacerrada Pass and Cercedilla
Camino Schmid and Siete Picos, a circuit from the pass
Information
- Price
- Independent · free
- Duration
- 5 h
- Distance
- 11.2 km
- Season
- All year without snow; in winter, with snowshoes or crampons and experience
- Who it's for
- Used to walking in the mountains
- With a dog
- On a lead throughout the National Park
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.
Tips
- Carry a map The official leaflet recommends it: on the ridge the paths cross and fog comes in quickly.
- Shortcut If you are short of time or legs, return from the Fuenfría along the same Camino Schmid.
- Watch the time for the return In autumn the light goes early and the ridge is the last part of the route.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the route?
11.2 km as a circuit, with a maximum ascent of about 325 metres.
How long does it take?
About five hours with stops.
Can you do it in winter?
With snow, only with snowshoes or crampons and experience, or with a guide.
Where do you park?
At the Navacerrada pass; on snow days arrive early or go up on the 691 bus.
Can you go with a dog?
Yes, on a lead, as in the whole National Park.
With teenagersWith a dog
