La Pedriza is a geological feature on the southern slopes of the

Guadarrama mountain range The Sierra de Guadarrama (Guadarrama Mountains) is a mountain range forming the main eastern section of the Sistema Central, the system of mountain ranges along the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. It is located between the systems Sierra de Gr ...

of great scenic and leisure interest. Access is from

Manzanares el Real Manzanares el Real is a 8,936 inhabitant town (2020 statistics fro in the northern area of the autonomous Community of Madrid. It is located at the foot of The Pedriza, a part of the Sierra de Guadarrama, and next to the ''embalse de Santillana'' ...

, a municipality in the northwest of the

Community of Madrid The Community of Madrid (; es, Comunidad de Madrid ) is one of the seventeen autonomous communities of Spain. It is located in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, and of the Central Plateau (''Meseta Central''). Its capital and largest munici ...

(

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

). Geological forces have created a remarkable boulder field of strangely eroded granitic outcrops, and nearly a thousand

rock climbing Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically and ...

routes of all difficulties are available to rock climbers, making it an immensely popular locale for rock climbers, especially due to its proximity to Madrid.

Hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

is also popular in La Pedriza, especially on weekends. It is one of the largest

granitic A granitoid is a generic term for a diverse category of coarse-grained igneous rocks that consist predominantly of quartz, plagioclase, and alkali feldspar. Granitoids range from plagioclase-rich tonalites to alkali-rich syenites and from quart ...

ranges of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and holds numerous peaks, rocky cliffs, streams and meadows. The 32 square kilometres occupied by La Pedriza lies within the Regional Park of the high river basin of the Manzanares, the largest park of the Community of Madrid. In this zone, vegetation is sparse, but there are Mediterranean shrubs like the rockrose, and alpine varieties like fabaceaes. The fauna is rich in

birds of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predators ...

; the breeding colony of over 100 pairs of

griffon vulture The Eurasian griffon vulture (''Gyps fulvus'') is a large Old World vulture in the bird of prey family Accipitridae. It may also be known as the Griffon vulture, though it may be used for the genus as a whole. It is not to be confused with Rü ...

s is the largest in the Madrid area. This natural area has been the scene of some movie shootings such as ''El Cid'', '' The Fall of the Roman Empire'', or ''

Conan the Barbarian Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero who originated in pulp magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, films (including '' Conan the Barbarian'' and '' Conan the Destroyer'') ...

''.

Restrictions

In 2016 the Community of Madrid introduced new measures to protect the park and address overuse, including restrictions to parking and a prohibition on swimming in the Charca Verde, a popular swimming hole of the Manzanares River within the park. In the summer, until September 30, access to the carpark in Canto Cochino is restricted to 7.30-9.30am and 18.30-22.30 or until all spaces are filled (270). During June, July, August and September, no vehicle is permitted to be in the park overnight. From October 1 to May 31, entrance to the park is until 10.30am and after 4pm on weekends and bank holidays. There is no restriction on weekdays or exit restrictions.

References

{{Authority control Pedriza