Mirador del Cerro de San Pedro
The rounded granite summit of Cerro de San Pedro, rising to around 1,420 metres just north of Colmenar Viejo, rewards a moderate hike with a 360-degree panorama that sweeps from the Guadarrama peaks all the way south to the Madrid skyline glinting on the plain. On clear winter days after snowfall on the sierra, the view is simply jaw-dropping.
The hike up
The most popular approach starts from the hamlet of El Molar or from tracks north of Colmenar Viejo, following waymarked paths through holm-oak scrub and granite boulders typical of the Madrid sierra.
The ascent takes roughly 1.5 to 2 hours at a comfortable pace and involves no technical scrambling — just steady uphill walking on well-defined trails.
What you see from the top
To the north the snow-capped ridgeline of the Sierra de Guadarrama fills the horizon, with the distinctive profile of La Pedriza's granite walls visible to the northwest.
Swing south and the entire metropolitan sprawl of Madrid stretches across the meseta, with the Cuatro Torres skyscrapers identifiable on clear days from over 40 kilometres away.
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