El Atazar - GR-88. Loop

Estimated time:

Maximum altitude:

Altitude difference/gradient:

GETTING THERE:

The village of El Atazar is 79 km to the north of Madrid City. For arriving there the best option is by car, taking the A-1 motorway until exit 60 towards El Berrueco. There, follow indications to “”Presa de El Atazar” (El Atazar dam), cross over it and continue to the village. Normally there are car places by the church.

DESCRIPTION:

From the church, go down towards a valley at the East. There is a track that passes by the cemetery. Then turn northwards descending the valley.

Follow this track that passes first some orchards by the stream and then enters an oak wood (Quercus pyrenaica). You will arrive to a sort of pass with some farm buildings and pastures amid the bushes. Follow the way up and notice a path with a barrier to the right, because you will need to take it later. It is a part of the long distance trail GR-88, marked with red and white signs.

Through the bushes (Cistus ladanifer) the track takes you continuously climbing, arriving to a pine forest (Pinus sylvestris).

View from Collado de la Pinilla of the long track that has conducted to this mark.

Here, at a junction, take the way to the right and at the highest point start the descent following the top of the ridge. A path and some cairns will help you. At a certain point, a wide deforested band (to cut forest fires propagation) will help you in the way down. Notice a planted pin forest on the left because at this point there is a path that goes opposite, only marked by a cairns. Take it and through dense bushes it will take you to the initial track, after passing two streams. Once at the pass and the original track, again take it upwards about 100 m until the deviation to the right.

The way down will be the same one. Except that this you can choose a nice path at the point shown in the next photograph, after Collado El Torrejón.

By-pass to a signalised path GR-88 that goes to El Atazar.

This new path will take you to an oak forest. It is wide at the beginning (track) but only a thigh path after taking the last deviation to the right. It takes you along the slope, only descending a little bit, till the foot of the hill where the village is situated.

MAPS AND PROFILE: