Peñalara Natural Park

The Peñalara Natural Park is a natural park of 7.68 km² in the northwest of the Community of Madrid, Spain.The park is situated in the central zone of the Sierra de Guadarrama, in Spain. The reserve includes Peñalara's summit, the highest peak of the mountain system, and an area to the south-east of the peak in Rascafría district. The Community of Madrid declared the area a natural park in June 1990.The zones of lowest altitude hold white pine forests and grasslands. Bushes grow higher up in the mountains, which are predominantly composed of alpine meadows and rocky areas. The park is home to the black vulture and the Spanish imperial eagle, and also many small mammals and amphibians.The park is accessible from Puerto de Cotos, the region's center of tourism. Especially popular on the holidays, the reserve provides a venue for hiking, mountain climbing, and skiing.GeographyPeñalara Nature Reserve is located in the zone of highest elevation on the southeastern slope of Peñalara Peak, with its 2.428 kilometers the highest in the Sierra de Guadarrama, in the high part of Lozoya Valley, and in the district of Rascafría. It covers a rough rectangle of 7.68 square kilometers. The coordinates of the reserve's central zone are 40° 50′ N 3° 57′ W.