Cabeza Líjar Summit – Refugio de la Salamanca loop from Puerto de Guadarrama o Alto del León

Hiking trails & Routes

Cabeza Líjar Summit – Refugio de la Salamanca loop from Puerto de Guadarrama o Alto del León

Moderate

4.8

(41)

283

hikers

Cabeza Líjar Summit – Refugio de la Salamanca loop from Puerto de Guadarrama o Alto del León

04:08

11.7km

420m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: September 2, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through protected areas

Please check local regulations for:

Parque Natural de la Sierra de Guadarrama Norte

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

275 m

Alto del León

Highlight • Mountain Pass

The historic Alto del León is also traditionally called Puerto de los Leones, a name it took in 1939 when the Civil War ended and which it has maintained until the year 2000, when it acquired the official name of Puerto de Guadarrama, after the Madrid municipality where it is located. , or Alto del León, for the sculpture that presides over the roundabout of the mountain pass, both names are reflected on the road sign, at 1,511 meters of altitude, one of the lowest and most accessible geographic hills in the Sierra de Guadarrama that It has been used since ancient times. The original layout of the current road was built in 1749, during the reign of Fernando VI. In the High Middle Ages, the Valathome was disputed by Arabs and Christians, and long before by Romans, and throughout the ages by merchants, travellers, pilgrims, nomadic shepherds and bandits. The Alto del León of the 21st century is a lively mountain pass between Madrid and Segovia with a restaurant famous for its barbecues and several hiking trails in the surroundings, a regular place of active leisure for hikers from the downtown area who are looking for routes with history, botanical curiosities and good panoramic views.

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300 m

Cruz Caído (Fallen Cross)

Highlight • Monument

Everyone interprets it for themselves...

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2.04 km

Bunker on Gamonosa Hill

Highlight • Historical Site

It is a bunker from the Civil War. The location is incredible and its state of conservation is quite good. You can still enter through the trapdoor and descend the wooden stairs. The views of the Guadarrama mountain range and the La Jarosa reservoir are spectacular.

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3.51 km

Cabeza Lijar

Highlight • Summit

3.88 km

Cabeza Líjar Summit

Highlight • Summit

Cabeza Sanding the origins of Hiking Mountaineering in Gudillos.

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4.45 km

Collado de la Mina

Highlight • Mountain Pass

5.39 km

Refugio de la Salamanca

Highlight • Mountain Hut

Refugio de la Salamanca (next to the Hill of the same name at 1785 meters)

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6.50 km

Quarry

Highlight • Structure

9.18 km

Ruins

11.7 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

5.73 km

4.98 km

983 m

Surfaces

5.54 km

5.40 km

750 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Weather

Saturday 17 October

12°C

6°C

21 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 4.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

April 30, 2022,Alto del León 🦁 - Cabeza Lijar ⛰

Hiking Route, from Alto del León (Puerto Guadarrama) to the top of Cabeza Lijar.
Ida by path of the crest of the mountain and return by track, to the Alto del León.
Medium - Low difficulty route with spectacular views of the slopes of Madrid and Segovia.

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February 4, 2023,SEND 04022023 Alto del León - Cabeza Lijar y vuelta.

group of three Very cool route, good physical shape is necessary and for this time, good footwear and be very careful with ice and rocks. Spectacular scenery and several vestiges of the civil war. Very cold, especially at the beginning.

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