Peñalara Natural Park
The Peñalara Natural Park ( Spanish : Parque Natural de Peñalara ) is a natural park of 768 hectares in the central Sierra de Guadarrama , part of the Iberian Divisional Mountains in Spain . The highest point is at a height of 2,430 msnm of Pico Peñalara in the northwest of the park. The park borders the municipality of Rascafría in the northwest of the autonomous community of Madrid . In the park there are three small trough valleys , two moraines and a chain of lakes, the formation of which can be traced back to glaciers . The area was declared a Natural Park in June 1990 by the Autonomous Community of Madrid.
The park's vegetation is composed of shrubs in higher mountain areas, pastures and forest pine forests in lower areas. In the highest areas, alpine grasses and pure rock dominate. Frequently observed bird species in this area are z. B. the bluethroat , the wheatear , the brown elk and the red chalk . Among the birds of prey, the black vulture and the golden eagle are notable. In addition, small mammals and amphibians such as the fire salamander can be found in the lakes . The park can be reached via several paths, all of which lead to the Puerto de Cotos (Cotos Pass), the tourist center of the region. The park, which is very popular on public holidays, offers opportunities for hiking, climbing and, during the winter, skiing.
geography
.JPG)
The Peñalara Natural Park is located in the southeast of the Peñalara summit, which, at 2,430 meters, is the highest point in the Sierra de Guadarrama. The western border is determined by the ridge that stretches from the south-southwest to the north-northwest and is formed by the Pico Peñalara in the north and the "Dos Hermanas" (German: two sisters ) in the south. The lowest point of the park is 1,640 meters high and is located in the eastern part.
The slope of the slope points to the southeast, with the maximum elevations in the west. In the northern area of the ridge there are two prominent rocks with difficult access. The northernmost of them is the "Risco de los Pájaros" (German: Vogelfelsen ) with a height of 2,334 meters. A little further south is the "Risco de los Claveles" ( clove rock ), which, at 2,388 meters, is the second highest peak in the entire Sierra de Guaderrama. The remaining elevations are less prominent. To the south of it is the summit of Peñalara and continuing on this axis is the “Hermana Mayor” ( Big Sister ) with a summit of 2,285 meters from which you have a good view of the peaks and the lakes. At the southern border of the park, the "Hermana Menor" ( little sister ) stretches out with its 2,271 meters. Apart from this ridge there is southeast of the Hermana Menor approximately midway between the Puerto de Cotos (Cotos Pass) and the Cirque of the Peñalara the rock "Los Quesos" with a rounded summit of 2,032 meters.
One of the most interesting places in the park is the Peñalara mountain basin, formed by glaciers, a little to the east of the middle between the summit of the Peñalara and the Hermana Mayor. It is located at around 2,000 to 2,050 meters, the enclosing granite walls rise from around 2,200 to around 2,400 meters. There are also two other mountain basins, albeit of a smaller size.
Hydrography
There are around 20 small lakes in the park, the formation of which can be traced back to glaciers. They are all located south of the large rock faces in a relatively flat area between 2,000 and 2,200 meters above sea level. One of the larger is called "Laguna de los Pájaros" ( lagoons of the birds ) and is located in the northeast of the rock of the same name. 500 meters on a path to the south are the lagoons of the carnations and several small water holes between the rock of the carnations and the eastern slope of the Peñalara. Further south, in the Peñalara basin, lies the largest lake in the park, the “Laguna de Peñalara” ( Peñalara Lake ), also known as the “Laguna Grande” ( Big Lake ). It has a rounded shape and is most popular with hikers.
About 500 meters further to the southeast is the less well-known "Laguna Chica" ( small lake ), from which you can enjoy an excellent view of the "Hermana Mayor", the summit of the Peñalara and the mountain basin. All lakes are frozen over from December to around March.
In autumn and spring, i.e. the wetter seasons, several small streams flow from the larger lakes and form small waterfalls. The “Arroyo de los Pájaros” (German: brook of birds ) springs from the “Laguna de los Pájaros” , and the same applies to the “Laguna de Peñalara”. All watercourses flow eastwards and flow into the Lozoya .
geology
The relief of the park results in a strong contrast between the respective northern low plateau and the southern one. They both belong to the central plateau . In the Carboniferous Age (about 300 to 360 million years ago) a starting material from ancient granites and sediments began to fold and transform - the origin of gneiss .
These materials break up during the Permian (250 to 300 million years ago). Magma begins to penetrate to the surface, from which the granites are formed. In the last phase of this age, the Peñalara massif was raised.
Since the end of the Paleozoic Era and during the Mesozoic Era (between 250 and 65 million years ago), erosion led to the erosion of the mountains. During this final phase, sea flooding occurred, exposing submarine areas to the surface (it is possible that the sierra was just a tiny islet just above the sea at the time) and causing sedimentary basins that covered the plains and filled with debris that should become limestone.
In the Cenozoic , or Tertiary (between 65 and 1.8 million years ago), the processes that led to the elevation of the Peñalara massif and the formation of blocks as we find them today began again. The erosion of the rocky massif led to the filling of the basin with arcoses . The glacier activity of the Quaternary (1.8 million years ago to today) completed the formation of Kars of Peñalara and its walls from.
After that, the consolidation of the rivers gave the surface its final shape. Today granite is the predominant rock.
Web links
information
- Official website of the Peñalara Natural Park
- Royal Spanish Alpine Muscle Society Peñalara
- Information about the history of the park
Hiking routes
- Ascent to the top of Peñalara (Spanish)
Coordinates: 40 ° 51 ′ N , 3 ° 57 ′ W