Sierra de Gredos: trekking to the glacial lake at the foot of the Almanzor

There's something startling about the thought that just a couple of hours' drive from Madrid lies a granite amphitheatre with a glacial lake, ibex grazing on the slopes and starlit nights without a single light around. The Sierra de Gredos, in the heart of Castile and León, is exactly that: a stern, silent range that the people of the capital know by name but that few actually walk. The crowds stay down low, in the spa towns and picnic spots, while the high mountain belongs to those willing to climb.

The classic route

The classic route sets off from the Plataforma de Gredos, the parking area you reach by heading up the Tormes valley. From there the trail crosses the flats of Prado de las Pozas and climbs gently to the Barrerones pass, where the view over the great glacial cirque opens up for the first time. You then descend towards the Laguna Grande de Gredos, the dark sheet of water set beneath the walls, with the Elola hut on its shores. This is where many pitch camp or stop for the night, because the lake at sunset and dawn, once the day's buses have left, delivers the most intense moment of the whole itinerary.

Towards the Almanzor

Those who want to push further aim for the Pico Almanzor, the highest summit of the Spanish Central System, which towers over the cirque like a spire. The final climb is easy but exposed mountaineering terrain, to be tackled only with experience and in good conditions; for most walkers the goal remains the lake and the scenic passes around it, rewarding enough in themselves. All along the route you'll often spot the Iberian ibex, which here has grown perfectly used to human presence and lets itself be watched at close range.

How demanding the walk is

In terms of effort, the walk out to the Laguna Grande is a long hike but with no technical difficulty, with an elevation gain that makes itself felt on the final stretch yet is within reach of anyone who walks regularly. The trail is well marked and signposted. If instead you opt for the full traverse of the cirque or the ascent of the Almanzor, the grade rises considerably and you'll need sure footing on rock. It pays to set off early, both for the light and to avoid the afternoon storms that at altitude can arrive out of nowhere.

Getting there

To get there, a car is the most convenient option: you reach the village of Hoyos del Espino and from there the road up to the Plataforma. Without your own vehicle access is trickier, since public transport serves the valley floors but not the trailheads. It's worth spending a night in the villages of the Tormes valley, where the hospitality is simple and genuine, so you can be on the trail in the early hours.

When to go

The best months are late spring and early autumn. May and June offer meadows still green, streams running full and sometimes a lingering tongue of snow in the highest gullies, while September brings clear air and still days. It's precisely by choosing these periods, and avoiding the heart of July and August when even Gredos has its crowded days, that you'll find the mountain at its most solitary. On weekdays out of season you can walk for hours and cross paths with hardly anyone.

A practical tip: at altitude there's no guaranteed drinking water beyond the streams, so it's best to set off well stocked and with warm layers even if it's hot down in the valley, because the wind on the cirque changes everything. And if you can, stay overnight near the lake or set out at dawn: it's in those empty hours, when the granite glows pink and the ibex come down to drink, that the Sierra de Gredos shows why it's worth the journey.

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