1 of 37: The Puerto de Cotos is our trailhead.
2 of 37: The view of Peņalara from below La Cabeza de Hierro.
3 of 37: From high up on the PR 27 route to Cabeza de Hierro, Peņalara looks formidable.
4 of 37: The Venta Marcelino at Cotos is a convivial starting point.
5 of 37: Sledding and snowballing bring many families here.
6 of 37: Hiking in the park is pleasant all year around.
7 of 37: We leave Venta Marcelino behind as we start the climb.
8 of 37: Trails are well marked and documented.
9 of 37: The sign warns that you need crampons and ice ax in winter.
10 of 37: The last homely structure before we head into the wild.
11 of 37: As we get above the tree line, we can enjoy the Cabezas de Hierro to the east.
12 of 37: Signposts point us in the right direction.
13 of 37: After about thirty minutes, we approach the Laguna Grande.
14 of 37: The Refugio Zabala looms above the Laguna Grande, but it is not on our route today.
15 of 37: Here is a class of mountaineers getting ready to practice self arrest skills with their ice axes.
16 of 37: The higher we climb, the wider the vistas get: here we see Valdemartin and Bola del Mundo to the east.
17 of 37: We are level with the Laguna Grande now, and notice that it is frozen over.
18 of 37: The stunted trees are covered with wind blown rime ice.
19 of 37: The rime ice gives rise to fantastic shapes.
20 of 37: We are about ninety minutes out now, and pass under the rocky cliffs of Peņalara's south face.
21 of 37: We occasionally run across mountaineers climbing rock and ice.
22 of 37: We leave the Valley of Rascafria far below.
23 of 37: After two hours, we reach the corridor that we plan to follow to the summit.
24 of 37: Ice axes in hand and crampons on foot, we start our climb.
25 of 37: The occasional "repiso" afford us rest stops.
26 of 37: But there is plenty more ground to cover, and it is rather steep.
27 of 37: Zig zags take some of the sting out of the steepness of the slope.
28 of 37: But it is still a long, slow plod.
29 of 37: There are more adventurous routes to follow, for the daring.
30 of 37: At last, the summit ridge!
31 of 37: And a rime-covered geodesic marker awaits us at the summit.
32 of 37: The views in all directions are great, but I particularly like the look south east to Siete Picos.
33 of 37: The strong winds that blow over Peņalara have created some substantial cornises of overhanging snow.
34 of 37: It is a dizzying sight to look down from the top.
35 of 37: We discern a lone climber as he reaches the summit ridge.
36 of 37: We are looking down on the frozen Laguna Grande now, and it is showing us our route back down.
37 of 37: This map shows alternate routes, all of which offer great scenery and hiking challenges.
From the Venta Marcelino, we head to the Laguna Grande and then bear northeast to pass under the south face of Peņalara.
Because of its proximity, Peņalara draws many people who are inadequately prepared for its alpine conditions. Surprisingly, a number of people have died on the mountain in the past several years.
The line we will follow is the continuous snow gully that leads directly to the summit. It will take over ninety minutes to summit. The perspective is considerably foreshortened.
The End
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1 of 37: The Puerto de Cotos is our trailhead.
From the Venta Marcelino, we head to the Laguna Grande and then bear northeast to pass under the south face of Peņalara.