Puerto de Navacerrada
Spain, europe
17.72 km
1,860 m
hard
Year-round
# Puerto de Navacerrada: Spain's Alpine Pass
Sitting pretty at 1,860 meters (6,102 feet) in the Sierra de Guadarrama, Puerto de Navacerrada straddles the border between Castile and Leon and Madrid in central Spain. It's the kind of place that feels like you've driven straight into the mountains.
You've got three solid options to reach the summit—CL-601, M-601, and C-604—all beautifully paved with some genuinely steep sections that'll get up to 10.7%. Fair warning though: this pass gets *busy*. Like, all year round busy. But that's because it's incredible.
The ascent from Alpedrete is the more popular route at 17.72 km, climbing 948 meters with an average gradient of 5.3%. If you prefer the southern approach from Collado Villalba, it's slightly longer at 18.4 km but a touch gentler at 5.2% average grade (though you're still gaining 953 meters). Either way, the road is impeccably maintained throughout.
At the top, there's a ski station waiting for you, and the pass has earned its stripes hosting the legendary Spanish Vuelta cycling race. Pretty cool considering they've been driving over this summit since 1788—the original route has been connecting these regions for over two centuries. Whether you're chasing Alpine scenery, attacking steep climbs, or just soaking in some serious mountain vibes, this one checks all the boxes.
Where is it?
Puerto de Navacerrada is located in Spain (europe). Coordinates: 41.1854, -2.9873
Road Details
- Country
- Spain
- Continent
- europe
- Length
- 17.72 km
- Max Elevation
- 1,860 m
- Difficulty
- hard
- Coordinates
- 41.1854, -2.9873
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