UpToWhereWhat can you see from Peñalara?
Madrid's weekend mountain has lakes carved by Ice Age glaciers barely an hour from the capital.
From Peñalara, the terrain-limited line of sight reaches up to 294 km. The single farthest piece of visible terrain lies 294 km to the north-northwest (bearing 326°), at 2,414 m elevation. These results account for Earth's curvature and standard atmospheric refraction, computed from 30-meter resolution Copernicus GLO-30 elevation data across 2,272,489 terrain samples.
Open the interactive visibility map →Visibility by direction
The horizon is most open toward the north-northwest, where sightlines run 244 km on average; terrain closes the view down fastest to the south-southeast, at 83.3 km.
| N | 187 km | |
| NNE | 160 km | |
| NE | 99.4 km | |
| ENE | 89.3 km | |
| E | 161 km | |
| ESE | 176 km | |
| SE | 146 km | |
| SSE | 83.3 km | |
| S | 154 km | |
| SSW | 156 km | |
| SW | 113 km | |
| WSW | 112 km | |
| W | 149 km | |
| WNW | 170 km | |
| NW | 191 km | |
| NNW | 244 km |
Farthest named landmarks in view
97 named peaks, hills and headlands stand inside this viewshed. These are the farthest ones you could pick out on a clear day:
| Landmark | Visible distance | Direction | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Picos del Fontán | 294 km | NNW · 326° | 2,414 m |
| Peña Ubiña | 292 km | NW · 326° | 2,417 m |
| Alto de la Cañada | 288 km | NW · 323° | 2,157 m |
| Moncalvo | 281 km | WNW · 303° | 1,761 m |
| Cueto Mirallo | 277 km | NNW · 330° | 2,182 m |
| Sierra de la Cabrera Baja | 275 km | NW · 305° | 1,636 m |
About Peñalara
Peñalara, at 2,428 metres, is the highest peak in the Sierra de Guadarrama and the highest point in the Community of Madrid, rising less than 90 kilometres from the capital. Ice Age glaciers carved a series of cirques into its eastern face, leaving behind more than twenty small lakes and ponds, including the Laguna Grande de Peñalara, that now shelter amphibians found almost nowhere else in central Spain. The area became a protected natural park in 1990 and was later absorbed into the larger Sierra de Guadarrama National Park, created in 2013.
Did you know?
- Glacial cirques on Peñalara's eastern flank hold more than twenty lakes and ponds, an unusual concentration for central Spain.
- Laguna de los Pájaros, one of its glacial lakes, is a protected refuge for rare mountain bird species.
- Spain's oldest mountaineering club, the Real Sociedad Española de Alpinismo Peñalara, took its name from the peak when it was founded in 1913.
- The ski slopes at Peñalara's foot, around Puerto de Navacerrada, rank among Spain's oldest, with organised skiing there dating back to the 1910s and 20s.
- On clear winter days the snow-capped Sierra de Guadarrama is visible from the streets of Madrid itself.
Frequently asked questions
How far can you see from Peñalara?
On a clear day the terrain allows a line of sight of up to 294 km from Peñalara. The average visible distance across all 360 directions is 149 km. Atmospheric conditions (haze, humidity) usually reduce practical visibility below the terrain-limited maximum.
What is the farthest point visible from Peñalara?
The farthest terrain visible from Peñalara lies 294 km to the north-northwest, at an elevation of 2,414 m. Earth's curvature and atmospheric refraction are accounted for in this calculation.
How high is Peñalara?
The observation point at Peñalara sits at 2,434 m above sea level (Copernicus GLO-30 elevation model).
How is this visibility map calculated?
UpToWhere traces lines of sight in 360 directions from the observer using 30 m-resolution Copernicus terrain data, correcting for Earth curvature and standard atmospheric refraction. You can run the same analysis for any point on Earth with the free calculator.
Run your own analysis
Want to know what you can see from your house, a summit you're planning to climb, or a plot of land? UpToWhere computes the same 360° viewshed for any point on Earth in seconds — free.
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