Top 8 Mountain Passes around El Arenal

The Serranillos Pass is one of the most iconic mountain passes in the Sierra de Gredos, famous for its beauty and for being a historic stage in the Vuelta a España (Hinault's legendary stage in 1983). Views of the Cinco Villas Valley and the Gredos peaks. Spectacular scenery throughout the climb. Signage with gradient and remaining distance information. Ideal for linking up with Puerto del Pico, Pedro Bernardo, and Mijares for an epic stage.

The Pedro Bernardo Pass is one of the classic climbs in the Sierra de Gredos mountains, highly prized by cyclists and a regular feature of races like the Vuelta a España. First section: Up to the village (Pedro Bernardo), with gradients of 5-6%, a road in good condition, and spectacular views of the Tiétar Valley. Urban section: In the village, the gradient eases, even offering some flatter sections. Second section: After the village, the asphalt becomes rougher, and the toughest kilometer (7-8%) appears, followed by a "balcony" section with incredible views and a sustained 5% gradient to the summit.

It's a very quiet pass with hardly any traffic, especially in its final section. The eastern slope, which starts from Arenas De San Pedro, has two very distinct sections. The first, to the village of El Arenal, is very gentle and always runs under an extensive pine forest. When you reach El Arenal, in the village itself, the gradient increases, and then there are 6 km left with an average gradient of 7% and some 10% slopes. The views from the pass are beautiful and it exudes a spiritual tranquility. In summer, it's highly recommended to climb it early in the morning to take advantage of the cool morning air. The western slope connects with the climb to Puerto del Pico, and the climb begins in Ramacastañas. Although not as well-known as other passes in the Sierra de Gredos, I have to admit that I loved it. Here's the link to visit the altimetry created by @cyclingcols, the best at this --> cyclingcols.com/col/Centenera

Altitude 2,032 m. The ascent is from the Domingo Fernando platform. This route is of medium-high difficulty, approximately 13 km long and has a 1,000 m elevation gain. Well signposted. The trail dilutes at some points, but you can't get lost.

The Puerto del Arenal in the Tiétar Valley is a very popular hiking route in the Sierra de Gredos. This route, known as PR-AV 45, connects the Tormes Valley with the Tiétar Valley through the town of El Arenal.

The Puerto de Pedro Bernardo is the younger brother of the Puerto de Serranillos. Almost every time this port has been climbed in a professional race it is linked to the Puerto de Serranillos, only the second being considered a port. However, the Puerto de Pedro Bernardo is in itself a hill where you can go from the valley where the CL-501 road runs (where the town with the same name is located) to the valley of the Puerto de Pico, where Esteban del Valle and Mombeltrán are located. The chain with Serranillos is the most typical, as I said previously, although it is also worth chaining it with the Puerto de la Centenera or the Puerto del Pico. The road is rough, with hardly any shoulder and very little traffic. It is a very pleasant port to climb... as long as the heat is not suffocating.

It is a very quiet port with hardly any traffic, especially in its final part. The eastern slope, which starts from Arenas De San Pedro, has two very well differentiated parts. The first, to the town of El Arenal, is very gentle and always passes under an extensive pine forest. When you reach El Arenal, in the same town, the slope increases and then we have 6 km left with an average slope of 7% and some ramps of 10%. The views of the port are very beautiful and there is spiritual tranquility. In summer it is highly recommended to climb it first thing in the morning to take advantage of the coolness of the morning. The west slope connects with the climb to Puerto del Pico and the climb begins in Ramacastañas. Without being as well known as other ports in the Sierra de Gredos, I have to admit that I loved it. I leave you the link to visit the altimetry prepared by @cyclingcols, the best at this --> http://www.cyclingcols.com/col/Centenera

The Serranillos pass is one of the great classics of the Tour of Spain as it passes through the Sierra de Gredos. As the Vuelta has almost always ended in Madrid, the Gredos and Guadarrama mountain ranges offered very interesting alternatives to trace mountain stages in the last stages. The port of Serranillos is very iconic in the Sierra de Gredos for several reasons: type of port (long and long), rough and irregular road (but in good condition) and dryland landscape with little vegetation (very typical of this inland area of the Iberian Peninsula). The Serranillos port presents many climbing alternatives: - On its eastern side, there are 2 alternatives: from Burgohondo (the classic one, along the main highway AV-913) and from Navalosa along the AV P-419 highway, which joins the previous one in Navarrevisca. - on its west side, is where we will find more alternatives. I have come to count up to 5 alternatives. They are the following: (1) climb through Santa Cruz del Valle, starting from the N-502 and taking the AV p-706 highway, to later reach San Esteban del Valle and from there to the top; (2) leaving Mombeltrán on the AV-922 highway towards San Esteban del Valle and from there to the top; (3) starting from Cuevas del Valle and passing through Villarejo del Valle on the AV P-706 highway, reaching San Esteban del Valle and from there to the top; (4) starting from the N-502, in the middle of the climb to the Pico pass, taking a road that takes us to the Mirador de la Carretera del Sidrillo and to Esteban del Valle, and from there to the top; (5) previously crossing the Pedro Bernardo port on the AV-922 highway Although I have only done alternative 4 on the eastern slope by bike, they are all very similar. The slopes are gentle and the views, as there is little vegetation, cover a lot of territory.