Moderate Route 3 Balcón del Tajuña - Valdelaguna
Valdelaguna, Comunidad de MadridRoute 3 Balcón del Tajuña - Valdelaguna
Valdelaguna · Comunidad de Madrid 23.6km Distance
2h Duration
778m Max altitude
e-Bike Type
Moderate About this route
Important to indicate: Warning: shared space with motor vehicles.
The “Balcón del Tajuña” is a scenic route through the high plateaus of Mediterranean forest, olive groves, and crops of the municipalities of Valdelaguna and Perales de Tajuña, connecting several sections of the local hiking trail Ruta de las Fuentes to reach the edge of the slopes of holm oaks, junipers, kermes oaks, thymes, lavenders, and other aromatic plants that cover the slopes that fall towards the great alluvial plain of the Tajuña valley.
The area offers extraordinary views of the splendid vega of the Madrid river and the towns of Perales de Tajuña and Morata de Tajuña. The natural balcony is on a narrow and somewhat stony path, ideal for cyclotourists who enjoy technical and simple trails. The path is flat and the cycling level is one hundred percent, a fun one-kilometer stretch to link the mountain of La Mesa with the paths that descend to the stream of Morata.
The return route to Valdelaguna runs through the trenches excavated in the gypsum cliffs that form the unique geological structure of the stream of Morata for the “quarry train” of Colmenar de Oreja, the popular Tren Arrancacepas, which preserves the signage of a Green Trails itinerary at several points of interest.
During the ascent, various rural paths cross the layout of the old railway line. The gentle slope and the design of the curves define the path of the old railway to the agricultural steppes where the stream of Cañada de Valviejo originates. The area of the Fuente de Valviejo, along the path and on the itinerary of the Ruta de las Fuentes, features tree cover and recreational area. The last point of interest is a shepherd's hut on the Camino de los Tintos, closing the route by the airfield of Valdelaguna.
Type of surface:
- Path/road sections: 20.4 km
- Asphalt sections: 0.8 km
- Trail sections: 1.1 km
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Featured Route 3 Balcón del Tajuña - Valdelaguna
Route 3 Balcón del Tajuña - Valdelaguna
Route 3 Balcón del Tajuña - Valdelaguna
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Points of interest on the route
Discover unique places to stop and enjoy.
water_drop Agua Tejera Spring
It is one of the springs included in the local route of the Route of the Springs of Valdelaguna. The troughs have been reconstructed and there are pools and ramps to favor the natural habitat of amphibians and the ecosystem of the marsh vegetation. The spring is an important piece of the natural and ethnographic heritage of Valdelaguna in an environment of crops and Mediterranean forest. The flow level is stationary, it depends on the precipitation and the climate, at some times of the year it may be dry.
forest forest Naturaleza
Nava Lookout
The Nava mountain (775 m) or "La Nava" is the highest point in the municipality of Valdelaguna, a rural area of crops and open vegetation of high-quality Mediterranean forest on the striking limestone reliefs that distinguish this area from the Tajuña valley, a good place in the high plateaus of Valdelaguna to see Bonelli's eagle, bustard, great bustard, Iberian bustard, and the rest of the seasonal steppe birds. And also rabbits, hares, partridges, and foxes throughout the year.
place place Otro
Cuttings from the Stump Puller Train
The spectacular trenches of the old railway of the Tren Arrancacepas or Colmenar Train reveal the curious materials and geological structures that expose the railway architectures to facilitate the passage of trains, opening narrow gorges in the primitive “arrows” of gypsum and the whitish limestones of the moor of the Morata stream valley. The next section of the route is a pleasant walk along the path of the old “stone train.
castle Edificio Hut of the Tintos
Shepherd's huts abound in the moors and fields of the Madrid valleys, appearing in all municipalities and in different states of conservation, they are a sample of the traditional circular huts made of simple masonry and conical vault with a vent built for the shelter of local shepherds and farmers during agricultural work. The Hut of the Tintos is well preserved in the ditch of the road. About 150 meters later, another smaller stone hut appears on the edge of a cultivated field.
forest forest Naturaleza
Tajuña Balcony
The route runs through the limestone moors of Valdelaguna to the beginning of the slopes that descend towards the meadow of the Tajuña River and the orchards of Perales de Tajuña. The path glides along the edge of the mountain among holm oaks, kermes oaks, junipers, gall oaks, hawthorns, salvias, thymes, lavenders, and the rest of the flora and scrub of Mediterranean mountain, offering extraordinary views of the Tajuña River valley. On the hillside, there are hardly any crops, and it serves as a refuge for wildlife with valuable botanical and forest ecosystems.