Mount Olympus Summit

Dogs Unknown

Features Cave · Fall Colors · Geological Significance · Historical Significance · River/Creek · Spring · Swimming · Views · Waterfall · Wildflowers

A run to the summit of Mount Olympus, the home of the Gods, from the gorgeous little town of Litochoro, with spectacular views, dense and lush forests, and crystal clear water cascading down from the heights.

The climb up to the summit (Mytikas) is an exposed class 3 scramble. Skala is only mildly lower and is much less exposed.

This route starts heading up the north side of the gorge. However, instead of turning right, to head to the hut/restaurant, this continues straight, above the river. After about 4.5 miles, the route takes a right to go up and meet with the road. This is where most people park to begin the route. Up until this point, even on a weekend, I had the route to myself. After this point, not so much (though I did still get a good amount of solitude on the way up, after a mile or two).

It took a mile or two from the parking area before I started to get any sense of solitude again, which was great because there are some really beautiful stretches of trail here. This is also where I started getting some serious climbs (over 20% inclines). Between the incline and the increasing altitude, my pace slowed significantly while my heart-rate headed in the opposite direction.

Kolokithes Spring is a good place to refill water before going above treeline. There are two huts before the final ascent but am unsure of the water options or costs. The Spring is a little way off the trail, but it'll be a while before you have access to water again.

Above the spring is a steep climb to Petrostrouga (Πετρόστρουγκα) hut, where there will be plenty of people gathered for the next stage of the ascent (and, presumably, other things people climb and hike in the area). This hut is just below treeline, and at high altitude, so is a good place to begin to lather on some sunscreen and put on a hat.

From this point the trail heads above treeline, climbing the ridge, and ascending to the Plateau of the Muses (Muses Plateau). If you want to skip the previous hut, it is also possible to take a more direct route by climbing straight up to the ridgeline.

At the plateau you'll find refuge Christos Kakalos (LINK), which is the last manned structure (though it looks like there may be more in the future) before the summit.

From this point you'll be able to see the wall that is drops off from the summits of Mytikas and Skala. Harder to discern is the trail that goes below those summits. However, if you follow the trail around to the left, toward the saddle, you'll be able to see the trail's faint outline.

From the saddle, with some spectacular views to the west side of the mountains, the trail will begin the demoralizing process of descending below the summits (because you'll just have to make up that gain again). After a half-mile or so, there is a way up to the summit on the right. This is a rock-climbing route that legally requires climbing gear and a helmet. However, just a short distance further down the trail is another route up the side of the wall that is a rough class 3 scramble but does not require gear. There are blazes on the rock for you to follow, though they are not always easy to see. It is not for the faint of heart but is a blast if you are willing to take your time, be methodical, and ensure you have good foot and hand-holds.

Follow the ridge up (which is still not for the faint of heart). You'll reach a point that forces you to the right, around a rock, with the aid of some chains and poles. There is a lot of exposure here.

I went back and ascended Skala,

From here, the descent starts. And, it is a fairly steep descent down to Prionia.

After Prionia, the trail follows the river for a ways and goes beneath a monastery. You'll have to cross the river several times and a few of those times, as mentioned above, involve navigating across the river where the bridges have been washed out. This never involved me getting my feet wet but I could imagine it being more tricky at higher flows.

After the final river crossing, the trail ends up on the southern side of the gorge and climbs up away from the river. Just follow the E4 back to Litochoro.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount…