SAC scale T1–T2 in the gorge, T2–T3 above Prionia
Litochoro → Enipeas Gorge → Prionia → Refuge A → Zonaria → Apostolidis
- Distance
- 21 km
- Ascent
- +2,850 m
- Time
- 9–11.5 h
- Start elevation
- 305 m
Tap or click a waypoint for its name and elevation; arrows show the direction of travel. The waypoint table below carries the same points, with elevations and cumulative distances.
Elevation profile
Climbs from 305 m to 2,697 m over 21 km. Elevations are smoothed DEM samples — hover or drag the profile for a reading.
Why choose this route
The complete pilgrimage: 2,700 m of ascent from Litochoro's plane trees to the Plateau of the Muses along the historic E4, through one of Greece's finest gorges, with no car needed at any point.
The route, stage by stage
Stage lengths are measured along the mapped track. The split times share the published 9–11.5 h out between the stages by distance and climb — scree, scrambling and route-finding take longer than that arithmetic suggests, so read the splits as a rhythm rather than a schedule, and add your own stops.
Climbs 100 m over 1.8 km to Myloi gorge entrance (400 m) — 1.8 km from the trailhead, about 40 min of walking.
The old watermills, with a fountain, where the E4 leaves the road for the gorge.
Climbs 50 m over 2.1 km to Portes narrow passage (450 m) — 3.8 km from the trailhead, about 40 min of walking.
Approximate position — "the Gates", the tightest point of the gorge.
Climbs 110 m over 2.8 km to Kastana / 7th bridge (560 m) — 6.6 km from the trailhead, about 55 min of walking.
The last of the seven wooden bridges over the Enipeas, and the Agio Spilaio cave chapel of St Dionysios a little further on, beside the path. Storm Daniel took out at least three of the seven — by user reports the three closest to Litochoro — and they were still down in July 2026.
Climbs 290 m over 2.1 km to Old Monastery of Agios Dionysios (850 m) — 8.7 km from the trailhead, about 1 h 10 min of walking.
Approximate position. Fountain on site, reached by a short wooden-bridge detour; worth the stop.
Climbs 160 m over 0.5 km to Enipeas spring (1,005 m) — 9.2 km from the trailhead, about 25 min of walking.
The last easy water before Prionia. It is a roadside spring on the paved Litochoro–Prionia road, a few hundred metres above the gorge path, so the mapped track passes below it.
Climbs 100 m over 1.9 km to Prionia parking (1,100 m) — 11.1 km from the trailhead, about 40 min of walking.
Here the gorge route joins the standard Prionia line. Taverna and springs, and the last resupply of the route.
Climbs 1,000 m over 5.5 km to Spilios Agapitos refuge (Refuge A) (2,100 m) — 16.6 km from the trailhead, about 3 h 30 min of walking.
110 beds, mid-May to end of October, meals and water. Quoted at 2,100 m by the refuge and OSM, 2,060 m by Greek guidebook tradition. Last water on every line that passes it.
Climbs 380 m over 1.5 km to Zonaria fork (2,480 m) — 18 km from the trailhead, about 1 h 10 min of walking.
Where the E4 to Skala parts company with the Zonaria traverse to the plateau. A west-side source places this junction at 40.08139, 22.36142; the OSM way junction used here is the eastern reading.
Climbs 220 m over 2.6 km to Giosos Apostolidis refuge (2,697 m) — 20.7 km from the trailhead, about 1 h 5 min of walking.
The goal — highest staffed refuge in the Balkans, run by SEO Thessaloniki, open June–October with 66–80 beds and a glass emergency room that is always unlocked. Tap water is melted snow and not potable; bottled water is sold. OSM tags 2,690 m against the refuge's own 2,697 m.
Getting back to your car
- No car to recover — start and finish in Litochoro.
- Descend any route to Prionia or Gortsia and take a taxi or hitch the road back down to town.
- Or simply reverse the gorge, which is a fast and pleasant descent.
Things to know
- The gorge E4 is officially closed and still unrepaired — see the alert at the top of this page. The marked official detour leaves the gorge at Myloi and climbs by the Agio Spilaio cave and the Agios Dionysios monastery to Prionia: 11 km, +742 m, about 5.5 h. Walkers have been fording the riverbed instead, which is knee-deep, slippery and adds an hour, and it is not what the signage tells you to do.
- The gorge is slower than the map suggests — constant short climbs and descents make it the most complex forest section of the E4.
- Plan the night at Refuge A; almost nobody does this in one day.
- The old monastery merits the short detour.
- Last resupply is the Prionia taverna.
- Published figures vary widely: 20–22 km and 2,750–2,950 m of cumulative ascent, because Litochoro–Prionia alone is quoted as anything from 9 km (measured from Myloi) to 11.7 km. Net height gain is a firm +2,392 m.
- The Portes passage and the monastery coordinates here are approximate, taken from nearby E4 nodes.
Conditions
- Water
- Plentiful up to Prionia: fountains at Myloi and the monastery, a spring at 1,005 m and the Prionia springs, then Refuge A. Nothing above Refuge A. River water should be treated.
- Exposure
- Minimal in the gorge, just a few railed rocky shoulders above the river, though flash floods are a real concern after storms. Above Prionia the exposure is that of the Prionia–Zonaria route.
- Season
- The gorge is walkable for most of the year; the upper section only from late June to October.
- Crowding
- Busy near town with waterfall day-trippers and busy again from Prionia to Refuge A. Quiet in the middle of the gorge.
Waypoints
| Waypoint | Elevation | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Litochoro squareΛιτόχωρο | 305 m | 0 km |
| Myloi gorge entranceΜύλοι | 400 m | 1.8 km |
| Portes narrow passageΠόρτες | 450 m | 3.8 km |
| Kastana / 7th bridge | 560 m | 6.6 km |
| Old Monastery of Agios DionysiosΠαλαιό Μοναστήρι Αγίου Διονυσίου | 850 m | 8.7 km |
| Enipeas springΕνιπέας | 1,005 m | 9.2 km |
| Prionia parkingΠριόνια | 1,100 m | 11.1 km |
| Spilios Agapitos refuge (Refuge A)Καταφύγιο Σπήλιος Αγαπητός | 2,100 m | 16.6 km |
| Zonaria forkΖωνάρια | 2,480 m | 18 km |
| Giosos Apostolidis refugeΚαταφύγιο Γιόσος Αποστολίδης | 2,697 m | 20.7 km |