Gortsia → Petrostrouga → Skourta → Laimos → Apostolidis

Distance: 11.3 km
Ascent: +1,725 m
Time: 5–7 h
Start elevation: 1,100 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 1,100 m to 2,697 m over 11.3 km. Elevations are smoothed DEM samples — hover or drag the profile for a reading.

Why choose this route

The gentlest-graded, best-marked and fastest walking route to the plateau. There is no scrambling anywhere, two staffed refuges break up the climb, and the Aegean sits at your back the whole way up. If you only walk one line to Apostolidis, this is it.

The route, stage by stage

Stage lengths are measured along the mapped track. The split times share the published 5–7 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 350 m over 2 km to Barba meadow (rest kiosk) (1,450 m) — 2 km from the trailhead, about 1 h 15 min of walking.
First clearing with a shelter, roughly an hour above the car.
Climbs 300 m over 2.5 km to Strangos junction (1,750 m) — 4.5 km from the trailhead, about 1 h 15 min of walking.
Signed junction for the ten-minute detour to the Ithakisios cave. The old water tank here no longer gives water.
Climbs 190 m over 0.6 km to Petrostrouga refuge (1,940 m) — 5.1 km from the trailhead, about 35 min of walking.
72 beds, run by the Hellenic Rescue Team and open more or less year-round. Drinks and water are sold here. Published elevations range 1,919–1,950 m.
Climbs 540 m over 2.7 km to Skourta peak (2,476 m) — 7.8 km from the trailhead, about 1 h 50 min of walking.
Where the alpine zone and the 360° views begin. Height given as 2,476 m (OSM) or 2,485 m depending on source.
Contours 0.7 km, near enough level, to Laimos ridge (2,500 m) — 8.5 km from the trailhead, about 15 min of walking.
The "neck" between the Enipeas gorge and the Papa Rema drops — a wide path along a narrow crest, airy rather than technical in summer.
Climbs 70 m over 0.7 km to Giosos Pass (2,568 m) — 9.2 km from the trailhead, about 20 min of walking.
Πέρασμα Γιώσου — short rocky step onto the plateau rim; fixed rope when snowed. Greek guidebooks also call it the Step (Σκαλιά) of Giosos. Tagged in OpenStreetMap as a saddle at 2,568 m.
Climbs 30 m over 0.3 km to Plateau rim fork (2,600 m) — 9.5 km from the trailhead, about 10 min of walking.
Approximate position, a few minutes above the Giosos Pass. Left for Kakalos, right for Apostolidis.
Climbs 50 m over 0.7 km to Christos Kakalos refuge (2,648 m) — 10.2 km from the trailhead, about 15 min of walking.
Optional — a 400 m spur off the direct line to Apostolidis. About 17 beds, 15–20 minutes across the plateau from the main refuge.
Climbs 50 m over 0.4 km to Giosos Apostolidis refuge (2,697 m) — 10.6 km from the trailhead, about 10 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

Out-and-back down the same trail, 3.5–4.5 h.
The recommended loop: descend Zonaria to Prionia, then cover the 4–4.5 km road link back to Gortsia on foot (45–60 min, downhill), by hitchhiking (easy in season) or by taxi.

Things to know

Start early: there is no water on the route and the forest half gets hot.
Book Petrostrouga and Apostolidis ahead in July and August.
Many maps label this trail E4, but the official E4 goes via Prionia.
The Olympus Marathon uses this path, so expect trail runners in late June.
Published figures vary: 11–11.6 km one-way and 1,700–1,750 m of ascent; the 13.4 km length quoted on one site is an outlier and was discarded. Trailhead elevation is quoted as either 1,100 m or 1,137 m.
The short rocky Giosos Pass (Πέρασμα Γιώσου, 2,568 m) gains the plateau rim; a fixed rope protects it while the step is snowed.

Conditions

Water: Famously dry. There is no reliable source on the direct line, so carry 2–3 L. Drinks and water are sold at Petrostrouga. At Apostolidis the tap water is not potable and bottled water is sold.
Exposure: None below Skourta. Laimos is a wide path along a narrow ridge with big drops on both sides — airy rather than technical in summer, but dangerous in wind, fog or snow.
Season: Snow-free from mid-June to October. From November to early June you need crampons and an axe, and Laimos corniches.
Crowding: The most popular route to the plateau, though still quieter than Prionia–Refuge A. The parking fills early on summer weekends.

Waypoints

Waypoint	Elevation	Cumulative
Gortsia (Diastavrosi) parkingΓκορτσιά / Διασταύρωση	1,100 m	0 km
Barba meadow (rest kiosk)Μπάρμπα	1,450 m	2 km
Strangos junctionΣτράγγος	1,750 m	4.5 km
Petrostrouga refugeΚαταφύγιο Πετρόστρουγκα	1,940 m	5.1 km
Skourta peakΣκούρτα	2,476 m	7.8 km
Laimos ridgeΛαιμός	2,500 m	8.5 km
Giosos PassΠέρασμα Γιώσου	2,568 m	9.2 km
Plateau rim fork	2,600 m	9.5 km
Christos Kakalos refugeΚαταφύγιο Χρήστος Κακκαλός	2,648 m	10.2 km
Giosos Apostolidis refugeΚαταφύγιο Γιόσος Αποστολίδης	2,697 m	10.6 km