SAC scale T4 with UIAA I–II on Kakia Skala; T5 down Louki
Prionia → Refuge A → Skala → Mytikas → Louki ↓ → Zonaria → Apostolidis
- Distance
- 11.3 km
- Ascent
- +1,900 m
- Time
- 7–9 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
Bag Mytikas — and Skolio, five minutes off the fork — on the way to a night on the plateau, then descend the mountain's most direct couloir instead of backtracking. It is the classic full traverse and the one day that contains everything Olympus has.
The route, stage by stage
Stage lengths are measured along the mapped track. The split times share the published 7–9 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 1,000 m over 5.5 km to Spilios Agapitos refuge (Refuge A) (2,100 m) — 5.5 km from the trailhead, about 4 h 15 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) — 6.9 km from the trailhead, about 1 h 25 min of walking.
On this route you ignore the Zonaria traverse, stay on the E4 and keep climbing toward Skala.
Climbs 320 m over 0.8 km to Skala–Skolio fork (2,800 m) — 7.7 km from the trailhead, about 1 h 5 min of walking.
Skolio is five minutes off the fork if you want a second summit.
Climbs 80 m over 0.3 km to Skala peak (2,882 m) — 8.1 km from the trailhead, about 20 min of walking.
Start of the Kakia Skala scramble and the last bail-out before it. Height given as 2,866 m by Greek guides and 2,882 m by OSM.
Climbs 40 m over 0.5 km to Mytikas summit (2,918 m) — 8.5 km from the trailhead, about 15 min of walking.
The highest point in Greece, reached by the red-marked Kakia Skala ledge-and-slab scramble.
Drops 70 m in almost no horizontal distance to Louki couloir top (2,850 m) — 8.6 km from the trailhead.
Entry to the descent couloir, roughly 150 m high with four steeper steps on polished rock. Downclimb facing in.
Drops 150 m in almost no horizontal distance to Louki couloir base (2,700 m) — 8.8 km from the trailhead.
The Zonaria path passes directly under the Mytikas couloir here. Stone-fall from parties above is the mountain's main hazard; a helmet is worth wearing even if you are only walking through.
Contours 1.2 km, near enough level, to Giosos Apostolidis refuge (2,697 m) — 10 km from the trailhead, about 25 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
- Descend to Prionia via Zonaria and Refuge A, which avoids re-scrambling anything.
- Or descend via Gortsia and cover the 4–4.5 km road link by hitchhiking, taxi or on foot.
Things to know
- A helmet is non-negotiable, and can be rented at Refuge A.
- Never descend Louki wet, icy or snowed. Reverse Kakia Skala and take Zonaria instead: it adds about an hour and is all T3.
- Stay on the red marks at the start of Kakia Skala — the gravel slope to its right has claimed lives.
- Check conditions at Refuge A before committing.
- Phone signal is patchy above 2,500 m. Emergencies: 112.
- Human-triggered rockfall in Louki is the mountain's single commonest accident cause, so climb early and avoid weekend queues.
- Published figures vary: about 11–11.5 km and 1,850–1,950 m of ascent; you top out at 2,918 m.
Conditions
- Water
- Prionia and Refuge A only. Carry 2–3 L for everything above the refuge.
- Exposure
- Severe and sustained on Kakia Skala, with the full Kazania void on your left — a fall there could easily be fatal — and again in Louki, which funnels stones. Cold winds are common on the ridge even on sunny days.
- Season
- Roughly late June to September for non-mountaineers. Louki holds snow the longest and needs crampons and an axe until mid-June, sometimes later.
- Crowding
- Queues form at the slab moves and in Louki on summer weekend mornings. Go midweek and summit early.
Waypoints
| Waypoint | Elevation | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Prionia parkingΠριόνια | 1,100 m | 0 km |
| Spilios Agapitos refuge (Refuge A)Καταφύγιο Σπήλιος Αγαπητός | 2,100 m | 5.5 km |
| Zonaria forkΖωνάρια | 2,480 m | 6.9 km |
| Skala–Skolio fork | 2,800 m | 7.7 km |
| Skala peakΣκάλα | 2,882 m | 8.1 km |
| Mytikas summitΜύτικας | 2,918 m | 8.5 km |
| Louki couloir topΛούκι | 2,850 m | 8.6 km |
| Louki couloir baseΛούκι | 2,700 m | 8.8 km |
| Giosos Apostolidis refugeΚαταφύγιο Γιόσος Αποστολίδης | 2,697 m | 10 km |