Climbing Mt. Olympus, Greece — What You Need To Know (2022)

In this video, I’ll take you with me to the summit of Mount Olympus and share everything you need to know before taking it on yourself.

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Mytikas is the highest peak in Greece, part of the Olympus massif near the Thermaic Gulf of Aegean Sea. The mountain range has over 52 peaks and deep gorges.

In ancient mythology, ‘Olympus’ was home to the twelve Olympian gods: Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, and more. Geographically, this range acted as a feature that would unify Greece and the Hellenic Regions; it was a shared place that was recognized as divine by all. It is estimated that 10,000 people climb Mount Olympus each year, most of them reaching only the Skolio summit.

Climbing Mount Olympus is a non-technical hike, except for the final section from the Skala summit to the Mytikas peak, which is a YDS class 3 rock scramble. “Scrambling with increased exposure. Handholds are necessary. A rope should be available for learning climbers, or if you just choose to use one that day, but is usually not required. Falls could easily be fatal.”

The Hiking Route:

Prionia: is the starting point and trailhead of Mt. Olympus national park. Driving from Thessaloniki, it will take around 1.5 hours to reach the parking lot. It’s also possible to take a bus from Thessaloniki to Litochoro, then hire a taxi to drive you 30 minutes to Prionia (30 euros).

From the trailhead, it will take around 2-3 hours to reach Refuge A, also known as Spilios Agapitos. Here you can sort out accommodations for the night and buy a whole range of food, snacks, drinks, and more. The path is clearly marked with ‘E4’ tagged along the route up. If planning on visiting during the busy season, it would be wise to pre-arrange a bunk on the Mt. Olympus website, as the refuge can fill up quickly. It costs 18 Euros for the night and they accept cash and a card – sometimes the machine doesn’t work so it’s recommended to bring some extra cash.

Refuge A to Skala takes around 2 hours. Skala is the most summited peak in Mt. Olympus. This portion of the climb is relatively simple and safe, but exhausting nonetheless. The to Skala is a great deal of cardio, traversing ridges of the mountain, with long portions of moderate uphill hiking. It is recommended that novice climbers bring hiking poles. These will drastically help remove tension off of the calves and thighs for such extensive uphill hikes.

The final push to Mytikas. From Skala, this should take around 30-45 minutes. Until this point the hike is non-technical. For this leg of the summit, climbers should exercise increased caution due to exposure to slipping. This is a scramble, so the use of both hands and feet will be necessary to safely make it to the top. Sections of this climb are quite steep, so it’s also important to bring shoes with some grip. Runners and sneakers should be avoided, especially. Going slow and steady, most reasonably fit hikers should have no problem making it to the top of Mytikas.

Mt. Olympus is a great entry level climb. From the beautiful national park, to the refuge experience, and the intimidating final push to Mytikas, Olympus offers an awesome jumping off point for anyone looking to get into mountaineering.

If you have any questions, please leave them down below in the comments and I’ll make sure to help out as best I can.