Golyam Perelik
2,191 m
Bulgaria
Also known as Голям Перелик, Goljam Perelik, +2Also known as
Голям Перелик · Goljam Perelik · Großer Perelik · Γκολιάμ Περελίκ
- Elevation
- 2,191 m
- Prominence
- 895 m
- Difficulty
- 1/10
- Easy walk
- Best Season
- Jun–Sep
- Routes
- 1
Summit not accessible
The summit is inside the fenced area of a military radar unit; walks end at the barrier below it.
bg.wikipedia.org
Routes
1A short, easy walk on a stony track from Perelik hut (1,960 m) across open meadows to the barrier of the military base that occupies the summit. About 3 km and 200 m of ascent; 1 hour up. The highest point itself is a closed military zone.
This route ends at Closed-area boundary, about 120 m from the summit, which is not accessible. Distance, ascent and times are to that point.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 3.5 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +215 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 2,165 m
- Time Up
- 1h 14m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 1h 06m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Drive or walk to Perelik hut (1,960 m) in the Sovatya area; a 6 km asphalt road branches off the Smolyan (Pamporovo)–Shiroka Laka–Devin road at the Prevala locality. Shortly before the hut the asphalt becomes a stony cart track that continues, without junctions, to the summit. Follow the track west across wide meadows to a small chapel with a gazebo, from where the summit buildings with their yellow domes come into view. Waymarks cut across the next meadow, but the simplest line is to stay on the track, past the so-called Bears' House, to the barrier with prohibition signs below the summit. The highest point lies inside the fenced area of military unit 36920, a radio-technical reconnaissance detachment; the walk ends at the barrier, from where the top is in sight. The area is under video surveillance and guard dogs are kept on the base. Return the same way. In winter a tracked vehicle uses the track, which makes the walk possible in all seasons. Longer approaches lead from Smolyan (about 3 hours to the hut), from Shiroka Laka (about 3½ hours to the hut) or along the red-and-white ridge path from Lednitsata hut, which skirts the base below the summit.
Start
Perelik hut1,963 m
- No public transport to Perelik hut was found; buses run to Smolyan and Shiroka Laka, from where marked trails lead to the hut in 3–3½ hours.
Waypoints
- Hut: Perelik hut1,963 m
- Waypoint: Closed-area boundary2,165 m
not on route line
- Waypoint: Closed-area boundary2,165 m
Summit not accessible beyond this point
Key Passages
- Open meadows beyond the chapel
- Barrier of the military base below the summit
Equipment
0/3 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
The highest summit of the Rhodope Mountains (2,191 m), a broad juniper-covered dome 19 km west of Smolyan. The top is occupied by a military radar base, so walkers stop at the barrier just below it after an easy hour from Perelik hut.
Golyam Perelik is the high point of the Rhodopes, the vast, rolling upland that fills southern Bulgaria. It rises above the resorts of Pamporovo and the town of Smolyan as a wide, grassy and juniper-covered massif rather than a distinct peak, with the slightly lower Shirokolashki Snezhnik (also called Orfey) and other tops of similar height nearby. The Rhodopes rank seventh among Bulgaria's mountains by height, after Rila, Pirin, the Balkan Mountains, Vitosha, Osogovo and Slavyanka.
The summit is occupied by military unit 36920, a radio-technical reconnaissance detachment, whose domed buildings are visible from far away. Public access ends at a barrier below the fence, and the track and hut area are under video surveillance. The peak still counts among Bulgaria's 100 National Tourist Sites, with the stamp kept at Perelik hut and the Chepelare tourist information centre.
For walkers the attraction lies less in the summit than in the open ridges around it: the red-and-white ridge path to Lednitsata hut and Gela, the E8 long-distance path from the Smolyan Lakes, and the descent to Smolyan through the Smolyan waterfalls canyon.
Climbing Notes
Technically trivial: from Perelik hut it is about 3 km and 200 m of ascent on a stony track, about 1 hour to the barrier. Most visitors drive to the hut; walkers can make a full day of it from Smolyan (about 3 hours to the hut) or Shiroka Laka (about 3½ hours), or combine it with the ridge walk to Lednitsata hut (about 10 km, 3½ hours). Do not try to enter or circumvent the military zone. In winter a tracked vehicle keeps the track usable and the hut is open with advance booking; late snow can make the ridge traverse impassable as late as May. The plateau is exposed to wind, fog and summer thunderstorms.
History
Perelik hut was built in 1936–1938 by tourists from Shiroka Laka and rebuilt in 1959. Wikipedia's statement that the summit is closed has been flagged as dated since 2013, but sources from 2022–2023 still describe the barrier and prohibition signs.
Season
Best Jun–Sep- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Good
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Good
- November: Possible
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Snow; hut open with advance booking; snowshoes
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Snow cover
- Apr
- Snowmelt
- May
- Late snow can block the ridge paths
- Jul
- Thunderstorms possible
- Aug
- Thunderstorms possible
- Sep
- Stable weather
- Oct
- Cooler; fog more frequent
- Nov
- First snow
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Perelik hut (operated by the Perelik tourist society, Shiroka Laka; 25 beds in winter, 35 in summer) is open all year; book ahead for winter stays and national holidays.
- Rules
- The summit lies inside the fenced area of military unit 36920; entry is prohibited and public access ends at the barrier below it
- The hut area and the summit track are under video surveillance
- Getting There
Smolyan; Shiroka Laka; Chepelare
Plovdiv Airport (PDV)
- By car: at the Prevala locality on the Smolyan (Pamporovo)–Stoykite–Shiroka Laka–Devin road, take the 6 km asphalt road to Perelik hut; parking at the hut
- On foot: marked trails from Smolyan (about 3 hours) and Shiroka Laka (about 3½ hours) to the hut; E8 path from the Smolyan Lakes hut
- No public transport to the hut was found
Hazards
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
1- 1,960 m
Perelik hutHutStaffed
35 beds · All year (25 beds in winter, 35 in summer)