Makryplagi
1,369 m
Greece
Also known as Μακρυπλάγι, MakriplagiAlso known as
Μακρυπλάγι · Makriplagi
- Elevation
- 1,369 m
- Prominence
- 1,041 m
- Difficulty
- 3/10
- Mountain hike
- Best Season
- Mar–May
- Routes
- 1
AdvisoryReported 5 Jun 2026
A severe wildfire in May 2021 burned much of the Geraneia forest. A June 2026 trip report found old paths heavily overgrown with thorny kermes oak and some completely blocked; waymarks are missing in burnt areas. Carry a recent GPS track.
belleelene.comAdvisoryReported 26 May 2025
Wind-farm plans: campaigners reported in May 2025 that a licence for turbines on Makryplagi had been cancelled, but that up to 145 turbines are planned elsewhere in the Geraneia, 121 of them with producer certificates. Construction roads may change access in future.
anagnostis.org
Routes
1A forest walk from Dartiza (about 440 m), a meadow with sheepfolds in the heart of the range, up the Lakka Papa ravine past several springs to the saddle at Treis Portes, then east on a faded mountain path to the antenna top (about 1,350 m) and along the ridge to the 1,369 m summit. Roughly 9.5 km and 950 m of ascent one way.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 11.7 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,252 m
- −321 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 1,369 m
- Time Up
- 6h 17m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 5h 02m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Dartiza lies at the mouth of the Lakka Papa ravine, reached by car from Agioi Theodoroi (asphalt, then about 5 km of good dirt road past sheepfolds) or from Loutraki along the road to the summit antenna. There is an iron roadside shrine and a water pipe with a tap beside the track. The path runs between the sheepfolds and the meadow and follows the ravine on a clear forest path, passing four springs, to a saddle near Treis Portes (1,151 m) in about 1½ hours. At the saddle paths branch west to Loutraki, north to the Gkoura spring and Alepochori, and east towards Aeras and the summit. The route to the top follows an old mountain path east with faded waymarks, steeply up the last forested slope to the communications antenna on the eastern top (about 1,350 m), then about 1 km west along the ridge to the true summit (1,369 m, trig point). The western flank of the mountain is steep and broken; the east side is gentle and cut by forest roads. Return the same way, or descend north via the Gkoura spring (water even in summer) on a mule path to the coast road at Alepochori, about 2 hours from the summits to the spring and a 6-hour day in all as a traverse. Much of the range burned in May 2021: below about 900 m paths may run through burnt forest and dense regrowth of thorny kermes oak, and waymarks have been lost in places, so carry a recent GPS track.
Start
Ντάρτιζα438 m
- KTEL buses run between Megara and Alepochori (useful for the traverse finish); there is no service to Dartiza, which needs a car or taxi from Agioi Theodoroi or Loutraki.
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ντάρτιζα → Μακρυπλάγι | 11.7 | 1,252 | 321 | 6h 17m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Ντάρτιζα438 m
Dartiza; dirt-road end at the mouth of the Lakka Papa ravine, iron shrine and water tap; position from the hellaspath.gr GPS track
- Col: Τρεις Πόρτες1,143 m
Path junction on the saddle near Treis Portes (1,151 m, OSM 38.02848, 23.11471); the saddle elevation is read from the GPS track and is approximate
- Feature: anrenna gerania1,346 m
OTE communications antenna on the eastern top (about 1,350 m); OSM name is misspelt
- Summit: Μακρυπλάγι1,369 m
Key Passages
- Forest path up the Lakka Papa ravine
- Path junction on the saddle at Treis Portes
- Steep forested climb to the antenna top
- Ridge walk west from the antenna to the summit
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 50%Overview
The 1,369 m high point of the Geraneia, the forested range on the isthmus between the Gulf of Corinth and the Saronic Gulf, about an hour's drive west of Athens. A long forest hike leads to a ridge with an antenna on its eastern top and views over both seas.
The Geraneia mountains run for about 30 km from Megara to Loutraki, filling the northern part of the Isthmus of Corinth between the Gulf of Corinth, the Alkyonides gulf and the Saronic Gulf, on the border of West Attica and Corinthia. Makryplagi ('long slope') is the highest summit. Its western side is steep and broken; the eastern side is gentle and crossed by forest roads, one of which leads from Loutraki to an OTE communications antenna on the eastern top (about 1,350 m). The true summit, with a trig point, is about 1 km further west along the ridge. Older sources and topoguide.gr give the height as 1,351 m, which appears to be the antenna top; hellaspath.gr, SummitPost and OpenStreetMap give 1,369 m for the main summit.
The range is covered in Aleppo pine, with Greek fir on the higher ground, and is part of the Natura 2000 network; around 950 plant taxa have been recorded, many of them rare or endemic. Wolves live here, reputedly the southernmost pack in Greece. A large wildfire in May 2021 burned much of the forest, and in many places the old paths are now overgrown with thorny kermes oak and lack waymarks.
Makryplagi is not a mountaineering objective but a long, quiet day walk close to Athens, with views across both gulfs to the Peloponnese and Parnassus. Expect forest paths, springs in the ravines, sheepfolds and few other walkers.
Climbing Notes
Fitness for a 5–7 hour walk with about 950 m of ascent is all that is needed; there is no technical ground. The main difficulty is route-finding: waymarks are old, faded or burnt, and post-fire regrowth hides the paths, so load a recent GPS track and wear long trousers. The classic approach is from Dartiza, a meadow with sheepfolds reached by dirt road from Agioi Theodoroi, up the Lakka Papa ravine to the Treis Portes saddle and east to the summit ridge; strong walkers can traverse north via the Gkoura spring to Alepochori on the Gulf of Corinth. The best months are October to May. Summer is very hot, and from May to October the forest is at high fire risk: never light fires, and check fire-risk warnings, as access to forests can be restricted on very high-risk days. Shepherds' dogs guard flocks at the sheepfolds.
History
The Geraneia are named in ancient sources: during the Peloponnesian War the Corinthians and their allies held its heights before marching on Megara. Myth derives the name from the cranes (geranoi) whose cries guided Megaros, son of Zeus, to safety on its summits during Deucalion's flood. In 2025 local campaigners reported that a licence for wind turbines on Makryplagi had been cancelled after objections, while plans for up to 145 turbines elsewhere in the range were still being contested.
Season
Best Mar–May- January: Good
- February: Good
- March: Best (best window)
- April: Best (best window)
- May: Best (best window)
- June: Possible
- July: Possible
- August: Possible
- September: Good
- October: Best
- November: Best
- December: Good
- Jan
- Mild; occasional snow on the summit ridge
- Feb
- Occasional snow on the summit ridge
- Mar
- Cool, clear days; springs flowing
- Apr
- Spring flowers
- May
- Warm; start early
- Jun
- Hot; fire-risk season begins
- Jul
- Very hot and dry; high fire risk; start at dawn
- Aug
- Very hot and dry; high fire risk
- Sep
- Still warm; fire risk persists
- Oct
- Cooler, stable weather
- Nov
- Cool; shorter days
- Dec
- Short days; possible rain and snow
Access & Permits
- Rules
- Natura 2000 site: stay on paths and do not light fires; during the summer fire season the Greek civil protection authorities may close forest areas on days of very high fire risk
- Getting There
Loutraki
Athens (ATH)
- Car: Athens–Corinth motorway to Agioi Theodoroi (about 1 hour from Athens), then under the motorway, left at the fountains and right towards the Monument of the 50 Fallen; asphalt becomes a good dirt road for about 5 km to Dartiza
- Car: from Loutraki follow the road towards the OTE antenna for about 15 km, then turn left for about 3 km to Dartiza; the same road continues to the antenna on the eastern top
- Bus: KTEL buses run between Megara and Alepochori, the usual finish of the northern traverse
Hazards
- Weather