Pachnes
2,453 m
Greece
Also known as Πάχνες, mont Pachnès, +1Also known as
Πάχνες · mont Pachnès · гора Пахнес
- Elevation
- 2,453 m
- Prominence
- 2,037 m
- Difficulty
- 2/10
- Hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1The easy way up the White Mountains' highest peak: drive 18–21 km of very rough dirt road from Anopolis through the Madara mountain desert to its end near 1,950–2,000 m, then walk about 400–500 m up a cairned path via the Roussies pass to the summit in 1½–2 hours.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 2.9 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +449 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 2,453 m
- Time Up
- 1h 52m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 1h 16m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
The shepherds' road (the 'Madara' track) leaves Anopolis above Chora Sfakion and climbs north for about 18–21 km through the bare limestone 'mountain desert' of Sfakia, past the Ammoutsera basin, to a dead end at about 1,950–2,000 m at Mavra Gremna. It is not suitable for ordinary cars: a high-clearance 4×4 and an inflated spare tyre are recommended, hire-car contracts usually exclude it, and snow typically closes it from December until May or early June. Locals in Anopolis may offer lifts in pickups. Park clear of the turning space at the road end. From the road end a cairned path leads north-west to the Roussies pass (about 2,140 m), a plateau of red soil between Sternes (2,335 m) and Pachnes where the path to Katsiveli branches off; there is a spring-fed cistern here and a signpost to Pachnes. The path then heads west along the north side of Gavala (2,370 m), joins the ridge and follows it to the summit. There is no exposure and no technical difficulty, though a few short stretches need care on loose stones in descent. Allow 1½–2 hours up (3 if slow) and about an hour down. Walking the whole way from Anopolis is a very long day of about 42 km and 1,750 m of ascent and is not recommended; the old footpath from Anopolis is more direct than the road but needs a night out.
Start
Mavra Gremna2,009 m
- Buses run from Chania to Chora Sfakion; none to Anopolis's road end. Locals in Anopolis may offer 4×4 transfers.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mavra Gremna → Pachnes | 2.9 | 449 | 0 | 1h 52m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Mavra Gremna2,009 m
4×4 road end; elevation given as 1,900–2,050 m by different sources
- Col: Roussies2,132 m
Junction with the path to Katsiveli; cistern
- Summit: Pachnes2,453 m
Key Passages
- 4×4 track from Anopolis
- Roussies pass
- Ridge north of Gavala to the summit
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
The highest summit of Crete's White Mountains (2,453 m), just 3 m lower than Psiloritis, rising from a lunar limestone plateau above Sfakia. A rough 4×4 road from Anopolis turns it into a short summit walk of under two hours.
Pachnes stands near the centre of the Lefka Ori, the White Mountains of western Crete, a high karst plateau with more than thirty summits over 2,000 m. The area around it, often called the mountain desert of Sfakia, is a bare landscape of grey and red limestone, sinkholes and scree with almost no vegetation, and is snow-covered for close to half the year. Shepherds bring sheep up from late May to October.
The peak itself is more a big stony hill than a sharp summit, which some find dull; the reward is the setting and the view across the whole massif, the Libyan Sea to the south and the Aegean to the north. Pachnes was long hard to reach, requiring a night out, until a shepherds' road was built from Anopolis. Now a high-clearance vehicle can reach about 1,950 m, leaving a short walk via the Roussies pass.
Longer approaches from Omalos, Askyfou or Volikas follow the E4 across the range and use the Kallergi and Svourichti (Katsiveli) refuges; they need at least one night out and self-sufficiency, as water is scarce.
Climbing Notes
From the road end the ascent is an easy walk of 1½–2 hours with about 400–500 m of ascent on a cairned path. The real challenges are the access road, which needs a high-clearance 4×4 (not covered by most hire-car contracts) and is closed by snow from about December to May or June, and the weather: avoid the mountain in fog or thunderstorm risk, and expect cold wind even in summer. There is no mobile signal on most of the massif, though the summit usually has coverage.
Carry all your water; the cistern at Roussies may help but should not be relied on. In May and June, frozen snowfields make an ice axe and crampons necessary. Winter ascents are serious undertakings on foot from far below and need experience with crampons and ice axe, but never a rope.
Base yourself in Anopolis or Chora Sfakion. For a multi-day trip, cross the range on the E4 from Omalos via Kallergi and Katsiveli and add Pachnes from Roussies.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Good
- November: Possible
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Snow; road closed
- Feb
- Snow; road closed
- Mar
- Snow; road closed
- Apr
- Snow; road usually closed
- May
- Road often still blocked by snow; frozen snowfields need ice axe and crampons
- Jun
- Road usually open; snow patches; flowers
- Jul
- Snow-free; hot below, cool on the summit
- Aug
- Snow-free; dry
- Sep
- Stable weather
- Oct
- Shorter days; first storms
- Nov
- First snow possible
- Dec
- Snow usually closes the road
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- No refuge on the normal route. The EOS Chania refuges (Kallergi, Svourichti at Katsiveli, Volikas, Tavri) are managed by the Chania mountaineering club (tel. +30 28210 44647); the Svourichti hut is normally locked, with a small open shelter beside it.
- Rules
- Most hire-car contracts exclude the dirt road from Anopolis; it damages tyres and underbodies
- Keep the turning area at the road end clear; park away from the cliff because of falling stones
- Grazing land: leave gates, cisterns and shepherds' huts as you find them
- Getting There
Anopolis (Sfakia)
Chania (CHQ)
- By car from Chania to Chora Sfakion and up to Anopolis, then about 18–21 km of rough dirt road north to the road end (high-clearance 4×4)
- KTEL buses run from Chania to Chora Sfakion; there is no public transport to the road end
Hazards
- Weather
- Remoteness