Mavros Charakas - Pachnes (Crete)

Access to starting point:
Expect a 3h 15 min drive from Chania (Crete), the main regional city, to the starting point. Nevertheless, add 15 - 30 minutes, since the road is rough and it is possible to miss a turn or two on the road.

From Chania (gr. Χανιά) to Hora Sfakion (gr. Χώρα Σφακίων), the road leads over the mountains from north to south of Crete, it is paved, broad, and generally in good condition.

From Hora Sfakion at sea level to Anopoli (gr. Ανώπολη) at about 585 m, the road is somewhat steeper than before, with many switchbacks. Expect many goats and a lot of scree (small rocks). In the lower sections, the traffic is also a bit heavy in the tourist season.

When in Anopoli, be careful to make the correct turns in the following sections of the "dirt road to Pahnes", which end at the place called Mavros Charakas (road is narrow, approx. car speed maybe slightly exceeds 20 km/h, all turns are unmarked, see GPS coordinates and photos below).
1. In Anopoli, app. altitude 585 m, turn right at GPS: 35,21860° N / 24,08477° E.
2. Shortly after, app. altitude 625 m, keep left at GPS: 35,22767° N / 24,08276° E.
3. The paved road turns into gravel one. At app. elevation 700 m, turn right at GPS: 35,23758° N / 24,08154° E.
4. At elevation 980 m, keep driving straight; GPS: 35,24001° N / 24,10705° E.
5. At elevation 1140 m, turn left; GPS: 35,24845° N / 24,11349° E.
6. At 1415 m, keep on the right road; GPS: 35,25930° N / 24,09988° E.
7. Drive to the parking place. (I.) Best spot for parking at 1880 m of elevation at GPS: 35,29037° N / 24,06593° E.
7.a. Parking alternatives:
(II.) 1880 m of elevation at GPS: 35,28895° N / 24,07168° E (joining the E4 path).
(III.) End of the road at 2010 m of elevation. The final section of the road is in worse condition than before, it could be difficult to turn the car, and the available space is for 2-3 cars.

Path description:
Depending on the parking spot, the first part of the route is different:
I. Follow the road to its end, which takes about 15 minutes. 20 meters before the end of the road, continue on the trail that turns upward along the slope.
II. From the end of the road, go back 20 meters along the road and continue on the trail upward along the slope.
III. This trail joins the E4 trail, which traverses Crete (east-west). The trail runs near the road, which it joins again after 30 minutes. This section of the trail has one technically partly demanding spot (slightly exposed), secured with a rope.

Starting the hike in the village Anopoli lengthens the tour by 4 h 30 min.

On the trail at the end of the road, continue upward along the slope, the trail soon crosses the slopes in NW direction, reaches the valley (Rousies plateau, engl. Rousies plateau), where there is one shepherd bivouac (gr. mitata). From there, continue left along the ridge toward W. After the pass on the slope that turns toward the west, the Pahnes summit is seen for the first time. From there the trail crosses the slopes straight toward the summit. About 150 meters below the summit, stronger wind is experienced, which usually blows from north to south (therefore the last patches of snow, which in summer eventually melt, are on the southern slopes). The summit is spacious, usually a Greek flag flies there (when the wind destroys it, it is replaced). Since Pahnes is an "ultra", the view reaches from the northern to the southern coast, only 100 kilometers east Psiloritis stands opposite it at the same height.

The description and images are from August 2022.

On the way: Rousies (2137m)