The hardest hikes in Bulgaria, by the numbers
Of the 87 trails in Bulgaria in our dataset, 35 (40 percent) rate strenuous or very strenuous on the gain-and-distance scale we use and run 3 to 30 miles with at least 1,500 ft of climb; these are the 25 with the highest rating.
khiza Mechit - Rila Monastery leads with 4,755 ft of gain over 14.2 miles, 335 ft per mile, with a steepest pitch of 29 percent.
Across the 25, gain runs from 1,648 to 5,108 ft and distance from 5.5 miles to 17.7 miles; the median gain is 2,779 ft and the median distance 13.7 miles.
22 of the 25 are out-and-back routes; the rest are point-to-point (3).
| # | Trail | Miles | Gain (ft) | Ft per mile | Max grade | Elevation (ft) | Rating | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | khiza Mechit - Rila Monastery | 14.2 | 4,755 | 335 | 29% | 3,787 to 8,290 | 367.5 | |
| 2 | Rila Monastery - khiza MakadoniyaNational Park Rila | 14.1 | 3,956 | 281 | 20% | 3,356 to 7,210 | 334 | |
| 3 | Shadeetsa - Ardino | 14.8 | 3,075 | 208 | 23% | 1,843 to 3,949 | 301.7 | |
| 4 | Mugla - SmolyanRodopi Mountain Range NP | 15.4 | 2,922 | 190 | 16% | 3,068 to 5,926 | 300 | |
| 5 | ST503a Yarlovo - Belchin | 17.7 | 2,425 | 137 | 32% | 3,035 to 4,501 | 293 | |
| 6 | Sofia - Aleko | 9.9 | 4,067 | 411 | 30% | 1,820 to 5,989 | 283.8 | |
| 7 | Borovets - MusalaRila NP | 7.8 | 5,108 | 655 | 47% | 4,433 to 9,537 | 282.3 | |
| 8 | Yakoruda - Yundola | 14.2 | 2,779 | 196 | 18% | 2,942 to 5,478 | 280.9 | |
| 9 | Musala PathwayNational Park Rila | 7.5 | 5,108 | 681 | 33% | 4,411 to 9,516 | 276.8 | |
| 10 | Ardino - Kitnitsa | 17.4 | 2,193 | 126 | 32% | 1,061 to 2,632 | 276.3 | |
| 11 | Perelik - Smolyan | 9.9 | 3,767 | 381 | 32% | 3,072 to 6,567 | 273.1 | |
| 12 | Velingrad - Batak | 16.5 | 2,201 | 133 | 19% | 2,436 to 4,013 | 269.5 | |
| 13 | khiza Makadoniya - Belitsa (Bear Park)National Park Rila | 9.5 | 3,821 | 402 | 36% | 3,918 to 7,091 | 269.4 | |
| 14 | Musala - Hizha Ribni EzeraNational Park Rila | 13.9 | 2,535 | 182 | 57% | 7,331 to 9,538 | 265.5 | |
| 15 | Shiroka polyana - Borino | 13.9 | 2,529 | 182 | 21% | 3,591 to 5,103 | 265.2 | |
| 16 | Momin Prohod - Vetren | 14.7 | 2,296 | 156 | 19% | 1,294 to 3,015 | 259.8 | |
| 17 | Samokov - khiza Mechit | 12.4 | 2,598 | 210 | 19% | 3,092 to 5,738 | 253.8 | |
| 18 | Yundola - Velingrad | 9.5 | 2,894 | 305 | 26% | 2,458 to 5,266 | 234.5 | |
| 19 | Madzharovo - Gornoseltsi | 11.7 | 2,345 | 200 | 24% | 490 to 1,853 | 234.2 | |
| 20 | Gornoseltsi - Ivaylovgrad | 13.7 | 1,950 | 142 | 22% | 600 to 1,577 | 231.1 | |
| 21 | Polkovnik Serafimovo - Srednogorci | 10.7 | 2,439 | 228 | 24% | 2,086 to 4,027 | 228.5 | |
| 22 | Belitsa (Bear Park) - Yakoruda | 9.5 | 2,619 | 276 | 29% | 2,868 to 4,801 | 223.1 | |
| 23 | Kitnitsa - Kardzhali | 14.9 | 1,648 | 111 | 18% | 747 to 1,828 | 221.6 | |
| 24 | Mugla - Perelik | 7.7 | 2,905 | 377 | 29% | 4,419 to 7,058 | 211.5 | |
| 25 | Celo Zheleznitsa - Cherni VrahSofia-Grad Province | 5.5 | 4,008 | 729 | 37% | 3,475 to 7,456 | 210 |
How this list is ranked
Rating = the square root of 2 x elevation gain (ft) x distance (miles), the gain-and-distance formula Shenandoah National Park publishes for its own trails. Bands: under 50 easiest, 50 to 100 moderate, 100 to 150 moderately strenuous, 150 to 200 strenuous, 200 and over very strenuous.
This list: band strenuous (150 to 200) or very strenuous (200 and over), 3 to 30 miles, at least 1,500 ft of gain, ordered by rating desc, gain per mile desc, capped at 25. The rating column is computed from the miles and gain printed in the same row, the numbers each trail page uses, so every row can be checked from the row itself. The rating says nothing about exposure, scrambling, altitude or conditions.
Only trails with a full page count, so "Bulgaria" here means the 87 trails in Bulgaria in our dataset, not every trail in Bulgaria.
Each trail page shows the full elevation profile behind these numbers and the same data drawn as a topographic print, made to order. Start with khiza Mechit - Rila Monastery.
Hardest hikes elsewhere.
The same ranking for other countries in our dataset.