Maps & Mountains
MAPS SCHMAPS AND SAMO-TRAPS
HELP OTHERS HIKE ON SAMOTHRAKI.
The Samothraki Hiking Club produced a new map recently. I believe it is useful for hikers - but many prefer to rely on crowd sourced GPS routes. (Please read this advisory about the printed map )
I cannot personally comment about the printed map. I logged on to one of the crowd funded GPS mapping services used by hikers, and used a GPS route, last time I hiked on the mountain.
You can do this as well, and contribute to building a decent online crowd-sourced trail map for the island.
The most popular crowd sourced mapping systems for Samothraki (so far) are:
1. WIKILOC
2. VIEWRANGER
3. GPSies
4. TREKARTA
MapTrek.(now renamed as Trekarta) is an open source project for map and hike sharing.
Please log your hike. Please share your hike.
Happy Hiking.
Photo Credit: The photographs on this page were taken by Dr Stamatis Zogaris, and are reproduced here with permission. They originally appeared in the Athens Nature Journal.
This video documents part of the hike up to the peak of Fengari, above Therma. This is possibly the most popular hike on the island, and is certainly the best marked.
The hikers in this instance used the Viewranger app to map their trip with GPS.
STRAVA HEATMAP
The Strava Fitness Tracking heatmap, published in late January 2018, shows a number of walking routes. It also, purely by accident shows how poorly marked the island's most popular hike, from Therma to Fengari is, with a section halfway up the mountain with numerous trails leaving the main path, and showing clear signs of hikers having lost their way.
The Strava map is therefore useful, as it shows you the exact location on the trail where hikers are lead astray. The Strava map also reveals number of other popular walking routes, including the trail to Fengari from Chora, and is worthwhile examining if you are planning a hike.
There are a large number of hiking trails on the mountain, but at present, very few are well marked.
Printed hiking maps for Samothraki are useful if you have some experience on the mountain already.
I have read that they may not be accurate. ( This advisory. )
Another warning: Climbing the mountain without a guide can be dangerous.
OPEN SOURCE GPS MAPS ARE POSSIBLY A GOOD OPTION AT PRESENT.
1. WIKILOC MAPPING
The best marked trail leads from Therma to the peak of Mout Fengari - there are a few examples of this trail logged at Wikiloc.
2. GPSIES
There are also two downloadable GPS maps of this trail logged at GPSies.com (Search for Greece; Town, Samothraki)
Most of the available printed maps are unsatisfactory for hiking, not being of sufficient resolution, or containing inaccuracies - i.e. you will possibly get lost.
I would suggest studying the hiking trails for Samothraki on Wikiloc and GPSies.com - and, if you are taking a hike on Samothraki, logging in to these sites ,and adding your hike to the database for others to use.
At the time of writing, (8/1/2018) 19 trails have been logged on Wikiloc.
3. OPENSTREETMAP
Another option is Open Streetmap which has a contour map of Samothraki, (select the cycling option to see the contour map) and several marked gps trails are already logged on it. It also has more detail about the smaller roads and tracks on the island than any of the printed maps. This map can easily be edited, so if you go on a hike, why not add your information to the map as you go along?
The Hiking Club of Samothraki "The Fengari Club" has a blog (in Greek only - nothing that Google Translate can't fix for you!)
Photo Credit: The photo of the map on the L is from Samothraki.com - a site well worth visiting, as it contains a lot of useful information about the island.
Strava HeatMap - Therma to Fengari.
Note the false trail half way up the mountain, that evidently has lead a large number of hikers off the main path. (see detail photo)
Photo credit: The Strava Heatmap
Strava Heatmap - the route from Chora to Fengari
Strava Heatmap - a walking route near Ano Meria
Strava Heatmap - a walking route near Profitis Ilias
The Ghiali River Basin and Col, with the Kafnedes Rocks in the foreground.
Photo Credit: This photograph was taken by Dr Stamatis Zogaris, and is reproduced here with permission. It originally appeared in the Athens Nature Journal.
The saddle dividing Fonias (on the left) from the Ghiali River Basin (on the right).
Photo Credit: This photograph was taken by Dr Stamatis Zogaris, and is reproduced here with permission. It originally appeared in the Athens Nature Journal.
Louloudi, above Fonias.
Photo Credit: This photograph was taken by Dr Stamatis Zogaris, and is reproduced here with permission. It originally appeared in the Athens Nature Journal.
Rock formation in the Ghiali area.
Photo Credit: This photograph was taken by Dr Stamatis Zogaris, and is reproduced here with permission. It originally appeared in the Athens Nature Journal.
The western tribituary of the Fonias River, with alder trees.
Photo Credit: This photograph was taken by Dr Stamatis Zogaris, and is reproduced here with permission. It originally appeared in the Athens Nature Journal.
View towards Kamariotissa and Cape Akrotiri
Photo Credit: This photograph was taken by Dr Stamatis Zogaris, and is reproduced here with permission. It originally appeared in the Athens Nature Journal.
The Fengari Range
Photo Credit: This photograph was taken by Dr Stamatis Zogaris, and is reproduced here with permission. It originally appeared in the Athens Nature Journal.
View of Therma Harbour from the mountainside.
Photo Credit: This photograph was taken by Dr Stamatis Zogaris, and is reproduced here with permission. It originally appeared in the Athens Nature Journal.