Hiking the Ursa Trail

The “Bear’s Footprints” trail, also known as the Ursa Trail, is included on the list of Europe’s top hiking routes. It’s a certified 40-kilometer trail, recognized by the European Ramblers' Association.

For this hike, we follow a beautiful section of the Ursa Trail, starting at the Monument to the Fallen Cavalrymen, located at the northwest entrance of Metsovo. The trail leads us to the summit of Karakoli ski center, at 1,500 meters.

We pass through dense forests of black pine, oak, and beech, surrounded by the wild beauty of the Pindos mountains. The trail then descends to a stone water fountain at a spot called Politsioura, where we take a short break.
Along the way, we also come across art installations created by students of the Athens School of Fine Arts. We take time to collect leaves for our herbarium and photograph the area’s stunning landscapes.

From the Politsioura fountain, we follow a wide forest path into a lush beech woodland. The trail climbs to the ridge’s highest point, known as Kalligomeno Aloni (1,593 m), where we pass a wind measurement mast on our right.
We continue along the ridge with gentle ups and downs, passing World War II trenches on our left, before circling back to the Politsioura fountain.

From there, the trail leads us to the Karakoli ski slope. After crossing the slope, we reach the paved road and return to our starting point.

• An impressive route that winds through dense forests of black pine, oak, and beech.
• We hike a 9 km section of the well-known Ursa Trail, listed among Europe’s top hiking routes.
• Along the way, we also get the chance to see artistic installations created by students of the Athens School of Fine Arts.