- Trail maintenance extended through winter as hiking tourism booms.
- Samaria, Kourtaliotis, and Rouvas Gorges attract record visitors.
- Local authorities remind: Don’t hike alone.
- Cretan winter landscapes reveal a quieter, wilder beauty.
When the beaches empty and the wind turns cool, the Cretan mountains come alive. The smell of thyme and pine replaces sunscreen, and the island reveals its most secret personality — wild, unpredictable, and endlessly walkable.
This year, local authorities have decided not to let the trails sleep. The Region of Crete has announced an extended maintenance program for key hiking routes across all four prefectures, marking the island’s first coordinated effort to make hiking an all-year-round attraction.
A New Chapter for Crete’s Trails
For decades, hiking in Crete has been a shoulder-season pleasure, but now, with milder winters and more international visitors seeking nature-based experiences, the island’s famed trails are staying open longer than ever.
The program includes:
- Extended maintenance on popular routes like Samaria Gorge, Imbros Gorge, Rouvas Forest, and Kourtaliotis.
- Emergency communication posts at key mountain checkpoints.
- Updated signage and path clearing on lesser-known routes such as the Agia Irini Gorge and the E4 European Trail segments near Omalos.
- Training for local guides to ensure safety standards during the off-season.
“Hiking is not only a summer pursuit. Crete’s winter landscapes deserve their own audience — and their own safety plan,” said Crete’s Deputy Governor for Tourism, Dr. Kyriakos Kotsoglou.
Samaria Leads the Way
The Samaria Gorge, often compared to a natural cathedral, saw over 300,000 visitors this year. The newly implemented visitor management model — including entrance fees, digital passes, and ranger patrols — has enabled smoother control of foot traffic and improved conservation outcomes.
Interestingly, this year’s late-autumn hikers were not deterred by the cool weather. On the contrary, many reported that the quieter atmosphere and soft light made the experience more spiritual than strenuous.
“I walked in November and felt like I had the island to myself,” said Daniela Rossi from Italy. “The river sang louder than Cretans at a kazani.”
The Safety Reminder
Despite the excitement, local rescue teams are careful to temper enthusiasm with realism. The Cretan mountains, though beautiful, are unpredictable. Rain can turn a peaceful trail into a slippery descent within minutes. Sudden fog can erase paths.
That is why the golden rule remains: Don’t hike alone. Don’t dive alone.
The Hellenic Rescue Team’s (Crete Unit) handled more than 70 rescue calls in 2025, most involving solo hikers who underestimated the distance or weather conditions, as well as swimmers. Unfortunatelly, this year, loss of lives was already recorded. The new initiative aims to reduce such incidents by encouraging travelers to hire certified guides and register their routes in advance.
Winter Beauty in a Quieter Key
Those who brave Crete’s winter trails discover a different palette altogether. Snow sometimes dusts Psiloritis like powdered sugar. Waterfalls roar back to life in Kourtaliotis and Zakros. Chestnut trees glisten after rain, and shepherd dogs guard flocks with suspicious curiosity.
For photographers and solitude seekers, this is a dream season. For tourism planners, it is a logistical challenge — but one worth pursuing. Year-round hiking offers rural communities a steady income and promotes sustainable travel beyond the summer crush.
The Road Ahead
In 2026, Crete is set to join the European Hiking Trails Initiative, which will connect its E4 network with eco-lodges and agro-tourism hubs. The aim is to make the island not only a sun destination but also a recognized hiking powerhouse — on par with the Alps or the Pyrenees, but warmer and infinitely more enjoyable.
As one hiker from Germany, Lars König, put it while sipping raki in a mountain café,
“You do not come to Crete for perfection. You come because the wind smells like thyme and olive wood.”
And perhaps that is the essence of the Cretan trail — a place where the footsteps echo not just against stone, but against time itself.
