Best time to hike the Peaks of the Balkans
Best: July–August. Also good: June and September.
The Peaks of the Balkans is 179 km long, in 10 stages. Below is the average weather for every month at about 1,557 m, the middle height of the trail (819–2,256 m), from 10 years of daily data (2015–2024).
Weather month by month
| Month | High °C | Low °C | Rain mm | Rain days | Daylight h | Snow cm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2° | −9° | 134 | 14 | 9.4 | 114 |
| February | 2° | −6° | 100 | 12 | 10.5 | 67 |
| March | 4° | −4° | 108 | 15 | 11.8 | 61 |
| April | 9° | −1° | 82 | 11 | 13.3 | 27 |
| May | 14° | 4° | 92 | 16 | 14.6 | 0 |
| June | 19° | 8° | 72 | 14 | 15.3 | 0 |
| July | 24° | 11° | 47 | 9 | 15.0 | 0 |
| August | 24° | 11° | 51 | 9 | 13.9 | 0 |
| September | 18° | 7° | 93 | 10 | 12.4 | 0 |
| October | 13° | 2° | 96 | 9 | 11.0 | 7 |
| November | 7° | −1° | 165 | 13 | 9.7 | 26 |
| December | 1° | −6° | 131 | 14 | 9.1 | 91 |
Higher up it is colder: about 6 °C less for every 1,000 m of height. The highest point of the trail is 2,256 m.
Season notes from our guide
The usual season is mid-June to September. Before mid-June and late in September snow can lie on the passes, for example near the Valbona pass, and many guesthouses in the summer villages (Çerem, Dobërdol, Milishevc and the katuns) are closed outside the summer. July and August are the busiest months and can be hot in the valleys; afternoon thunderstorms are common. The official site gives June to October as the best time, but check that your guesthouses are open in October.
Stages, map, elevation profile, places to stay and emergency help, free.
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Offline maps, stages and places to stay on your phone.
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Weather: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis), daily values 2015–2024 near 42.72, 20.11, adjusted to 1,557 m. Rain days: days with at least 1 mm. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th of the month.