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To the top of Gjallica Mountain

Summary: Gjallica Mountain towers above Kukes town, and it maintains a snowcap long into spring. One may try to hike Gjallica summit directly from Kukes, but it is also possible to drive up high on the side of the mountain, and hike from there to the top. The drive up is easy with a high-clearance 4WD vehicle and worth a trip in itself. We particularly enjoyed a night, camping at the trailhead and taking our time. The views from Gjallica summit are extraordinary, and on a fine day it should be possible to see Korabi and many peaks of the Albania Alps.

The Drive:

Maximum altitude:	1794 meter
Minimum altitude:	696 meter
Cumulative height:	1120 meter
Cumulative length:	18.46 kilometers
Difficulty	easy
Time:	about 1.5 hours
Date of this record	June 2010
Download GPS info:	To Gjallioca Camp

The Hike:

Maximum altitude:	2489 meter
Minimum altitude:	1759 meter
Cumulative height:	721 meter
Cumulative length:	3.82 kilometers
Difficulty	easy
Time:	about 2 hours
Date of this record	June 2010
Download GPS info:	To Gjallica Summit

General location and approach: Kukes is close to the border to Kosovo, and now connected with Tirana through a 4-lane highway complete with a tunnel. This puts Gjallica mountain in easy reach. For instance, it is poosible to vernight in Kukes, and with an early start drive up the mountain and hike to the summit. Or (as we did) drive from Tirana through Kukes and up the mountain and camp at the trailhead. The turn off to the mountain is in Kolejsan, on the road from Kukes to Peshkopi.

Other Information: During the summer months, sheperds and their flocks live on the mountain, and people collect berries, mushrooms or tend to small fields. We found our little camping spot under some pine trees, far enough away so not to bother each other. Bring your own water. When driving up the mountain, don't miss the sharp turn left to campsite, or you will end up in the village of Shistavec.

GPS and trailmaps: The map and trailinformation is generated by www.wikiloc.org, based on GPS information collected from the actual hike. Waypoints can be downloaded to a GPS device from Wikiloc. If necessary, use GPSBabel to convert GPS data to different formats. For more hike descriptions by Palmtreetreeproduction, browse this website or visit Wikiloc and search for "Palmtreeproduction". You may also find nearby trails from other authors.

Google Earth: You may also view the trail in 3D by clicking "view in Google Earth" when on Wikiloc. You need to have Google Earth installed on your computer.

Images: Click the button at the end of the page to view the slides in full screen