Maja e Hutit

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Shëne Prende and Maja e Hutit

Summary: Maja e Hutit is the northern end of Mali i Skenderbeut, the major ridge parallel to the coastline of the Adriatic. The highest point of Mali i Skenderbeut is Mali i Liqenit. The ridge spans from Qafe Shtame to the Mat River. It has several highpoints, not all of which have names. We are even unsure about the exact location of Maja e Hutit, as it it not consistently shown on different maps.

This hike climbs to the highpoint that has a telephone antenna nearby. Seen from the village of Gallatë - where the trail starts - as well as from Lake Shkopet, it is major summit and we can confirm that it is worth hiking it. Although Maja e Hutit is part of the second mountain range from the shoreline, the summit offers unobstructed views along the coast, and into the hinterland.

There is a road for high clearance 4WD vehicles or lorries to the antenna, which one can follow without any worries of getting lost. Our trail takes a few shortcuts, saving about 2 kilometers each way. Still, it is a major hike with more than 1100 Meter elevation gain.

After a little more than one hour into the hike, one arrives at the old church of Shëne Prende. Reputedly, it has been the place where one of the first schools in Albania have been built, as early as 1632. For those with little time, the place of the church is worth a hike by itself.

The valley of Gallate is quite secluded and we imagine that it must be beautiful in spring.

Maximum altitude:	1248 meter
Minimum altitude:	178 meter
Cumulative height:	1070 meter
Cumulative length:	6.42 kilometer
Difficulty	easy
Time:	3.5 hours up
Date of this record	February 2014
Download GPS info:	Maja e Hutit

General location and approach: The road to Gallatë branches off from the Milot-Kukes highway, at the gas station just before the two bridges crossing the Mat River and the turn off to Burrel.

Other Information: We have stayed several times at the Marub Hotel near Rubik, and can highly recommend it for its consistent good standard, its location and its ambiente.

Maja e Hutit tends to hide from view. Here, Maja e Hutit can be seen when coming from Burrel and driving along Liqeni i Shkopetit. It is the summit in the distance, on the right.

The water cascade at waypoint 04, a small excursion from the climb

The sign claims that a school was opened here by Bishop Gjon Kolesi as early as 1632

Hiking Mali i Hutit. In the distance Veles Mountain

Approaching the summit area. In the distance Munelle Mountain, one of the top hikes in the northern part of Albania

View towards the confluence of Fan and Mat rivers

View from the summit, towards the Adriatic Sea. Views must be glorious in fine weather. Even now, Kepi Rodonit and the Patok Bay can be made out.

View south along the ridge of Skenderbeut Mountain. The highest point is Mali i Liqenit (see separate trail). This wayside cross is near the lone tree near the summit of Maja e Hutit.

Marub Hotel near Rubik is an excellent choice to stay the night.

GPS and trailmaps: The map and trailinformation is generated by

, 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.