Lake Rowe Hinterland

back to Albania site back to hikes and climbs back to Locations and Travel

Lake Rrowe Hinterland

Summary: The area west of Petrele (or west of the Tirana - Elbasan road) is not an area really known for its touristic attraction. Life is hard for the farmers everywhere except in the fertile valleys of the Zhulima Valley. The entire area is subject to heavy erosion, which makes it difficult to eak out a living. For the adventurous hikers, many opportunities exist. None of the hikes is very easy, as most of them may pass steep drops, sometimes over slippery terrain. Route finding is always difficult - of course unless equipped with GPS.

The Hike: Also this hike qualifies - at least for a short stretch - as an erosion ramble. For some short stretches it follows village paths. Most of the trail, however, goes far into the hinterland, and trails tend to become overgrown or otherwise disused. However, the trail follows the main ridges, and with some preparation - and preferrably a GPS - one does not need to get lost.

Maximum altitude:	396 meter
Minimum altitude:	172 meter
Cumulative height:	266 meter
Cumulative length:	6.7 kilometers
Difficulty	moderate
Time:	3 hours
Date of this record	March 2013
Download GPS info:	Lake Rrove

General location and approach: The hike starts at Rrove Lake. Reach the lake by driving from Tirana to Baldushk, and then to the lake. Or start from Petrele (see separate 4WD trail from Petrele to Elbasan). The circuit from Petrele to Rrove Lake and to Balldushk and back to Tirana does NOT require a 4WD or high clearance vehicle.

Other Information: You can easily combine this hike with climbing Korbit Mountain (see separate trail Kalofsh Mirë on Korbit Mountain).

Rrowe Lake can be reached from Tirana in a little over half an hour, and the access is easy.

As almost everywhere west of Tirana, erosion is a main feature

We went in late March, and it had been raining incessantly for several weeks

It was the first really warm day in 2013, and it shows

View to Durishit Ridge. The transverse of the entire ridge is one of the best hikes in the vicinity of the Tirana

View towards Petrele, and the hill of Persqop (on the right) with its ancient ruins. In the background is Dajti Mountain and the twin summit of Brrar Mountain

This hike, like most of all hikes in the area, have a special fascination because of the sharp erosion. None of the hikes are truly easy.

Having reached the ridge, with a view to the village of Shpatë (see also separate hike to Korbit mountain, which starts in Shpatë)

An olive orchard, with some of the trees prepared for the summer

Travel in the area is not always straightforward

For us the first grasshopper of the season.

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 when viewing it in Google Earth, which you need to have installed on your computer. The 3D perspective allows a good preview of gradients, steepness, possible views and is generally helpful when planning a trip.