Unlike most of the other trails in the area, which involve trekking high into the mountains, this trail takes you along Lake Karla’s southwestern shores, past picturesque wetlands and mountain landscapes. The trail is ideal in springtime but somewhat unpleasant in high summer when hot temperatures along the Rizomilos-Stefanovikeio plain can be stifling. Chatzimisiotiki Magoula is a former islet and prehistoric site, and only the beginning of a wonderful walk that includes great bird watching spots as well as several Mycenaean tombs along the southern shores of Lake Karla. St. Athanasios chapel, on top of a hill, is a great place to end, offering excellent views of Lake Karla, Thessaly’s plain, Mt Mavrovouni and, on a clear day, Mt Ossa and Mt Olympus.
