Info-center – Big Lake (Golemo Ezero)

Bicycle trail: Infocenter – Big Lake (Golemo Ezero)

     

The total length of the Trail is 22 km.

Starting poin: Infocenter at 1,350 m. Ending point: Big Lake at 2,218 m asl.

Denivelation: 868 m.  Trail hardness: Medium hard.

The trail starts from the Infocenter of NP Pelister and climbs to Big Lake (Golemo Ezero) by mountain dirt road that leads to Golemo Ezero. The trail coincides with the existing mountain road and passes by the Ston River in front of Palisnopje, next to the restplace Palisnopje, pass near the locality Caparska Preseka, goes near the Mountain Hut Shiroka, goes up to platou Shiroka, and turns the place called Semafori. At Semafori road divides, left to road forPelister Peak, and the other leg continues on the road to Golemo Ezero.

The slope of the Semafori trail is 15 km. From Semafori to Golemo Lake there is another 7 km.

             

The visually trail is very attractive, with view on Peak Kozji Kamen  and the valley of the Caparska River and Pelagonia Lowland. From the Semafori – at turning point towards the Antenna and the Peak Pelister, a view and visibility towards the Prespa Lake opens.

From the ascent to the site Shiroka and the place called Semafori, a view and visibility opens to Lake Prespa and Prespa Lowland, also to the peaks of Baba Planina, that gravitate to the Presa Lake side: Dva Groba, Golema Chuka, Mala Chuka, and a part of the Valley of Malovishka Reka. Then a view opens to the villages of Krani and Arvati, and to the left, towards the Peak Marushica.

          

Flora and fauna: The predominant woody species along the path is the moth or the Macedonian pine, (Pinus peuce Grisebah), and the fir (Abies alba), the fern, the yellow primrose,  the carnation, the geranium, the blueberry, etc.  the high mountain pastures of Pelister are spread. In the lower parts, pastures are mixed with blueberry and spruce, but in the higher parts, dominated blueberry and types of grass communities of special floristic importance. Animal species can be found, roe deer, bear, wolf, fox, rabbit, squirrel, mole, some birds species, many butterflies species, insects, etc.

           

When you continue along the trail (mountain road) from the left side you can see Debel Rid, and the peaks: Skrkovo, Muza and Griva, and in the valley below the Pelister Peak you will see a view of Crveni Steni (Red Rocks) – the rocky slopes of the mountain, which descend to the Nizhopole Village.

               

The trail is fully marked by mountaineering standards. After crossing the small plateau, the road leads to the Great Lake, which is located under the Peak Veternica, and next to the lake is the Mountaineering Hut, known as the Great Lake Hut, that has the name of alpinist Dimitar Ilievski – Murato, the first Macedonian who climbed Mount Everest.