KNOSANO GORGE

Nearest hamlet: Epano and Kato Archanes

Distance: 7.1km

Duration: 2.5 hours

Entrance / exit coordinates: 35° 14.176’N / 25° 9.456’E (Epano Archanes – Ai Yannis Manganitis)

Trail type: Well-trodden trail with markers

Difficulty: Moderate

Recommended season: Year-round

Amenities: In Epano Archanes

This is one of the most interesting trails in the Archanes area. It starts at Epano Archanes and follows the asphalt road that runs parallel to Knosano Gorge; shortly after the chapel of Ai Giannis Myristis [St. John of the Myrrh] and the biological treatment plant you will come to a downhill dirt road going right and leading you to the bed of the small gorge. Cross the small bridge and follow the trail to Karydaki Bridge, the Venetian aqueduct bridge that used to bring water from the springs of Archanes to Heraklion.

Leave the bridge on your left and follow the easily discernable path that makes its way uphill, comes to a wooden pavilion–observation point, and ends at a dirt track leading south, taking you slightly uphill until Kefala Forest. Follow the dirt road south to Fourni, and after passing the archaeological site with the prehistoric cemetery, you will be back in Epano Archanes.

  Download the kml file of the route in your device:  (kml) Knosano gorge