Which is harder, ST523 Shadeetsa - Ardino or ST525 Kitnitsa - Kardzhali?

ST525 Kitnitsa - Kardzhali is the tougher of the two on distance and elevation (16 mi (25 km), 1,736 ft (529 m) of climbing). See the full side-by-side breakdown.

Home › Trails › ST523 Shadeetsa - Ardino vs ST525 Kitnitsa - Kardzhali

ST523 Shadeetsa - Ardino vs ST525 Kitnitsa - Kardzhali

A side-by-side look at distance, elevation, difficulty and the best time to hike each — so you can pick the right route.

Units

	ST523 Shadeetsa - Ardino	ST525 Kitnitsa - Kardzhali
Distance	15.0 mi24 km	16 mi25 km
Elevation gain	1,457 ft444 m	1,736 ft529 m
Typical duration	2 days	2 days
Difficulty	Easy	Expert
Route type	Point-to-point	Point-to-point
Network	International	International
Country	Bulgaria	Bulgaria
Best time to hike	Best months: June, August, September, October	Best months: February, April, June, September, October, November
	map Route & GPX	map Route & GPX

ST523 Shadeetsa - Ardino vs ST525 Kitnitsa - Kardzhali: which should you hike?

At 16 mi25 km, ST525 Kitnitsa - Kardzhali is the longer route — roughly 0.7 mi1 km more than ST523 Shadeetsa - Ardino (15.0 mi24 km). If you want the bigger challenge or a longer trip, that's the one; for a shorter or first multi-day hike, ST523 Shadeetsa - Ardino is the gentler pick. Check the elevation and best-season rows above, then open each route for the full guide and a free GPX download.

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