Have I mentioned my love for Bansko yet? I don’t think there is anywhere I love more than summertime in the mountains. Exploring a small piece of the Pirin Mountains has been heart-stopping (and racing), awe-inspiring (and exhausting), and most of all soul-feeding. The mountains just feed my soul. Some like the beach, but I'd take a summer day on top of a mountain anytime over the beach.

We stayed as close to the forest and trails as we could in Bansko. We could literally walk out our door onto the trails. The Vihren Hut was just a twenty-minute drive up the mountain and was the start of many of our favorite hikes.

LAKE MURATOVO

Our first hike in the Pirin Mountains was to a stunning alpine lake, Lake Muratovo. What amazed us the most was that we were the only ones there. We had the whole place to ourselves to eat our picnic lunch.

It reminded me of the alpine hikes we've done in Glacier National Park and throughout Colorado (like these). It was still pretty wet when we did this hike the first time at the beginning of July, but the trail was free of snow all the way to the lake. The wildflowers looked to be in full bloom as we hiked along the valley floor, but after hiking for 3 weeks in that same valley, I realize now that it was just the start of seeing the wildflowers in bloom.

ALPINE LAKES LOOP

(at least that's what I'm calling this route)

This is one of those hikes that make you alternate between saying “wow” and singing “the hills are alive” while spinning. Really this whole areas is one of those places.

We visited five alpine lakes in about five miles on this hike. It got our hearts pumping as we climbed the boulders up over each ridge, but I'd still consider it a pretty easy hike, especially for the views we got.

There are so many trails in the Vihren hut area, some more defined and maintained than others, but it meant it was easy to put together our own adventure. Search ‘hiking trails in Bansko’ and you'll get a handful of blogs with summaries of the big hikes (Vihren Peak, hut to hut routes, etc), but nowhere did I find a discussion of the many side destinations and make your own adventure loops. AllTrails, my (less than reliable) go-to for finding trails where ever we are, showed all the trails, but no actual routes to take. We had a great time just exploring with no specific destinations in mind.

This hike not only had big sweeping vistas with beautiful lakes and wildflowers, but it also had so many toads! And even tadpoles! I love a good hike—even more so when I get some wildlife sightings.

I can't say we'll be back… there are just too many places on our want to see list, but I would not be disappointed if I had to spend every summer hiking in Bansko!

Even the hikes right out our door were scenic, not to mention the fun we had walking the dogs at Bansko Street Dogs!