WESTERN PARNASSOS

Mount Parnassos is the most prominent mountain of Central Greece and ranks among the ten highest mountains in the country, with its highest peak, “Liakoura” or Lycoreia, reaching 2,457 m. It occupies a central geographical position in Sterea Hellas and is essentially the southeastern end of the great mountain complex known as the “Hellenides ranges,” which includes Pindos and Roumeli. It spans three prefectures — Boeotia, Phocis, and Phthiotis — and borders Mount Helicon (SE), Mount Kirphe (S), and Mount Giona (NW).
Geographically, Parnassos is divided into two sections: Eastern and Western Parnassos. The eastern part is rugged, with steep high peaks, while the western side is smoother, with peaks barely exceeding 1,700 m. The mountain hosts a wide variety of ecosystems and rich biodiversity, including 619 plant species, 10 local endemics, and 25 Greek endemics. In Western Parnassos, dense forests of Cephalonian fir dominate, interspersed with meadows that were once heavily grazed until the mid-20th century.
Like Mount Olympus, the mountain of the gods, Parnassos abounds in ancient myths and holds an important place among mythologized natural landmarks of Greece, being considered the son of Poseidon and the nymph Cleodora. Myth says that Parnassos was the leader of a city destroyed by a flood, and its people were saved by following the howls of wolves that guided them to safe ground on the mountain (hence the ancient name of the highest peak, “Lyk-oreia”). Etymologically, however, the root “parn-” is of Pelasgian origin and linked to the idea of a wooded mountain (as in Parnitha and Parnonas). Another myth recounts that when Zeus decided to destroy the corrupt human race with Deucalion’s Flood, Deucalion, son of Prometheus, built a ship with his wife Pyrrha. After nine days and nights of unceasing rain, on the tenth day the ship landed on Mount Parnassos, where Deucalion sacrificed to Zeus. The god granted his first wish: the rebirth of humankind.
What is less known is that the mountain’s connection to the Muses later inspired its “remythologization” in the 19th century through the artistic-literary movement known as Parnassianism. Established in France during 1866–1876 as a reaction to Romanticism, Parnassianism greatly influenced the intellectual life of Paris with its insistence on lexical and metric perfection. It impacted French and Greek poets alike, including Kostis Palamas. The name of the mountain (Mont Parnasse) was also given to a district in Paris, on the Left Bank of the Seine, where artists and poets gathered to recite their works. Today Montparnasse is one of the most famous quarters of the City of Light, with its cemetery being the resting place of many major figures of art and letters.
Throughout history, Parnassos served as a stronghold for the Greek tribes of southern Greece against northern invaders, most notably in the Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC) against the Persians. The mountain also played a major role in the Greek War of Independence (1821), with key battles such as Alamana and Gravia. During the period of the National Resistance (1940–44), Parnassos and other Roumeli mountains were crucial bases of operations for the liberation struggle, with many locals joining ELAS. This period of resistance on Mount Parnassos was vividly described by one of ELAS’s most important captains, Nikiforos (Dimitris Dimitriou), in his memoir “Guerrilla Fighter in the Mountains of Roumeli.”

Starting from Livadi, the route circles the western part of the Parnassos National Park. Most of it runs through a beautiful, dense fir forest, offering shade for much of the day. The dirt roads have gentle slopes, are well-maintained, and pose no technical difficulties for cycling. The highlight of the route comes at the 15th km: a rough dirt road descends into a lovely meadow, leading us to the beginning of a completely unknown trail that ends at the Eptastomo chasm-cave.