Hut Vihren (“hut” in Bulgarian) is located in the Pirin Mountains in southwestern Bulgaria, 16 km from the town of Bansko, 35 minutes drive from Polyana Banderitsa, at an altitude of 1972 meters above sea level. This is the starting point for the ascent to Vihren Peak and the beginning of the main routes “Sinanitsa”, “Demyanitsa”, “Tevnoto Ezero”, “Yane Sandanski”, “Koncheto”.
During the summer months, the hut is a center of attraction for lovers of mountain hiking routes. In winter, the road is covered with snow, part of the path intersects with ski slope No. 9 “Alberto Tomba”. As a result, travel to the Vihren hut by car becomes possible only with the onset of spring. Many mountain hikers wonder: when does the road to the Vihren hut melt?
Route from Bansko to Vihren hut on the map
Spring in Pirin
While most of the ski slopes melt already in April, the snow caps on the peaks of the Pirin Mountains remain until the end of June. On the way to the Vihren hut, the bulk of the snow disappears only in early May; some sections of the road are cleared manually.
Today, May 11, the road has already been cleared. The main building of the Vihren hut is closed, only the street toilet is open. Despite the fact that summer has already arrived at the foot of the Pirin Mountains, at an altitude of 1972 m spring is just coming. The weather in May this year is changeable - the warm sun can suddenly change to clouds, so we advise you to take both sunglasses and a warm jacket. The road surface is wet due to melting snow, be careful.
The hiking routes are covered with melted snow, but judging by the string of footprints, this does not stop everyone. To hit the road on a snowy road, you need to know the route well - in the spring, the waymarks on the stones are hidden under the snow. Every year, a large number of purple crocuses bloom near the Vihren hut.
Hizha Vihren in May. Crocuses near the Vihren hut
Features of the road
Halfway to the Vihren hut there is a camping area with a small cafe, the opening of which also depends on the condition of the road. A little higher is the Banderitsa hut, which can also be reached on foot from the Banderitsa clearing through the forest.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that with the onset of the summer tourist season, the traffic police reserve the right to close the upper part of the highway from the Banderitsa hut to the Vihren hut from 9.00 to 16.00, in order to limit the number of cars, since there is not enough space in the parking lot for everyone.
Intersection with highway No. 9 Pirin snowdrops Southwestern slope of Todorka