Mount Aragats: North Summit Ascent

Type: Backcountry or Sidecountry

To reach this trail, you need to get to the village of Geghadzor in the Aragatsotn province (preferably a day before). Taxi services are quite affordable throughout Armenia. We recommend taking a cab with a functional meter.

Geghadzor is the nearest residence to where the North Summit Ascent trail begins. If you have decided to take this trail, we recommend booking accommodation for an overnight stay in one of the guest houses in the village. You can also ask for a car (Jeep or Vilis) from the farmers and start the ski trail early in the morning. Usually, the trail on the North Summit of Aragats takes 8-10 hours (climbing up and down). You need to take a car (Jeep) and begin the trail with an expectation of a long approach, soft snow, and marvelous views. The area is usually covered with an abundance of powdered snow.

The North Summit of Mount Aragats is in the Aragatsotn province of Armenia. The mountain has a huge crater, with a 400m depth and 3km diameter, and the ruins of its decayed walls form the four summits of Mount Aragats. The crater is open from the southeast.

Mount Aragats is considered to be the highest peak in all of Armenia (4,090 m/13,419 ft.). It is an isolated shield-like massif of about 200km in circumference. Together with its fan-shaped slopes, it covers approximately 4,000 sq. m, situated simultaneously in both the Aragatsotn and Shirak provinces. Aragats used to be one of the world’s largest volcanoes. It has a gigantic 400m-deep crater, 3km in diameter, and is comprised of a total of 4 peaks, the highest of which is the North Summit (4,090 m/13,419 ft.); the West Summit is the second highest (3995.3 m/ 13,107 ft.) and is followed by the East (3,908.2 m/ 12,822 ft.) and South Summit (3,887.8 m/ 12,756 ft.).

The best window to access this ski line is from February to May. Yerevan is 81km from Geghadzor, so the trip there takes around 1h 30m and costs 8,500-9,000 AMD by taxi.