İzmir, Turkey

Balçova – National Forest (İzmir Ticaret Odası Hatıra Ormanı)

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For some hills and trails near town, head to the National Forest in Balçova (İzmir Ticaret Odası Hatıra Ormanı). This large area has a cable car leading to the summit, featuring great views of İzmir & the Aegean. For runners, there are several ways to conquer this cat. One can run up a road/concrete path (Ejder SK) to the summit (no shoulder but not too many cars). This is a nearly 400m climb over 4 km, with grades of 10%+ in parts. There’s also series of paths, especially on the west side of the forest. They can be accessed from the Sakarya Park, or the Balçova Sports Complex. Or, take the cable car to the summit and run the paths from there. Note: there is no online trail map of the area.

Access the road/path to the summit from Sakarya Rd. near the cable car station, or from Teleferik Mahallesi Parkı.

Essentials
  • Road to summit is ~4 km
  • 400m (1,293 feet) over 4 km
  • Numerous possible start points off Sakarya Rd.
  • There's bus access from the city to the cable car

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Essentials
  • Road to summit is ~4 km
  • 400m (1,293 feet) over 4 km
  • Numerous possible start points off Sakarya Rd.
  • There's bus access from the city to the cable car