Greece Andloukakis · CC BY-SA 4.0
The cut
639 metres, to scale.
A slice through Mesona Gorge where it is deepest and narrowest, measured on the Copernicus relief model every 30 m. Same scale as the landmark standing on the floor.
Standing on the floor, to scale: Great Pyramid · 139 m · Empire State · 443 m
Depth is measured to the lower rim; the width is from rim to rim. A 30 m relief model smooths the narrowest walls, so a slot canyon reads shallower than it is.
639m
Depth
measured on the 30 m relief model
13.7km
Rim to rim
measured on the 30 m relief model
29°
Steepest wall
average over 300 m, from the relief
53m
Floor altitude
Rim to floor
6 °C warmer at the bottom.
In August the afternoon reaches 30 °C on the floor, against 24 °C on the rim. The best months to hike are from April to May and from October to November. The wettest months are from November to February.
- 15°9°Jan
- 15°9°Feb
- 17°11°Mar
- 19°13°Apr
- 23°18°May
- 28°22°Jun
- 30°24°Jul
- 30°24°Aug
- 28°22°Sep
- 24°18°Oct
- 20°14°Nov
- 17°11°Dec
Afternoon highs, 1991–2020 averages (NASA POWER) brought to the altitude of the rim and of the floor with the standard lapse rate (6.5 °C per 1 000 m). Shade, wind and rock change this on the day. Not a forecast.
Canyon in Greece
Mesona Gorge is a canyon in Greece. The relief model measures 639 m from the floor to the lower rim, and 892 m to the higher one. Rim to rim it is 14 km wide where the cut was taken.
Getting there.
- Makry-Gialosnearest town · 12 km in a straight line
- Parking 1,200 m awaynearest car park in OpenStreetMap, straight line
- Viewpointsnearest viewpoint · 2.8 km from the floor
- Sitia Airport (JSH)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 24 km in a straight lineCar hire at JSH airport (Crete Island)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
- From April to May and from October to Novemberbest months to hike (estimate)
Plan the visit
Guided hikes, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From the sky.
The canyon from above, with the relief shaded, the line of the cut, the river and what people have mapped around it.
N
6 km
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 24 × 24 km, north up. The line is the cut above. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Around the canyon.
- 5viewpoints within 5 kmΚαταρράκτης Μάστωρα and 4 more
- 3marked hiking routes within 4 kmEuropean Walking Route E4, Greece, Crete, Havgas Gorge
- 1footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 km
- 3car parks within 3 km
- 35information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
- 2bus stops within 2 km
- 4hotels and guesthouses within 8 kmΜόχλος Μάρε, Blue Sea, Ella Rocrita and 1 more
- 10restaurants and cafés within 4 km
- via ferrata routes within 4 km
- climbing crags within 3 km
- rafting, canoe, kayak or canyoning spots within 4 km
- swimming spots within 3 km
- named waterfalls within 4 km
- caves within 3 km
- campsites within 8 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, around the floor of the canyon. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Towns nearby
- Makry-Gialos12 km in a straight line
- Kentrí14 km in a straight line
- Ierápetra16 km in a straight line
- Ágios Nikólaos17 km in a straight line
- Gra Liyiá20 km in a straight line
- Schísma Eloúndas21 km in a straight line
- Kritsá22 km in a straight line
- Eloúnda22 km in a straight line
In our other atlases
What else is around Mesona Gorge.
The river that carved it, the waterfalls inside it, the mountains on the rim, the lakes, beaches and island nearby — from our six sister atlases, each with its own figures.
Cascadyas1 waterfalls nearbyComing soon
Peakyas10 mountains within 15 kmFigures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, NOAA, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Month by month
The weather, at the floor and at the rim.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon · floor | 15 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 23 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 24 | 20 | 17 |
| Afternoon · rim | 9 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 18 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 18 | 14 | 11 |
| Night · rim | 6 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 88 | 74 | 41 | 28 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 20 | 48 | 58 | 90 |
| Rainy days | 14 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 13 |
| Sun hours/day | 4.1 | 4.9 | 7.0 | 8.6 | 10.3 | 12.2 | 12.2 | 11.1 | 9.4 | 7.1 | 5.2 | 3.7 |
| Afternoon · floor | Afternoon · rim | Night · rim | Rain (mm) | Sun hours/day | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | 9 | 6 | 88 | 4.1 |
| Feb | 15 | 9 | 6 | 74 | 4.9 |
| Mar | 17 | 11 | 7 | 41 | 7.0 |
| Apr | 19 | 13 | 9 | 28 | 8.6 |
| May | 23 | 18 | 13 | 18 | 10.3 |
| Jun | 28 | 22 | 16 | 5 | 12.2 |
| Jul | 30 | 24 | 19 | 2 | 12.2 |
| Aug | 30 | 24 | 19 | 4 | 11.1 |
| Sep | 28 | 22 | 17 | 20 | 9.4 |
| Oct | 24 | 18 | 14 | 48 | 7.1 |
| Nov | 20 | 14 | 11 | 58 | 5.2 |
| Dec | 17 | 11 | 8 | 90 | 3.7 |
Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (53 m) and the rim (945 m) with the standard lapse rate. Not a forecast.
Recent years
Wet years, dry years.
Rain of each month as a share of the 1991–2020 average. A dry year means a lower river and hotter rock; a wet one, more water in the gorge.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 103% | 63% | 121% | 96% | 59% | 222% | — | — | 149% | 131% | 188% | 66% |
| 2021 | 67% | 116% | 124% | 208% | 69% | 139% | — | — | 60% | 132% | 67% | 137% |
| 2022 | 110% | 110% | 252% | 46% | 52% | 111% | — | — | 117% | 109% | 73% | 31% |
| 2023 | 52% | 66% | 93% | 89% | 227% | 750% | — | — | 95% | 21% | 57% | 76% |
| 2024 | 102% | 61% | 40% | 25% | 119% | 17% | — | — | 106% | 12% | 45% | 177% |
| 2025 | 53% | 94% | 122% | 129% | 168% | 22% | — | — | 26% | 55% | 96% | 99% |
130% or more: wet month 70% or less: dry month
Compare with the neighbours.
Mesona Gorge
Greece
- 639 mDepth
- 14 kmRim to rim
- —Length
- 29°Steepest wall
Where these figures come from
| Name, type, published depth and length | Wikidata (Q4479719) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| The cut: depth, width, wall and 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Climate | NASA POWER, 1991–2020 |
| Viewpoints, trails, bridges and the river line | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Rivers, waterfalls, mountains, lakes, beaches and islands nearby | Coastya, Lakeyas, Peakyas, Cascadyas, Islandyas, Riveryas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit 
lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Coming soonVisit mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Coming soonVisit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.You are here