Hike Report for Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius is located in Campania, Italy. It has an elevation of 1186 meters above sea level. It is located at the following coordinates: (40.8333, 14.4167).
This hike report was written by bigfootedbertha, about a hike on Sunday, December 4, 2005.
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Directions to Trailhead
The following is from the Mt. Vesuvius National Park website:
By car:
Take the A3 Napoli-Salerno motorway and exit at Torre del Greco or Ercolano.
From Ercolano:
After the motorway toll station, turn left under the motorway bridge and continue along Via Boscocatene. Go straight on at the crossroads in Via B. Cozzolino. Continue for about 2 km up the hairpin road and go straight on at the junction, following directions for Vesuvio. About 300 m after the junction there is a Vesuvius National Park Info Point. Continue up the hairpin road for about 7 km and proceed left at the junction. After about 2 km you arrive at the 1,000 m altitude terrace where you can park and begin your walk up the trail to the crater.
From Torre del Greco:
After the motorway toll station, turn left under the motorway bridge and continue along Via Boscocatene. Go straight on at the crossroads in Via B. Cozzolino. Continue for about 2 km up the hairpin road and go straight on at the junction, following directions for Vesuvio. About 300 m after the junction there is a Vesuvius National Park Info Point. Continue up the hairpin road for about 7 km and proceed left at the junction. After about 2 km you arrive at the 1,000 m altitude terrace where you can park and begin your walk up the trail to the crater.
For bus and train information, please visit http://www.vesuviopark.it/grancono/index.asp#come
By car:
Take the A3 Napoli-Salerno motorway and exit at Torre del Greco or Ercolano.
From Ercolano:
After the motorway toll station, turn left under the motorway bridge and continue along Via Boscocatene. Go straight on at the crossroads in Via B. Cozzolino. Continue for about 2 km up the hairpin road and go straight on at the junction, following directions for Vesuvio. About 300 m after the junction there is a Vesuvius National Park Info Point. Continue up the hairpin road for about 7 km and proceed left at the junction. After about 2 km you arrive at the 1,000 m altitude terrace where you can park and begin your walk up the trail to the crater.
From Torre del Greco:
After the motorway toll station, turn left under the motorway bridge and continue along Via Boscocatene. Go straight on at the crossroads in Via B. Cozzolino. Continue for about 2 km up the hairpin road and go straight on at the junction, following directions for Vesuvio. About 300 m after the junction there is a Vesuvius National Park Info Point. Continue up the hairpin road for about 7 km and proceed left at the junction. After about 2 km you arrive at the 1,000 m altitude terrace where you can park and begin your walk up the trail to the crater.
For bus and train information, please visit http://www.vesuviopark.it/grancono/index.asp#come
Hike Report
In the summer of 2002 I had the opportunity to visit Mt. Vesuvius. In ancient times, the volcano was considered sacred to the God of Hercules. The volcano is actually a volcano inside of a volcano, and the outer cone surrounding it is called Mt. Somma. The most famous eruption occurred in 79 AD when it destroyed most of the cities around its base. The last significant volcanic activity occurred in 1944 when a lava flow invaded a couple of cities in the surrounding area.
My group took a coach bus up 2/3 of the mountain. If I remember correctly, the drive was no longer than thirty minutes. The road up was extremely windy, and it was amazing how our driver navigated the bus through the many S-turns. We arrived at the main parking lot where we were dropped off to begin our hike to the summit. The weather was extremely nice, as it wasn???t too hot or cold. However, it was hazy out, which obscured the view of the city beneath the mountain a little bit.
The hike to the top took about 20 minutes (for a group of high school students). There wasn???t much variety in the environment around us, as everything was the reddish gray color of the soil, with some greenish shrubs and small tress along the path. The trail is extremely well marked. There are a few stands along the way selling souvenirs and water. The trail will take you to the west crater rim. Before you reach the rim, however, there is a gate where you must pay an entrance fee and will be accompanied by a volcanological guide. The fee, as of January 2005, is 4.5 euros.
At the top we were able to look down inside of the volcano and see smoke wisps rising up. There are four stations posted around the opening that monitor the activity of the volcano.
At the top you get a great view of the cities in the surrounding area, as well as the Bay of Naples, which is part of the Tyrrhenian Sea. You are also able to walk a good ways around the opening of the volcano. There were a lot of other people hiking up the mountain as well, so be prepared to have to navigate around groups of people.
Overall, I really enjoyed my hike up Mt. Vesuvius. It wasn???t the prettiest or most challenging hike I???ve ever done, but the history that surrounds the mountain plus the opportunity to look inside of a volcano made it worthwhile. If you are visiting this part of Italy, I definitely recommend taking this trip. I also advise visiting the city of Pompeii, which was destroyed by the volcano in the 79 AD eruption, as you are able to see firsthand the devastation that this volcano caused.
My group took a coach bus up 2/3 of the mountain. If I remember correctly, the drive was no longer than thirty minutes. The road up was extremely windy, and it was amazing how our driver navigated the bus through the many S-turns. We arrived at the main parking lot where we were dropped off to begin our hike to the summit. The weather was extremely nice, as it wasn???t too hot or cold. However, it was hazy out, which obscured the view of the city beneath the mountain a little bit.
The hike to the top took about 20 minutes (for a group of high school students). There wasn???t much variety in the environment around us, as everything was the reddish gray color of the soil, with some greenish shrubs and small tress along the path. The trail is extremely well marked. There are a few stands along the way selling souvenirs and water. The trail will take you to the west crater rim. Before you reach the rim, however, there is a gate where you must pay an entrance fee and will be accompanied by a volcanological guide. The fee, as of January 2005, is 4.5 euros.
At the top we were able to look down inside of the volcano and see smoke wisps rising up. There are four stations posted around the opening that monitor the activity of the volcano.
At the top you get a great view of the cities in the surrounding area, as well as the Bay of Naples, which is part of the Tyrrhenian Sea. You are also able to walk a good ways around the opening of the volcano. There were a lot of other people hiking up the mountain as well, so be prepared to have to navigate around groups of people.
Overall, I really enjoyed my hike up Mt. Vesuvius. It wasn???t the prettiest or most challenging hike I???ve ever done, but the history that surrounds the mountain plus the opportunity to look inside of a volcano made it worthwhile. If you are visiting this part of Italy, I definitely recommend taking this trip. I also advise visiting the city of Pompeii, which was destroyed by the volcano in the 79 AD eruption, as you are able to see firsthand the devastation that this volcano caused.
Difficulty
This is a moderate-level hike. There is a fairly good incline most of the way up. The trail is very well maintained, and there are not any boulders, streams, or other natural obstructions to navigate over. Young children with hiking experience would be able to do this hike, but otherwise, I wouldn't recommend bring children younger than 10 or so, unless they are extrememly excited about going to the top of a volocano, or you don't mind carrying them.
Statistics
The parking lot from which you begin your hike is at an elevation of approximately 3280 feet. The hike takes around 20 minutes, is about half a mile long, and brings you to the west crater rim, which is at an elevation of 3871 feet. You are able to navigate around the crater for a little ways. Overall the hike takes an hour, if you backtrack the same trail on the way down. (It is possible to continue the trail around the crater and down a different part of the mountain, that takes about 3 hours total).
Images
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