Rhodope Mountains

The mountain country of Pirin rises between the valleys of the Struma and Mesta rivers, west of the Rhodopes. Deep river valleys cut into its ridges, and high basins hold lakes left by ancient glaciers. Forests of Macedonian and Bosnian pine cover parts of the range, giving way to rock and alpine ground near the summits. Across the Mesta valley, the wooded western Rhodopes continue eastward into a broad chain of ridges and valleys.