The Pirin range rises directly south of Blagoevgrad, its marble and limestone peaks visible from the city centre on clear days. Pirin National Park — a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983 — protects 274 square kilometres of alpine terrain, including ancient Balkan pine (Pinus heldreichii) forests, over 100 glacial lakes, and peaks rising to 2,915 metres at Vihren, the third-highest peak in Bulgaria.
The park's trails are accessible from Bansko (about 55 km southeast of Blagoevgrad), which serves as the main base for both summer hiking and winter skiing. The skiing at Bansko is the best in Bulgaria — good snow reliability, 70 km of pistes, and prices that undercut Alpine resorts considerably. In summer, the hiking around the Banderitsa and Vihren huts — through alpine meadows, past glacial lakes, and up to marble ridge lines — is outstanding. The Yulen Nature Reserve (accessible from Blagoevgrad itself) protects the most ancient pine forests in the park.