Adventure hike in the enchanted stone world of the Šúľovské skaly

Itinerary

• From the parking lot, we climb up following the Z trail to the Gotická brána rock gate, then to Šúľov Castle (Hrad Súľov).
• We continue following the Z trail to the junction below the castle (Lúka pod Súľovským hradom).
• Turning left on the P trail, we touch the colossal rock formations of Brada, while on the right on smaller, well-trodden paths we can visit viewpoints (Štefánikova, Opásaná).
• At the Pod Roháčom junction, turn right onto the S trail and descend passing through the Obrovská brána rock gate.
• From the Lúka pod Kamennom hríbe named intersection, proceed straight following the P trail all the way to the parking lot.

Detailed description of the hike

The Gothic gate and Šúľov Castle

The starting point of the hike is unmistakable, located between Almásfalu (Jablonové) and Šúľov-Hradná, under the rocks at the parking lot where during the tourist season you can find a buffet, accommodation options, and information boards. Starting on the Z trail, there is little time to ponder as just a few steps in, you breathe heavily climbing a root-entangled slope. The steepness then eases off and the path continues among old, gnarled beech trees towards one of the most beautiful rock formations, the Gotická brána (Gothic gate). Within half an hour, you reach the top of the rocks where caution is needed as there are some very exposed sections.

Leaving the hiking trail to the left, you find a picturesque viewpoint ledge from which you can see the namesake rock gate and the holiday homes stretching beside the settlement, as well as the wider surrounding area. And most importantly: if you haven’t yet, here you can physically touch this special rock. The conglomerate rocks, built from sandstone and smaller or larger sediment grains (pebbles), are cemented together by a calcareous binding material, and external forces (wind, water, and especially frost fragmentation) have worn them down stronger where the binder was weaker. This created the uniquely shaped rocks that are guaranteed to spark everyone’s imagination. The most spectacular formations even have “official” names, beyond the gate in front of us, along the path, you will see a rock resembling an Indian head and a mushroom stone, and one rock complex supposedly resembles a monastery.

From the towers of Gotická brána, a half-hour experience-rich path leads through Šúľov Castle (Hrad Súľov), perhaps the most spectacular point of the Šúľov Rocks. Decades-old grips and smaller ladders help you navigate the rocks at some points on the route, but your hands will truly come in handy only at the castle. It’s hard to imagine a bolder location for a castle: built between rocks, standing on walls found at the edge of breathtaking cliffs, it is evident the builders amazingly utilized the natural features of the terrain. So much so, that at the board placed directly under the eagle's nest, it’s not immediately clear where the castle is because the ridge is so narrow. This castle, habitable even in the early 1700s, survived all significant historic destructions and according to sources, might have served as a refuge castle where people hid in times of danger, with little military significance. Turning right from the ruin sign, we pass through a barely human-wide crevice equipped with artificial grips, then climb up a ladder and through a hole under a wall remnant to reach the top of the castle and the rock, and on the left, we can inspect a smaller bastion that once stood without needing to climb. From the summit, you can see the “amphitheater” surrounding Šúľov-Hradná, and you can spend a lot of time with the whole family naming the stone towers, dragons, giants, dwarfs, and all sorts of fairy tale characters you see in the surrounding rocks.

Not shameful but useful: the “pants brake”

The first really challenging section (still on the Z trail) awaits us when descending from the castle. The ladders between the rock towers consist of only a few steps, but then next to the railing, a debris-filled, slippery path awaits that really makes it worth using the “pants brake.” At the junction (Lúka pod Súľovským hradom), we can catch our breath, and on a small unmarked path, cautiously climb to a splendid viewpoint. The P trail joins here and we follow it to the left (the Z descends from the mountain). For a while, we walk over surprisingly calm terrain, with no ladders or railings, but we still have to wait for the first root-entangled, steep drop. If we watch carefully, we may spot a rock that really looks like an Indian head, and the mushroom rock is right on the path. Then bigger and bigger rocks surround us, and we arrive at the giant rocks of Brada. The path does not climb to the peak, but on the right-hand side, there are several smaller, well-visible detours worth visiting. However, be cautious, the especially exposed viewpoints extend over cliffs, and nothing protects against possible falls.

Another rock gate, again the pants brake

Following the P trail, we descend to the Pod Roháčom junction, where we switch to the S trail and leave the ridge. First, we walk down to the Obrovská brána rock gate, where the hiking trail leads under an enormous stone bridge, offering an extraordinary experience. Afterwards, literally, we have to “tighten our pants” because the toughest section of the hike awaits, and on the debris-filled, slippery, steep path, we may repeatedly need the “pants brake.”

This slope will surely get us sweating, but then the terrain smooths out, and we stroll downhill through a beautiful forest until we reach a clearing. Here, with a 100-meter elevation difference, we can make a short detour to the “dragon’s cave” (Šarkania diera), an even more spectacular crevice (although it’s uncertain if after the big slope we want to climb back up).

From the clearing, we walk on a level, pleasant path back toward our starting point, and from the path leading at the forest bottom, at some points, we also enjoy fantastic panoramas, as well as rest benches. It is worth resting because this is the farewell moment, and if we sniff carefully, we might already smell the well-deserved dinner. All we have to do is walk back along the level path, switching to the P trail at the Lúka pod Kamennom hríbe junction until reaching the starting point. (Meanwhile, we can also enter the village on the K trail.)