Adventure hike to the southern bastion of Veľká Fatra

Itinerary

• From Staré Hory (Óhegy) we climb up on the K trail to the branch below Krížna (Rázcestie pod Križnou).
• From the Rázc. pod Križnou signpost the P trail leads over the Krížna peak to the branch by the Kráľova studňa spring.
• From Kráľova studňa we make a detour on the S and finally on the S▲ marked path to the nearby rock (Kráľova skala).
• From Kráľova studňa we turn back in our arrival direction and traverse the south ridge with the Z marking to the Úplaz junction.
• From Úplaz the S trail leads to the Japeň peak.
• From Japeň peak the left branch of the Z trail leads back to the center of Staré Hory.

Detailed description of the hike

Ascent to the main ridge

We start north from the valley of the Starohorský potok, from the center of the village Staré Hory (Óhegy) on the K trail. After crossing a stream, we leave the village shortly and begin a long ascent on a wide dozer road toward the peaks of Veľká Fatra. From the dense beech forest mixed with firs, we can only glimpse the deeply carved valley of the Starohorský potok and the surrounding forested mountains through a few clearings.

One of the important water divide of the Carpathians lies before us, as the ridge opposite separates the waters of the Garam and Váh rivers, its main pass opening near here, at Donovaly (Dóval). We see the meeting zone of two mountain ranges, a highly elevated, strongly dissected terrain. The crystalline base of the Low Tatras and the neighboring Veľká Fatra, built of limestone rocks, almost merge. The granite range, elevated during the folding of the Carpathians, pushed the sedimentary rocks resting on it upwards. On the western side lies the separated limestone and marly unit of Veľká Fatra, while the highest crystalline ridge belongs to the Low Tatras with north-south oriented limestone peaks.

The path steadily climbs through old beech and fir trunks following the shape of the mountainside, gaining over 500 m in elevation before reaching the ridge. Here, the old beech forest opens up with clearings and fallen trees, allowing spots where we can see the surrounding mountains. We turn on the ridge towards the back side of the towering rock mass above us, then the path leads to the southern escarpment.

The grassy back of Majerova skala (Majer rock) drops sharply below our feet, opening space for a panoramic view in a half-circle. We see below the village of Staré Hory, the mountains that have surrounded our path, and the ridges of Veľká Fatra and Low Tatras stretching southward. On the opposite side, the partly grassy, partly forested ridge descends at the end of our hike. Far in the valley foot of the mountain range, the wide valley of Garam cuts in, making space for the city of Banská Bystrica, while on the other side, the volcanic massif of Polana rises well above 1000 m. Veľká Fatra merges southward with the volcanic-origin Körmöci Mountains, crowned by a huge transmission tower rising from its flat, rounded top. From here we get a good view of the next target of our route, the broad ridge of Veľká Fatra opening up with alpine meadows, although main peaks like Krížna and Ostredok are still hidden.

Alpine meadows in the Veľká Fatra summit region

The section ahead is a steady climb with a 300 m elevation difference leading to the peak, along an open grassy ridge where it is always pleasant to rest and enjoy the panoramic views over the vast mountain area. Gradually, more and more details emerge in the northeastern panorama, and distant peaks appear along the main ridge of Veľká Fatra. We also pass an old ski slope and its dilapidated lift system; on the pasture top, the 1445 m sub-peak Líška marks the last stop of our ascent. The ridge turns north here as we bypass a 500 m deep drop, where the main north-south running ridge abruptly ends.

Just below the Krížna massif, the Slovak National Uprising (SNP) trail joins from the east, crossing Slovakia for almost 800 kilometers from Dukla Pass to Devín, connecting the two "corner points" of the country and the important stations of the World War II Slovak resistance. The last few hundred meters of our ascent follow the P trail. Interestingly, at the summit the red SNP trail coming from the southeast and continuing west meets the red main ridge hiking trail coming from the north, so all three ridges branching from Krížna are marked with the same color.

At Krížna peak stands a signpost at this key junction of hiking trails. Our route clearly follows left, along a dozer road just bypassing the highest point of the summit. The peak is occupied by a fenced military radar station, so we miss the full summit experience but enjoy unobstructed panoramic views along much of the ridge. From here we overlook the corners of the mountain range, and to the north we see Ostredok, the highest point of Veľká Fatra, characterized by a flat, grassy ridge typical for the range. The two highest peaks on the north before us make Krížna the third highest, falling short by 12 and 22 meters from the silver and gold podium places.

The ridge section descending slowly westwards reveals better views of the valley-dissected terrain westward, the most wild, strictly protected, rocky ridges of the mountain range. Much of the national park’s large predator population inhabits this steep, well-isolated, nearly undisturbed terrain. Our hike’s turning point lies just on the edge of this area.

The P trail crosses the spring area of Kráľova studňa (King’s well), from where we make a short detour on the S trail to Kráľova skala (King’s rock), a lookout point rising as a rocky tower from the grassy ridge end. The limestone rock towers typical of Veľká Fatra are older and more resistant than the main bulk of the range, composed of younger sedimentary rocks pushed up by tectonic movements. The former limestone cover remains only in fragments, forming isolated, white-towered rocky peaks. Our first viewpoint, Majerova skala, is such a rock, while other prominent peaks like Čierny kameň and Suchý vrch are Triassic limestones and enjoy strict protection. The S trail leads to the foot of the rock tower, but the S▲ marked path climbs the gentler southern slope onto the lookout. The experience here is more thrilling than the view itself because, after the previously admired flat grassy ridges, this time we look down from a wilder rocky environment into a steep valley system densely lined with firs at the edge of the open summit region. On the far side of the yawning basin, similar rocky walls rise in towers, covered by remnants of the limestone cover above the opposite peak.

Descent on the southern ridge, through meadows and primeval forests

Returning to the Kráľova studňa spring group on the S▲ and S trails, we then turn off the ridge on the traversing Z trail on the mountainside. If we want to stay overnight on the mountain, we can make a short detour of less than a kilometer by continuing down on the P trail to the Horský hotel Kráľova studňa, located right on the border of meadows and forests, about 100 meters below us. This mountain hotel also serves as shelter in bad weather and has a restaurant where food and drinks are available. Another option for overnight stay is the Salaš Smrekovica bivouac hut, located westwards along the Z trail. This well-equipped but fully self-sufficient hut allows free overnight stays with a sleeping bag on the edge of a pine grove basin. However, outside the summer season, we can count on availability only, as the hut is still often used by shepherds. They used to live in similar mountain shelters in summer along the broad pasture-carrying main ridge – many of their huts have been converted for backpacker use today. (For example, there is a significantly more Spartan hut nearby, now continuously used by hikers.)

As we proceed along the Z trail following the western escarpment of Krížna, the forest opening in the ravines reveals the mountain hotel situated directly opposite. This path is accessible only in summer because in winter and avalanche periods these slopes are highly avalanche-prone, as seen from the deeply dissected forest that draws the path of descending snow masses. After a short about two-kilometer traversal, we return again to the grassy ridge where the Z trail "drops" into the valley on the far side, reaching Turecká (before Staré Hory) by the shortest route. If we are pressed for time or the weather worsens, this is a quicker alternative to the settlements, but it is advisable to stay on the ridge and continue on the S trail to Japeň peak.

The S trail descends on the southeast running ridge, reaches the forest edge, and with one final climb ascends to the rocky outcrop of Japeň. This means a 150-meter climb, but the drastically changing environment rewards our effort. Along the ridge of Japeň, on the southern border of the national park, an ancient beech forest has remained almost untouched, with centuries-old gnarled trunks guarding the young seedlings. Here we can observe the cycle of healthy forests, where seedlings growing under the protection of old trees energetically fill the gaps in the "parent" forest cover after an old tree falls out of the series. The wood of old specimens remains on site, serving as habitat and food for countless small insects, and woodpeckers carve large cavities in the standing old trees, creating shelters for many rare birds, bats, and small mammals under the protection of the trunks.

At the summit of Japeň, the naturally developed protected primeval forest sharply contrasts with the forest established by forestry activities, formed from single-species, even-aged stands. Switching to the Z trail (left), we briefly wade into the thicket on the eastern side, then descend energetically along the ridge border of young planted and old retained forests and the national park boundary. The rocky mountain ridge descends more steeply towards the valley, and after crossing a few forestry roads, we emerge on meadows above the village, about 500 meters below the summit. The steepness eases, and we descend back to the houses overlooking the village, with views to the mountainside we touched at the beginning of our path and to the Majerova skala rocks. Then we reach the junction in the village center. Next to the parking lot, a restaurant offers rest and refreshment opportunities at the end of the demanding circular route.