From Slovakia’s only “crater lake” to Szinnai-kő through a Carpathian primeval beech forest

Itinerary

• From the car park, follow the forest asphalt road leading to the lake and the K marking on it.
• At the lake shore, at the smaller castle (Kaštielik Morské oko), turn left onto the S marking and climb up this path touching the Malé Morské oko to reach the rim of the caldera (Jedlinka).
• At the signposted Jedlinka junction, turn right and follow the ridge path marked P, passing the Tri table saddle to reach the Szinnai-kő (Sninský kameň), where you can climb two rocks in two different directions.
• Return via the already known P marking to the previously visited saddle (sedlo Tri table).
• From the saddle, turn onto the K marking and descend back to the lake.
• Upon reaching the concrete road running along the lake shore, a sign indicates that the buffet located on the northern shore of the lake is to the left, reached by an unmarked gravel path along the shore. If you do not wish to visit this, return to the car park via the K marking (and the previously known forest asphalt road).

Detailed description of the route

Vihorlát, which slightly resembles Mátra in size and height, is the first segment of an extensive volcanic range located on the inner arc of the Northeastern Carpathians (the so-called Vihorlát–Gutin Mountains). This volcanic range ages progressively from northwest to southeast and now consists of heavily eroded volcanic remnants with forested ridges that form a striking frame along the edge of the Great Hungarian Plain. The creation of this innermost and youngest zone of the Carpathians is the result of the complex rotational movements of microplates that played an important role in the formation of the Carpathian Basin. (The youngest volcano in the Carpathians, only a few tens of thousands of years old, is Csomád known from Lake Saint Anne; Vihorlát itself was active between 12.5 and 9.5 million years ago). The main characteristic of Slovakia’s easternmost independent mountain range is its impressive elevation above the plain, which looks truly spectacular from the Széles-tó (Zemplínska Šírava) at the southern foothills. Nonetheless, very few people visit Vihorlát, which features a landscape shape similar to domestic mountain ranges except for the grand Szinnai Lake surroundings (partly because the western part of the range has been a military zone, now accessible, for a few years). Its peaks barely exceed 1000 meters above sea level (Vihorlát peak/Vihorlat: 1075 m, Nežabec: 1023 m, Motrogon: 1018 m, Szinnai-kő/Sninský kameň: 1005 m).

Before setting out on the route and exploring this special volcanic site of the Carpathians, it is worth recalling the four structural zones of the mountain necklace surrounding the Carpathian Basin. The outer zone built from sandstone (flysch zone) and the central crystalline zone containing the highest mountain ranges are present everywhere, while the limestone cliffs zone is only found intermittently, as is the volcanic zone. The Vihorlát is located so far east that geographically it lies not in the Northwestern Carpathians covering much of Slovakia but in the Northeastern Carpathians mostly on Ukrainian territory.

Slovakia’s only “crater lake”

The asphalt road first climbs steeply from the car park, then descends gently to the dam on the southern shore of Szinnai Lake (Morské oko), from which you can fully enjoy the special lake view. Previously known as Remetei Lake (named after the nearby Remetevasgyár, Remetské Hámre), the water surface easily brings to mind Lake Saint Anne in Transylvania, as it also lies deep in a volcanic collapse. However, from many aspects, this comparison does not hold, which can be suspected immediately while standing on the dam. The nearby information board explains in detail that the lake at 618 meters above sea level with a maximum depth of 25 meters formed due to a landslide that dammed the Okna stream, the only one breaking out from the caldera ring. Later, Széchenyi László and his wife Gladys Vanderbilt, who successfully cured their daughter’s illness here, built a dam, increasing the water surface from 7 hectares to 13.8 hectares. Today, the entire area around the lake is a strictly protected forest reserve, and this tranquility is clearly visible not only up close but also from atop Szinnai-kő. The area around the lake remains undeveloped despite the nearby car park; only the noble family’s villa built in 1924 and two tourist houses can be found on the northern side of the shore.

Following the lakeside path and the K marking, you soon reach the charming manor built by the mentioned count family, now used by the forestry. From here, you can easily descend to the lakeshore, which is worth visiting, as soon you will bid farewell to the lake and, at the nearby junction (turn left on the S marking), venture into the wilderness.

Carpathian primeval beech forest, part of the World Heritage

The beech (Fagus sylvatica), so beloved by hikers, survived the last Ice Age in a few isolated mountain areas in southern Europe and then gradually conquered a large part of the continent over several thousand years. However, almost no undisturbed beech forests remain today, which is why UNESCO has paid attention to the integrity of Vihorlát’s forests, protected since 1973. The mountain range’s primeval beech woods, stretching along the Polish–Slovak–Ukrainian border with the nearby Poloniny National Park and some adjacent Ukrainian forests, have been on the World Heritage List since 2007. The list already includes 94 sites across 18 countries under the title “Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe”.

The S marking, with not too steep a climb, targets the caldera rim and leads from one forest reserve to another. Our first stop is the so-called “Small Tarn”—Malé Morské oko—a few meters deep lake filling a runoff-free area likely created by a mass movement on the steep caldera rim. Continuing on the marking soon brings us to the steep rim of the huge caldera formed at the site of the former eruption center, at the junction called Jedlinka. The ridge path marked P crosses here, and this is where the finest forests are found. Lichen-covered, mossy, and striking beech old-growth elements stand like groves apart, among them mostly storm-torn mountain maples can be seen, and the golden-brown color of the damp leaf litter is enlivened by the fresh green of ferns. Some valley heads on the outer rim of the caldera also hide strictly protected (not accessible) peat bogs.

Turning left, you can reach the mountain range’s main peak on a more serious hike; however, our route turns right toward Szinnai-kő (Sninský kameň). Immediately after the junction, you get a partial view of the caldera beneath and hike along a spectacular rock edge. This soon loses its dramatic flair, but fortunately, the forest’s beauty remains, and you quickly arrive at a saddle called Tri table (sedlo). From here, only a little over a kilometer of not too steep climbing awaits before reaching the magnificent viewpoint of Szinnai-kő (Sninský kameň).

Below us is one of the best-preserved calderas of the Carpathian mountain ring  

Probably, even at this more frequented part of the range, we do not meet many people. Despite Vihorlát’s current isolation, it is hard to imagine that the noble Starý count family, who once owned the area, built the essential tourist infrastructure of the mountain range in the 1870s and even inaugurated a tourist house with music and celebration in 1883 (Antal shelter). Of course, all this is already in decline, and the noise of the High Tatras is distinctly distant from Vihorlát.

Steep ladders and stairs lead up to the top of Szinnai-kő, a naturally fortress-like rock named after the nearby town. In fact, there are two rock tops reaching above the canopy: the one directly above and to the right can be reached on the P marking, and the other a few steps further on the K marking (the former offering a better view of the lake). From the rock ledges, we enjoy a stunning panoramic view: visible are the Eastern Beskids' peaks stealing with primeval forests, the Vihorlát summit, the long highlands of the Polish Tokaj-Eperjesi mountain range (including the Slovak Szalánci Mountains), and the gentler ridge forming the border of the neighboring Pricske volcano (Popriečny vrch). Our gaze, however, is most attracted by the depth of the caldera immediately below us, framed by summits between 750 and 1000 meters high, about 4–5 kilometers in diameter, in which the lake water known as the “tarn” sparkles, surrounded by magical green forests. We rarely experience such a view anywhere else in the Carpathians, so it is worth fully enjoying it!

Picturesque farewell with a buffet

From Szinnai-kő, we descend on the familiar path back to the Tri table saddle, where turning onto the K marking, we quickly reach the asphalt strip running along the lakeshore. Our route continues through scenic, beautiful old forest. Turning right on the lakeside asphalt road, we return to the car park, where a small buffet can also be found during the tourist season. Even more authentic is the buffet of the hostel on the northern shore of the lake, reachable with a short detour, not least because it arguably offers the best view of the “tarn.”