Geological stroll on the limestone ridges of the Low Tatras

Itinerary

• From Liptovský Ján (Szentiván) we follow the K trail uphill in the valley until the Stanišovská dolina junction.
• In the Stanišovská dolina, we climb on the S trail up to the Brtkovica forester's lodge junction.
• From Brtkovica, we follow the Z trail (right) for a long stretch, first to the Slemä peak.
• At the Slemä peak, the Z⩍ trail leads to the World War wreck of a plane located on the western part of the summit, to which we make a short detour.
• From the Slemä peak, we continue also on the Z trail to the Ohnište block, up to the junction leading to the summit.
• The Z▲ trail leads up to the Ohnište summit, where we have to cover a total of one and a half kilometers for the round trip.
• On the southern side of Ohnište we descend on the Z trail to Svidovské sedlo.
• From Svidovské sedlo we descend all the way on the S trail (right) heading west.
• In the Jánska dolina we hike back on the K trail (straight) to our starting point.

Detailed description of the route

Walk along the geological and partisan history on the edge of the Liptov Basin

We start from the holiday area above the village on the path along the creek following the K trail, in a valley narrowing between forested slopes. We walk a long way on an asphalt forest road, accompanying a thinning row of holiday homes and weekend cottages which after about one kilometer is left behind on the other side of the creek. We follow the Jánska dolina ("Jánska valley") up to the Stanišovská dolina junction where a partisan memorial and a cave reception building invite us for a visit.

Above us is the Stanišovská jaskyňa, one of the oldest known and studied caves in Liptov, whose underground passages filled with stalactites can be explored on two levels. This cave, with a wide entrance, located opposite on the slope next to the Mala Stanišovská jaskyňa, is the most important wintering site for the local bats. In the cave lakes and the crystal pools beneath the stalactites live blind crustaceans, tiny transparent animals fully adapted to the underground environment, including springtails, cave millipedes, and terrestrial species of crustaceans. On guided tours, we can explore the entirely natural "labyrinth" in about an hour, which can only be entered with a headlamp and hiking boots, preserving its atmospheric condition.

In the Stanišovská dolina, we proceed on the S trail initially through dense pine forest, then crossing hay meadows at the widening gorge. At the head of the valley, we return again to the pine forest along the creek. After overcoming a tiring ascent, we reach the saddle (Stanišovské sedlo) on a natural staircase formed by pine roots. On the other side, a short rest awaits at a descending winding dozer road through meadows, where we zigzag among log houses and mountain farms on the gentler slopes of Brtkovica. Mountain animal husbandry was typical for the Liptov region: at the end of spring, when fresh grass sprouts, herds were brought up to the slopes and the animals lived up there with their shepherds until the first major snowfalls, around St. Michael's Day at the end of September.

From the meadows and clearings, in clear weather, the continuous ridges of the Liptovské Tatry (Liptov Mountains) and the High Tatras, as well as the wide valley of Váh, unfold before the eyes. A dominant mood is set by the triangular mass of Kriván, perceived as the highest from here and known as the Slovaks' "holy mountain" surrounded by legends. Right opposite rises the prominent Baranec among the highest peaks of the Liptovské Tatry, and farther back the actually higher Jakubina and Bystrá can be seen among jagged rocky summits. We follow the S trail all the way to the Brtkovica forester's lodge, where we turn onto a path markedly different in character from the gently descending dozer road so far.

Turning toward the mountain, the change in atmosphere is striking and a steep climb begins on a serpentine path avoiding the steepness. We climb along the border of a wind-swept pine forest and a clearing, twisting at several points onto a clear-cut offering wide panoramic views. The first inviting rest area equipped with a bench comes at the top of a side ridge with excellent views again. It is worth gathering strength because the steepest section of the hike follows, the final climb to the summit. The path twists with increasing amplitude along the slope and as we ascend we sometimes reach the steep, rocky edge of the side ridge.

On the descent we pass a partisan hut renovated in 2021. The log building offers a great chance for a break but can also serve as a shelter if the weather becomes extreme. During World War II, small partisan groups of about ten people formed and operated in the area, mainly aiming to sabotage the enemy's logistics lines (German and Hungarian armies). The partisan section active on the mountain, called "For the Freedom of Slovakia on Brtkovica", counted 150 members. This shelter served only as an observation point to watch the mountain slopes and the eastern edge of the Liptov Basin, while guerrilla groups hid in shepherd huts or bunkers near mountain springs, or in the nearby Stanišovská valley caves.

On the summits of the Low Tatras foothills

Unfortunately, there is hardly any view from the summit, and only glimpses between the dried and fallen pines can be caught of the mountain landscape admired on the climb. However, the peak offers a very different experience: a World War II plane wreck, although already in a badly worn state. To reach this, we must take a short detour westward from the summit marker on the Z⩍ trail.

On a few hundred meter elongated plateau, on October 13, 1944 (Friday), a Russian-made Lisunov Li-2 aircraft crashed, which was carrying Czechoslovak paratroopers for a mission. The plane was shot down by a German fighter during a night operation. The falling transport plane caught on the branches of the summit’s pine trees and crashed into the rocky top of the mountain. The 19 soldiers on board along with the 3 crew members lost their lives. Since 1970, a wreath-laying ceremony to commemorate the victims takes place every August at the monument and wreck site. From the rocky precipice next to the memorial there is a limited view of the main ridge of the Low Tatras, but for the real panorama, a bit more hiking is needed.

After this historical outlook, we continue on the Z trail winding among the peaks on a very charming mountain path that crosses old, moss-covered pine forests, hay meadows, and pine groves on the limestone mountains. The forests here remain almost in their original form on a plateau surrounded by cliffs; only openings made for grazing and mowing reveal the forestry practice. The forest’s state and the air purity are well demonstrated by the thick moss and lichen layers covering the tree trunks and ground, creating an organic community with higher and lower forms of life.

We descend from the steep southern ridge of the Slemä peak to Michalovské sedlo and then begin climbing again more gently over the pasture-covered opposite slope. From here we can see the rocky massif of Slemä, and upon reaching the summit we are again surrounded by old pine forest, then descend across the wide clearing of Predná poľana. At the lower edge of the meadow is the junction of the path leading to the Ohnište summit.

We follow the Z▲ trail, which makes a round trip of a good one and a half kilometers on the mountainside, involving almost 100 meters of elevation loss, but the extra hike definitely pays off. On the summit we face the main peak of the Low Tatras, Gyömbér (Ďumbier), with its rocky precipice dramatically towering over the valleys, along with the neighboring Chopok peak. The Ohnište summit features a tilted limestone layer jutting into the sky to the north, undulating across the whole ridge. Here it is easiest to understand the mountain range structure: a granite ridge rising highest along the center line, with the overlapped and uplifted limestone layers dominating the landscape to the north. The best views open near the end of the trail, although the path follows the rocky edge continuously and descends to the lower edge of the bent limestone cliffs. However, it is unnecessary and dangerous to wander off on this strictly protected terrain, as we can see the essence — the nearly 100 km long granite ridge crossing the center of the Low Tatras — even from the summit marker.

Descent at the foot of the mountains, insight into the geological structure

Returning to the meadow junction, we continue on the Z trail, which reaches the southern rocky precipice after some looping between old pines. Here the terrain changes drastically, and we lose a significant altitude over a short distance, mostly in a rocky forest environment. We bypass the mountain’s eastern ridge and the broken rock band where slipped layers formed a basin offering gentler descent. The protected area boundary is noticeable as we emerge from the pine forests with cliffs to a clear-cut patch and pine plantation. The increasingly gentle mountain slope finally levels out at the flat Svidovské sedlo. A forest dozer road crosses the pass, but we descend on a barely used path along the edge of clearings between pine forests on the S trail, which leads all the way to the main valley. Between old pines and maples of great age, wide views open to the rocky world above us, to the southern cliffs of Ohnište. The folded limestone layers are most striking from here: granite bedrock pushed from the south forced, fragmented, and tilted the overlying limestone layers.

At the lower edge of the meadow, we return to the dozer road winding in large arcs, which we then join. First, the main watercourse of the valley, Štiavnica, carrying waters from the southern slopes of Gyömbér, then Ludárov potok rushing from the northern valley basin arrives. The increasingly powerful stream pours down with small waterfalls among rounded granite blocks. The watercourse is bordered by old pine groves, and it is worth examining in detail the riverbed formed by oval stones decorated with tiny spots. Compared to the previously uniformly gray limestone, the granite forms colorful patterns from interlocking crystals’ lush designs. This resistant crystal massif forms the base and main ridge of the mountain range, while the sedimentary layers of the outer ridges ripple like foamy waves at the mountain range’s edge.

Water from the central region flows powerfully to the north, hitting the limestone mountains that rise like a dam; their layers are broken through in narrow gorges. We continue to follow the main forest road, but now the K trail accompanies us. The spacious valley with intervening meadows narrows as it enters the gorge, and the forest tightens to the creek bank, so at the route’s end we descend in closed forest surroundings. An interesting phenomenon deserves attention there: where the creek’s rounded granite stones are bordered again by limestone cliffs, the rock transition occurs again, and the water "disappears," lost between the blocks, absorbed by the bottomless hollows of the limestone. We cross a bridge under which a dry creek bed is visible except during high spring waters. However, from the roar of the creek we can infer the repeated change: a path leads to the bank where a stream emerges abruptly from the arch-shaped cave of the opposite limestone wall. The always wet environment features thick moss cushions covering the stones, and the vegetation is visibly lush. We can enter the space leading the stream to the surface for a few meters, but the deep, dark gorge is covered by a continuous water surface.

The cave behind the Hlbokô spring has been explored by divers for more than a century. It is currently known over 350 meters in length, but the underground stream with flow rate between 500 and 1000 liters per second and the narrowings make exploration difficult. The passage is provenly connected to the deepest cave system in Slovakia, the nearly 500-meter deep Hipman cave system, which collects waters of Kraková hoľa’s limestone block.

Finally, we soon return to the Janská and Stanišovská dolina junction, to the cave tour reception building, from where we reach the holiday area on a familiar path. Here it is worth getting acquainted in detail with the thermal waters emanating from the mountain. Numerous baths and hotels offer opportunities for comfortable relaxation, but the most beautiful is the natural thermal spring by the village border, where we can sit and rest in a pool surrounded by limestone rocks precipitated from the water, and we can also quench our thirst from a mineral water spring.