Tatras report

Itinerary

• From Tarajka (Hrebienok) we follow the Z trail passing by the Bilík Shelter (Bilíková chata) to the fork near the stream (Rázcestie nad Dlhým vodopádom).
• From the fork we make a short detour downwards on the S trail to the Long Waterfall (Dlhý vodopád), then climb back up to the fork.
• We follow the Z trail up to the fork next to the Tarpataki waterfalls (Vodopády Studeného potoka).
• From the fork we go straight on the K trail to the fork behind the Rainer Hut (Rainerova útulňa) (Rázcestie nad Rainerovou chatou).
• From this fork we climb up on the P trail to the Zamkovszky Shelter (Zamkovského chata), then descend back the way we came and stay on the P trail walking back to Tarajka (Hrebienok).

Detailed route description

The ridge of Nagyszalóki Peak

Stepping out from the mountain station of the funicular, the rectangular building of the former Sport Hotel, which no longer provides accommodation but food, appears. Nearby, Kubo, a 350 kg metal bear made for photo opportunities, welcomes tourists. Although Kubo's beauty is debatable, there is no doubt about the splendid rocky scenery in the background – Lomnici Peak greets the High Tatras region. Tarajka (Hrebienok) is basically a terrace-like protrusion of the ridge running down from the bare 'head' of Nagyszalóki Peak (Slavkovský štít) towering to the upper left, where tourism and human presence took root in the 1870s. More precisely, the Hungarian Carpathian Association built a shelter (Rózsamenház) east of the terrace then called Szószék, near today's Bilík Shelter (Bilíková chata).

Our hike also starts here, descending on the Z trail. The wide tourist path zigzags, and through gaps in the mixed forest growing on the site of the pine forest destroyed by the 2004 storm, reveals the dramatic view painted by Csontváry (without sketch): the break of Lomnici Peak (right) and Gánt (left), the meeting of the glacier-carved corridors of the Small and Large Tarpataki valleys. Although we are only observing from the edge of the mountain range, we can enjoy one of the most enchanting views of the High Tatras, where the harsh rocky world almost sheds its green forest cloak. Not far ahead is the Bilík Shelter (Bilíková chata), close to which we can see on a board the former bath buildings of Tarpatakfured, which burned down in 1927 due to 'overheating.' Taking advantage of the small terrace's tight conditions, the long-stay Guhr shelter was built in the 1930s, dreamed up and named after the chief physician of Tátraszéplak. After World War II, it was named after Pavol Bilík, a ski racer and partisan. The romantically located, wooden-clad building now offers accommodation and dining options.

Passing by the house, the path narrows and winds downwards in a forest setting on stony terrain. From below, you can hear the roar of the Tar stream (Studený potok), but to catch sight of water cascading down the rocky steps, we must take a short detour to the right from the next fork on the S trail. A few meters ahead and below, under the pines, the foaming water flows onto a rock ledge, where behind a chained railing, we can admire the aptly named Long Waterfall (Dlhý vodopád). The fairly large cascade might have looked more beautiful during the pine forest's prime, but after the devastating 2004 storm, pests (mainly bark beetles) spread and destroyed trees in huge patches, now standing as dry stumps on the other side of the streambed. (Regrowth is already occurring; see the route description's end for the story of the decay and the processes leading to the disaster).

A chain of waterfalls at the mountain foot

The waterfall system known as the Tarpataki Waterfalls (Vodopády Studeného potoka) is the largest in the High Tatras, and during our hike, we will visit several members of this thunderous chain with strong currents. Returning to the fork, we continue straight on the slightly ascending path following the Z trail. Emerging from a stronger forest patch, we reach a sparser area where, on the left, due to the interplay of natural forces, the vertical zonation of vegetation has flipped: a larger area is now occupied by dwarf pines usually found higher up. This is because the glacier that carved the valley undercut the Nagyszalóki Peak (Slavkovský štít) side here, and after melting 8-10 thousand years ago, the cracked, unsupported rock mass collapsed, settling on this gradually leveling terrain. The shallow soil layer of the rock field is insufficient for trees with higher trunks and larger root systems to take hold.

Soon, it is worth taking a short detour of a few meters downward on a right-branching path to the most illustrious member of the waterfall system, the Large or also Middle Waterfall (Veľký vodopád). Especially after snowmelt or heavy rainfall, it is an impressive sight as water tumbles down the 13-meter rocky step and rushes over the broken rock field. We can view this from a bridge, with the outlines of rocky ridges visible in the background among dried tree stumps.

Returning to the path, we follow the stream higher up through the transforming forest, now on the K trail. Before an ascending left turn, from behind a rock, we can admire the next 'water staircase,' the Small Waterfall (Malý vodopád) trapped in a granite chute. At the end of a short climb, we reach the tidy and always popular stone building of the Rainer Hut (Rainerova útulňa). The little hut standing in the middle of the destroyed forest nowadays operates as a simple buffet, housing a rich collection of objects illustrating the history of portage and climbing in the Tatras. The house is witness to great times, as it was the first shelter on the southern side of the High Tatras: János György Rainer, the then lessee of Tatranská Lomnica, built it in 1865, primarily serving as a base for summit attempts on Lomnici Peak. Nearly twenty years later, the Chamois Hostel (Chata Kamzík) was built beside it, and the hut functioned as its coal and wood storage. (This hostel was demolished in 1980 due to poor condition). Around the building, there was once a meadow used for shepherding – grazing has since ceased entirely in the Tatra National Park for conservation reasons.

Within meters, the K trail joins the fork leading to the two upper branches of the Tarpataki valley precisely here. Those who want to skip a not difficult but rather significant climb can turn back to Tarajka (Hrebienok) on the P trail. Our hike follows the P trail up, crossing a bridge leading to the opposite bank of the stream. The completely devastated pine remnants allow views as the stony path sharply turns back, heading up at the base of Gánt (Zadný Oštep). We are on the Upper Tourist Trail, the Tatranská Magistrála, created in the 1930s by renovating and connecting earlier trails. This route links the extreme slopes and valley mouths of the southern side of the entire Tatra mountain range.

In glacial valley scenery

The path’s stone blocks were manually and mechanically turned into place to make the trail durable against the elements for tourism. We climb higher and often overlook the destroyed forest, including the Rainer Hut, while buildings of Tarajka come into view, and beyond the Poprad Basin, the central mountain area of Slovakia rises. We cross the Small Tar stream (Malý Studený potok), which here tumbles obliquely in the cliff's channeled 20-meter step of the Giant Waterfall (Obrovský vodopád). Shortly above, we turn sharply into the Small Tarpataki valley (Malá Studená dolina), continuing on a roughly level trail avoiding huge granite rocks toward the massif’s depths. Here the view opens: we look deep into the grand, rugged cliff walls in a U-shaped Large Tarpataki valley (Veľká Studená dolina), where forest gradually disappears and gray scree slopes replace the green dwarf pines in the distance.

We are at the level where two glaciers met, as the longer and stronger ice tongue of the Large Tarpataki valley carved deeper during the last ice age, while the Small Tarpataki valley glacier joined at this point. The main valley (straight ahead) and the hanging valley (we are in) were carved and widened by a thick ice flow; during the ice's prime, its thickness in the Large Tarpataki valley possibly exceeded 200 meters – with the valley walls’ vertical rock faces outlining its upper edge. Since then, with climate warming, the ice has disappeared, replaced by lush vegetation, which takes root in almost every rock crevice at this altitude.

Soon the forest closes in, and after a short pine patch, we reach a small clearing usually buzzing with hikers. Beyond it, under peaks reaching up to 2,000 meters, stands the pleasant-looking Zamkovszky Shelter (Zamkovského chata). The atmospheric wooden building, both inside and out, combined with its forest setting, is unique on the Slovak side. It was built in 1943 by István Zamkovszky, a mountain guide and mountaineer who was previously a porter and co-tenant of the Téry Shelter. Although during the dark socialist decades he was evicted from the house and later even banned from the High Tatras, and the building was renamed, hikers continued to call it 'Zamka'. After the regime change, Zamkovszky’s descendants regained ownership, which remains theirs, and like other shelters in Slovakia, it operates under a tenancy system managed by a caretaker (leading the team since 1996). Traditional High Tatras dishes are prepared in the kitchen – it is definitely worth eating and drinking here before the return.

Shattered romance

We start the return at 1475 meters altitude on the P trail, following the same path back to the fork of the Large Tarpataki valley (Veľká Studená dolina) near the Rainer Hut's bridge. From here, we stay on the P trail, winding along the valley slope on a wide, obstacle-free promenade. The sub-Tatra forest was devastated on November 19, 2004, by a storm (halny) bringing gusts of 150-200 km/h. The term is no exaggeration: 12,000 hectares of pine forest were destroyed, meaning practically nothing remained in the lower segment of the Slovak side. The monoculture spruce forest at this altitude was human-made, as before exclusive planting in the 19th century, other tree species (beech, hornbeam, ash) also mixed in. The shallow root plate of spruce does not penetrate deep into the soil; it does not grip firmly, so strong winds can easily topple it. Following this brutal deforestation, learning from past mistakes, mixed forests were primarily planted in the sub-Tatra area, whose composition makes them more resistant to storms and pests, though they grow more slowly than spruces.

The bark beetle population that multiplied after the huge forest destruction eventually had to look for new food sources: it attacked healthy trees as well, as we see looking around in the united Tarpataki valley. Dead standing pine trees are not a pretty sight but will regenerate naturally over time, while fallen trees protect the soil from erosion (and enrich it), providing habitats for numerous insect and bird species. Patience creates forests: around Ótátrafüred, by the early 2020s, the mixed woodlands are visibly strengthening.

On the return route, we can also observe the grayish granodiorite that makes up most of the High Tatras. After some turns and nice views, we arrive back at Tarajka, where we can still eat something, and in winter, visit the ice sculpture exhibition before descending to Ótátrafüred by funicular or sledding in snow.