The comfortable side of Hernád Gorge

Itinerary

•  From Spišské Tomášovce (Szepestamásfalva) railway stop, follow the K trail to the pub located in the village center.
• From the pub, take the Z trail to visit the Tomášov viewpoint (Tomášovský výhľad), then descend along this trail to reach the small Biely potok (White Creek) bridge.
• After the Biely potok bridge, turn left onto the K trail, which follows to the edge of Čingov and the restaurant there.
• From the restaurant, turn left onto the left branch of the S trail and ascend to the settlement of Ďurkovec.
• From the wooden houses in Ďurkovec, walk back on the asphalt along the K trail to the railway station of Spišské Tomášovce (Szepestamásfalva).

Detailed description of the route

At the backs of hills, dizzying heights

The Kaposztafalva karst blends perfectly with the plain on the side of Szepestamásfalva (Spišské Tomášovce) so that from the village railway station or even from the far edge you can't see mountains to the south – but the ragged silhouette of the High Tatras (in good weather) continuously captivates the gaze to the northwest.

Leaving behind the "minimal design" railway stop, we ascend on the K trail towards the village center, where the street starts descending in front of a pub. Most visitors to the national park drive through the village and park at the edge of the pasture, then walk up to the Tomášov viewpoint (Tomášovský výhľad). Thus, there are few services here, but towards the end of our hike, we can count on them at the Čingov holiday resort.

The centrally located pub can serve us well at the end of the route, but now we keep a straight course, moving on the Z trail towards our first target. We leave the small village in about 15 minutes through gardens of locals used to tourist crowds, and climb moderately through wide pastures towards the forest belt. On the right, the huge peaks of the High Tatras line up behind green rolling hills and the newly built Roma settlement.

We won't be without panorama for long when the mixed forest, dotted with heat-resistant pine species, closes around: in a few minutes, the path reaches the usually bustling rock terrace of Tomášov viewpoint (Tomášovský výhľad). Around the limestone cliff, the grove opens again, revealing an astonishing depth below: the meeting of the Hernád Gorge and the Biely potok (White Creek) valley cuts into the "mountains emerging from nowhere." After the gently sloping terrain behind us, the massive rock formation, dizzying depth, and the view of the opposite mountains create a dramatic effect, accompanied by the roar of flowing waters below.

The approximately 150 meter high (667 meters above sea level) rock balcony of the Tomášov viewpoint showcases the High Tatras to the right, outlined with Carpathian pine and limestone ridge, enhancing the already captivating scene. The viewpoint, without barriers, is the best and easiest panoramic spot in the national park, so it is no wonder that a small shelter was built there in 1889 – at a time when the gorges were still impassable, mysterious ravines, making this the karst's first important tourist destination. The hut was reportedly blown into the depths by wind after a few years and was never rebuilt. The jagged, overhanging cliff is also a popular rock climbing spot first conquered in 1938. The gorge was formed by the carving Hernád River, which etched its valley into the hard limestone. Many similar rock towers line the canyon, but none as monumental and exposed as this one.

On the Hernád Gorge trail

Slovak Paradise (Slovenský raj) is exceptional not only for its wild gorge world but also for its naturally mixed, largely undisturbed forests – which reveal their closed, mysterious nature on the valley slopes opposite the viewpoint. Because the Tomášov viewpoint is the karst’s most visited spot, it is worth avoiding the frequent crowds and descending into the pine forest along the rocky, stony forest path, following the Z trail. After a rest place, a steep, railing-protected switchback winds down towards Vaskapu (Železná vráta) – this is the last rocky gorge of Hernád Gorge made accessible in 1974, located in the valley cross visible from above. Approaching the riverbank, we turn left, cross a long steel bridge, and finally get a clear view of the Hernád cutting through the narrow pass. (The first bridge was also built here in 1925.)

On the other side, we cross a narrow rock ridge and face the only technical section of our hike: here chains provide holds, and some metal plates make the rocky path slip-resistant. Soon we reach the valley bottom beside Biely potok (White Creek) coming from the central karst area. Just a few meters above, the widening watercourse has carved an improbably narrow, barely meter-wide fissure into the hard limestone, visible from a small iron bridge above.

After the bridge, we switch to the K trail, heading left along the widening tourist path. Moving away from the noise, a peaceful section of the Hernád Gorge (Prielom Hornádu) awaits, about a half-hour walk. At a widening spot, a clearing reveals the rock ridge of the Tomášov viewpoint where we might spot admiring people on the peaks. (At the meadow’s far end, a few meters' path leads down to the riverbank, where we can admire the wilder forms of the valley.) From here, an easy forest walk follows with no challenges. A side valley joins, and at the Lesnica confluence, we cross a small clearing and ford. Behind the tree cover, the gentle face of the Hernád shows, although before the creation of the marked and metal-chain paths west of the Tomášov viewpoint, this part of the canyon was unexplored. For centuries, only of the bolder locals of neighboring villages dared to venture in winter, transporting wood on sleds on the frozen Hernád. In the winter of 1906, Béla Hajts, later president of the Hungarian Carpathian Association’s Igló division (and the father of the name "Paradise of Upper Hungary"), was the first hiker to cross the then unexplored gorge section with three companions on ice. That same summer (this time among others with his photographer brother), he rafted through the Hernád Gorge in two days.

Back on the hills

The modern tourist trail between Podlesok (Erdőalja) and the Biely potok (White Creek) junction was developed by the Mountain Rescue Service in the 1960s, completed in 1974, fully opening the gorge. During the summer season, Hernád Gorge attracts crowds. The river’s rocky banks are now only viewed once from the steel bridge before Čingov (Csingó). (Previously, a stone bridge crossed here, destroyed during World War II.) Shortly after, we find ourselves at the resort valley gate and restaurant. It is worth refreshing and eating here, as the short remaining route and Szepestamásfalva (Spišské Tomášovce) offer no such opportunities.

Next to the educational trail signs, we turn left into the forest, ascending a short but steep climb on the left branch of the S trail. Soon we leave a few buildings on the right; the larger one with a climbing wall at the front is the base of the Mountain Rescue Service (Horská Záchranná Služba, HZS). The path widens after leaving the holiday homes of Čingov (Csingó) and reaches the ridge bordering the Hernád valley, where it arrives at the settlement of Ďurkovec. On the left, an information board calls attention to a vegetation-hidden sinkhole, and the surrounding dilapidated wooden houses cannot be missed. The last guests moved out long ago from the reception building on the hill and camping site, but the Socialist-era car camp atmosphere still firmly inhabits the houses. Opposite them, a modern apartment row was built; the asphalt road and the K trail running on it follow its axis, from where we can again glimpse the High Tatras. We descend from the ridge and return on the main road, taking a last sharp left turn back to Szepestamásfalva (Spišské Tomášovce) decorated with high mountain scenery. The way to the village center and the already mentioned pub passes quickly, then a few minutes’ walk leads to the railway station that connects to Poprad (and Bratislava) or Igló (and Košice).