Vrbické Pleso - The largest moraine lake in the Low Tatras

Vrbické Pleso is a moraine lake that formed after the glaciers retreated from the slopes of Chopok and Dereše. It is located in the western and upper Demänovská Valley and is the largest natural lake in the Low Tatras. The lake is surrounded by a dense spruce forest, and its shores are covered with reeds and mosses. The morning atmosphere at the lake is unique, as the sunlit mountains rise behind it. During a walk through the quiet of the forest, you can rest on benches. Away from the tourist center is the Mikulášska Chata hotel and restaurant; when the weather is nice, you can linger a while on the terrace.> From Parking Lot01 (1,106 m), we walk along the road past the covered bus stop. Behind the traffic island, we cross Road02 (1,178 m), heading slightly to the right, and at the information sign, we turn slightly to the right again onto the path secured by a railing. We reach the idyllically situated lake and walk to the right over the bridge and past the covered picnic area. We ignore a path branching off to the right. At the fork03 (1,123 m) in front of the children’s playground, we continue left, above the lakeshore. The path joins a wider trail leading toward the hotel. We turn left again to reach a small peninsula where you can walk right up to the shore of Vrbické Pleso (1,137 m). Once back on the main trail, after a few meters, a beaten path leading slightly to the right and uphill takes you to the Mikulášska Chata Hotel04 (1,139 m), an ideal spot to stop for a break. Afterward, we follow the trail back to the main path and continue to the right until, just before the bridge, we turn right and head back along the familiar route we took on the way there.