From Štrbské Pleso to Kriváň and back

Trail Length
20 km

Duration
7:15 h

Typ

Sezona

A strenuous and steep all-day hike. Expect fantastic views and a great reward at the end – a monumental mountain, typical for the western part of the High Tatras.

Begin

Start at the Štrbské Pleso train station. On the south-west shore of the lake, behind Hotel Solisko, find a guidepost with waymarked hiking trails. Choose the red trail – Tatranská magistrála. It runs to Rázcestie pod Furkotskou dolinou (trail junction at 1,457 m above sea level).

From here continue further through the forest above Biely Váh, which is still a small creek here. Pass Odbočka na Biely Váh, a trail junction at 1,458 m above sea level, to the first really interesting stop on your way – Jamské pleso (lake at 1,448 m above sea level).

First views

Start your way up through the dwarf-pine zone with an increasing number of exposed areas. Look for grazing camois here. If feeling tired or hungry, choose a nice spot and sit down for a snack. Already at this altitude, it is possible to see the West Tatras (Západné Tatry) on your left, and the Low Tatras (Nízke Tatry) in front of you. If the weather is really nice, you should be able to see the lake of Zelené Krivánske pleso in a valley on the right.

Continue in a difficult ascend through a rubble to Rázcestie pod Kriváňom (trail junction at 2,140 m above sea level) where two waymarked trails leading to Kriváň meet – the blue trail from Jamské pleso, and the green trail from Tri Studničky pri Podbanskom joining in from the left western side.

Climb to the top

From now on, follow only the blue trail through the exposed area. Climb up to the Daxnerovho Saddle all the way to the smaller version of Kriváň – Malý Kriváň (2,335 m above sea level). The trail is really steep and rocky here. Remember to always keep three safety points. When climbing at weekends and in good weather, be even more careful because the trail to Kriváň is really crowded.

After an hour climb from the trail junction, you will reach Kriváň’s top (2,494 m above sea level). There is a memorial cross, and you can sign the memorial notebook if you want. When the weather is good, look around. The views are mesmerizing. In the west, you will see Liptov with Liptovská Mara, and on the right side the West Tatras. On the left, see peaks of the High Tatras and the Polish Tatras. In the south the Low Tatras with Ďumbier and Chopok can be spotted. To the left from these two, there is Kráľova hoľa with its television transmission tower on its top.

Return

Return down using the same path as you did on your way up. Gradually descend from the rubble zone to the dwarf-pine zone. Walking down mountain meadows, take in the surrounding views before you reach the forest again. At Jamské pleso, use one of the following routes:

1. The same trail you used on your way here – follow the red trail through Rázcestie pod Furkotskou dolinou.  
2. From Odbočka na Biely Váh – hike on the blue waymarked trail above the Biely Váh River to Rázcestie Jamrichovo (trail junction at 1,220 m above sea level). From here, follow the green trail all the way to Štrbské Pleso.

zobraziť na mape