Friday, March 20, 2015

High Tatras Hikes: Skalnate Pleso to Studeny Potok

Spectacular Hike #1 in the High Tatras: Skalnaté Pleso to Studený Potok



Features:  Sweeping views, mountain lake, alpine trail that descends into forest, pretty stream with waterfalls, mountain lodges where you can stop for tea or food.   
Length:  8.1 km
Climb:  66 m
Descent:  904 m
Estimated time:  2 hrs 10 minutes
Actual time when snow is icy and treacherous:  at least 3 hours

Lomnicky Stit from the trail

A nice little picnic spot on the trail

Me in front of Slavkovsky Stit

Half frozen waterfall

Studeny Potok

If you go...

Starting point:  Skalnaté Pleso, accessed via two cable cars from Tatranská Lomnica.
Ending point:  Tatranská Lesná, from which you can catch a bus or the electric train to other HIgh Tatras towns.   
Color codes:  Red-marked trail from Skalnaté Pleso to Zamkovského Chata (mountain lodge)
Green trail to Vodopady Studeného Potoka (Waterfalls on Studený Stream)
Yellow trail to Tatranská Lesná

Warnings:  Not for those extremely afraid of heights.  In late winter, when temperatures have been above freezing, the snow will be icy and treacherous.  Be very careful and only attempt with good boots.  


3 comments:

  1. Hello Melinda! I'm going alone to spend the next weekend in Stary Smokovec. As I decided to go in the very last minute and I will not have money for skiing, I was looking for some walkings or hikings around when I bumped into this post. Is it easy to follow the trails? Did you go alone or do I have to find a guide or something? Did you have to pay something for doing this hiking?

    Hopefully you will see this before friday and can help me. Thank you very much! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello Melinda! I'm going alone to spend the next weekend in Stary Smokovec. As I decided to go in the very last minute and I will not have money for skiing, I was looking for some walkings or hikings around when I bumped into this post. Is it easy to follow the trails? Did you go alone or do I have to find a guide or something? Did you have to pay something for doing this hiking?

    Hopefully you will see this before friday and can help me. Thank you very much! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Iara, sorry that I didn't see this until today. I hope you had a great trip.

    And no, you don't need to pay anything to take the normal trails in the Tatras (and beware that not all of them are open in winter). I did pay to take the lift up to the beginnning of the this hike, but you can always hike up yourself if you're up to it, or choose a different hike.

    Guides are only required on some of the summit hikes that aren't on regular trails.

    ReplyDelete