Popradské Pleso

The Popradské Pleso hike is often viewed as the first part of a much longer trail, but it’s a great trail in itself, especially for families with younger children. If you want to avoid the crowds, be sure to attempt this hikeo on a midweek day, as the trail will become very busy on sunny weekends and finding a parking spot might be challenging.

This hike is very popular and it’s no wonder why. It takes you through a beautiful forest up onto a path with some wonderful overlooks. You will be able to see the Solisko Mountain ridge on your left and the Ostrva Mountain peaks on your right. The hike is not hard and takes you to a mountain hut by the Popradské Lake, where you can enjoy your afternoon trying the traditional Tatras cuisine and refreshing drinks.

The Popradské Pleso hike starts from Štrbské Pleso, where you need to follow the red trail to “Popradské Pleso”. The trail begins with an easy ascent next to a pine forest, where you will have some views of the skiing complex buildings.

After approximately 0.6mi you will get into the pine forest, which is a very pleasant walk in the shade, especially if it’s a hot day. You will then reach a cross-point. Take the red one which leads to your left.

Continue the hike on a steep but safe ridge, where you will pass a few huge rock boulders. Right after that, you will be able to peek through some trees to get a glimpse at the Predna Ostrva Mountain and the landscape around it. You will see the beautiful pine tree forests everywhere, which is a protected natural habitat for many of the High Tatras animals, including the European brown bears.

Not far after, you will have an even better opportunity to see the Predna Ostrva and the Ostrva mountains. Here, the trail will narrow down and shortly become a path made of fallen rocks. Be careful where you put your feet, some of the rocks are moving out of their spot quite a bit. Further along the Popradské Pleso hike, you will start to descend and come up to a small wooden bridge that crosses a beautiful stream.

Follow the trail into the forest again, where you will finally come to a crossroad. Go down to the Popradské Lake, as the trail that goes to the left continues further to Mount Rysy. Next to the charming waters of the lake, you will find the Majláthova Mountain hut, where you will be able to buy refreshments like traditional Slovak garlic soup, ice cream and beer. You can walk around the lake and enjoy a relaxing time at this magical location.

After a break here, go back the way you came from and enjoy the mountain views from the opposite side. You will see a few nice picture opportunities you missed before.

Find more amazing hikes in the High Tatras

• Rysy
• Zelené Pleso
• Štrbské Pleso