Západné Tatry - Roháče (West Tatra Mountains) - Slovakia

Extent: 400 km²

West Tatra Mountains form part of Western Carpathian Mountains, and are situated in north part of Slovak Republic. Its part – Roháče – has Alps´ character.

Highest peak: Bystrá (2248 m).

Surface: afforested, pines, in higher sites, there are to be found dwarfish pine-woods, olough-tails and lichens.

Climatic zone: mostly cold.

Mountain nucleus is formed with granites and crystalic slates, on surface with limestones and dolomites.

On a territory with rare fauna and flora, there are to be found mountain lakes (plesa), tourist communities and well marked tourist trails into valleys or to the tops (peaks).

A part of West Tatra Mountains became a part of Tatra National Park in 1987.

Baranec mountain is a popular tourist destination in the Western Tatras, the third highest mountain of the mountain range, reaching an altitude of 2185 meters. We take the tour up to Baranec along the green marked trail starting at the crossroads "Before Rackova" near the village of Pribylina. We are waiting for a beautiful autumn trek along the southeast slope of Barance with an elevation of 1330 m, a total length of 14.8 km and approx. walking time of 6.5 h. The ridges and hills of the Western Tatras are mostly covered with the first thin layer of snow in this period. The grassy hillside has a typical autumn touch, with distinctive brown-red to brown-yellow colors. Below Liptovska basin, we can see the cover of a low inverse cloud which veils the basin in, from which the elongated ridge of the Low Tatras protrudes in the valleys on the other side of the basin. On the top of Baranec, there is a fantastic panoramic view of the main ridge of the Western Tatras in the Rohac area, the nearby Ostry Rohac and Placliva mountains, the ridge of the Otrhance, as well as the enormous Ziarska and Jamnicka valleys. On the horizon we can recognize the ridges and hills of the High Tatras, Low Tatras, Choc Hills, the Great and Small Fatras.

Text and photos: Radoslav Biskupič