Žiar: Nature, Hiking Routes and Winter Sports in the High Tatras

The Žiarska dolina is part of the High Tatras National Park. The valley offers alpine tours; at the end of the municipality of Žiar lies the Žiar-Dolinky ski centre.

Nature

A blue-marked hiking trail runs through the Žiarska dolina and takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes to walk. A six-kilometre-long asphalt road also runs through the valley and ends at the Žiarska chata mountain hut. Mountain biking is possible on the forest roads. The Žiarska dolina also serves as a starting point for high-mountain tours and hikes in the Žiarska, Veľká and Bobrovecká valleys, as well as to the peaks of the Roháče, Baníkov and Baranec.

Natural attractions include the Šarafiový vodopád waterfall in the Žiarska dolina, a waterfall in the “Glacier Selection” category. It is a cascading system about 20 metres high, with the highest tier reaching approximately 3.5 metres. The Žiarska dolina educational trail comprises five stations and fifteen thematic sections.

Hiking

The alpine routes begin with varying levels of difficulty. The route from the Žiarska dolina to Baranec is a difficult, 17.4-kilometre alpine circular hike lasting 7.5 hours. The route from the Žiarska dolina to Baníkov is a very difficult, 19.1-kilometre alpine hike with 1,252 metres of elevation gain and a duration of 6 hours and 45 minutes.

A very different type of route is „Walkerským krokom k diviačej zvernici“. It begins on an easily accessible dirt road behind the houses of the municipality of Žiar and is suitable for beginners and families with children.

Winter sports

The Žiar-Dolinky ski centre is located at the end of the municipality of Žiar, at the foot of the southern slopes of the Western Tatras. The Dolinky ski centre has two ski lifts and two ski runs, one of which is artificially snowed. There is also a floodlit slope for evening skiing and a ski school.

Culture

Žiar was established on cleared land at the end of the 13th or beginning of the 14th century. Traditional activities of the inhabitants of Žiar included catching wolves with special nets. The Symbolic Cemetery for the Victims of the Western Tatras was created by mountain rescue service employees in response to mountain accidents.

The Medvedia štôlňa – Sv. Barborka is the only accessible historic mining site in the Liptov region. Visitors are provided with a headlamp before entering; special clothing or footwear is not required. The Salaš Žiar also represents the local connection between landscape and tradition: it offers folk dishes inspired by the lives of shepherds, as well as traditional sheep's milk products.

Practical information

The Žiarska chata provides accommodation and catering services to its visitors. The mountain hut is located at an altitude of 1,325 metres above sea level and is the only high-altitude mountain hut in the Western Tatras. There is a paid car park at the beginning of the Žiarska dolina. A paid car park in the Žiarska dolina is located approximately 500 metres from the Medvedia štôlňa.

The Medvedia štôlňa is about a 20-minute walk from the Žiar, Žiarska dolina bus stop. This bus stop can be reached by bus from Liptovský Mikuláš.

More destinations: Liptovska Anna, Prosiek, Ižipovce, Partizanska Lupca, Gotovany, Nižná Boca, Veterná Poruba, Kvacany Pri Liptovskom Mikulási

To the higher-level travel overview: Okres Liptovský Mikuláš.