SK: Western Tatras – Winter Trip up Hily Hill

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Holý vrch – menší bratr Barance

The Holy Hill is one of the lesser known hills i the Western Tatras. it extends to the southern ridge, which splits in the direction to the southwest of the Barance Massif (2 185 m above sea level). the Holy Hill, reaching an altitude of 1 723 meters, forms in the southwest slopes an undulating elongated ridge that almost merges with the ridge. Even though it does not belong to the major landmarks of the Western Tatras, we can recommend it to you. This location is a popular relaxing place and an important interdigital tour in the direction of Baranec. There are two marked trails leading here - the yellow route starting at the mouth of the Ziarska Valley and the blue tourist route starting at the "Pod Holym Vrchem" signpost. the bare hill is accessible all year round along the yellow marked path and does not apply to the seasonal winter hiking trail. it is an excellent point of sight in the direction of Liptov and the Low Tatras and also offers beautiful views of the surrounding valleys and the peaks of the Western Tatras.

The Start of the Tour

The output to the Holy Hill can be characterized as a less demanding hike with an elevation of 782 m, the total length of the route is 7.4 km. for this reason, physically less able-bodied tourists or lovers of outdoor activities can do it. we start from the parking lot near the "Ziarska Valley, the estuary", where we turn on the red trail of the Tatra trail, and after about 5 minutes of walk we turn left on the yellow marked tourist route. we climb next to the forest and steadily raise the height. Finally we enter the forest and continue on the yellow mark up. Almost the entire stretch of the route leads through a dense coniferous forest, it is necessary to observe not only the mark but also the trail of the trail in the snow. we walk through Stara Stavka (1 299 m above sea level) and we continue to climb uncompromisingly. Crossing the yellow trail leading through the woods can act lengthily, even monotonously, but every persistent tourist knows that passing this section is necessary to achieve the goal.

On the Top

After a long climb, we finally get out of the woods, and gradually when climbing up, we find ourselves in an open area with a thin spruce of low conifers. in front of us there are the first views over the Liptovska Basin and the Low Tatras. the desire to reach the summit continues to drive us forward until we finally come to the "Holy Hill" signpost where the yellow and blue hiking trails meet. we are very close, we reach a few meters from our destination and after a while we reach the peak of Holý vrch at an altitude of 1 723 meters. we recall that the top itself is not marked, it is above the signpost on the ridge leading to Baranec.

From Holy Vrch will see the beautiful views of Liptov, the panorama of the Low Tatras and the Velka Fatra. Looking down to the west, you can see the deeply cut Ziarska valley, over which you can reach the massive southern ridge called Kozie Spiny with Siroka hills, Raztoka (1 947 m above sea level) and Jalovska Kopa. we can also distinguish the Jalovec saddle with the Prislop hill and the main ridge of the Western Taters formed by the famous Baníkov hills (2 178 m above sea level) and Hruba kopa (2 166 m above sea level). If there is good visibility, it is possible to see the small silhouettes of the Chocske Hills and the Mala Fatra. Looking east, the steeply sloping slopes bordering the Trnovska valley and the undulating massive ridge with the striking hills of Mladkov (1 947 m above sea level) and Maly Baranec (2 044 m above sea level). However, the view to the north is of great interest to us. the peak is the third highest mountain of the Western Tatras - Baranec (2 185 m above sea level).

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