Zelene Pleso Hike in Slovakia’s High Tatras Guide
The multi-faceted Zelene Pleso hike offers a big day in the High Tatras mountains of Slovakia. It starts with a gondola ride, followed by a hike up Velka Svištovka peak – or at least to the saddle if the clouds move in – and then a seriously steep descent where you’ll have to use chains in one section to get to stunning Zelene Pleso, otherwise known as Green Lake.
Once at the impossibly green lake you can enjoy the beauty of the surrounding mountains whilst drinking beer and noshing on local food prepared at the mountain house. From there you’ve got a sometimes tedious 7-kilometre hike out to Tatranska Lomnica – that’s mostly in the forest. But it’s worth it as the scenery is both rugged and grand – and like nowhere else I’ve been.
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How to get to the Zelene Pleso trailhead
Start the hike to Zelene Pleso at the Tatranská Lomnica ski resort below Mt. Lomnický štít – the second highest peak in the High Tatras. You can spend several hours walking up under the gondola and through the woods to get to Skalmaté Pleso – but I’d suggest you take the gondola (28 Euros) as it’s still a solid day of hiking from there.
It took us a while to figure out where to purchase the gondola tickets. It’s in a separate building a short walk away from the gondola building. Look for signage at the base of the ski hill pointing you in the right direction. The gondola starts running at 8:30 AM. As the days shorten in the fall, I’d recommend starting early, so you don’t finish in the dark. In high season, try to purchase gondola tickets a day or two beforehand – though I appreciate that’s not always doable.
Take two gondolas to reach the Skalmaté Pleso area. After getting off head around the large building to your left towards the small lake. It’s all obvious when you’re up there.
Zelene Pleso hike summary
Distance: Approximately 20 km as a loop
Elevation gain: 365 m (1,198 feet) gain starting at Skalnaté Pleso
Elevation loss: 1200 m (3,937 feet)
Level of difficulty: Hard because of distance, terrain and either a steep ascent or descent.
Time needed: 6 – 8 hours
Maps: Try Organic Maps – a free offline map to stay the course.
Trail traffic: Can be heavy around the gondola but tapers off the higher you go. Also busy around the Zelené Pleso Mountain Chalet.
Don’t forget: Pack the 10 hiking essentials including a headlamp, extra food and water and layers of clothing plus rain gear. Please practice the seven Leave No Trace principles.
Best time to go: Do the Zelene Pleso hike between June 15 and October 31. Avoid days with thunderstorms (if you decide to go, be on the 8:30 AM gondola to get a head start) or snow in the forecast. If you plan to hike after a cold spell, expect to encounter ice in the waterfall area. You’ll need microspikes to safely get down this section, even though there are chains.
A side trip to do: Lomnicky Peak, the second highest peak in the High Tatras at 2,634 m (8,642 feet), is only accessible as a guided hike or via a special suspension cable car to the summit from Skalnate Pleso. In an hour it can only take 45 people! It’s pricey and you need to reserve. But the views on a clear day would be amazing.
Details of the Zelene Pleso hike
We started the hike to Zelene Pleso from our hotel – Penzion Jesensky in Tatranska Lomnica. Rather than climb 710 metres and spend 2.5 to 3 hours hiking the green trail up the ski slopes and through the forest, we took the cable car to Skalnate Pleso. You do need to get on a second gondola about two thirds of the way up, but even so the ride together will only take about 20 minutes. It does come with a steep price tag – approximately 28 Euros per person. You can purchase a return ticket, but most people hike out to Tatranska Lomnica.
There’s a large building near the gondola where you can use bathrooms, grab a bite to eat or purchase some food to take away with you.
To get started on the hike go left around the building with the restaurant towards the Skalnaté pleso Observatory – seen up on the ridge. There is good signage and there are a lot of hikers around here – most heading exactly where you need to go. You will follow the obvious RED TRAIL on the hike to Zelene Pleso.
From here to the top of Velka Svištovka it’s about 2.5 km with 330 m of elevation gain – the bulk of the day’s elevation gain.
At the top of the narrow-gauge railway (seen in the photo above) turn left onto a very rocky trail. The hiking isn’t hard, but with all the rocks you do need to pay attention to foot placement, especially around loose boulders. As you move up you end up on a long series of switchbacks that top out on a ridge.
From there you have the option to climb Velka Svištovka peak (2,038 m) for premier views of the area. That will add 20 – 30 minutes to your hike. We didn’t have great visibility, so we didn’t do it and instead continued to hike down towards Zelene Pleso.
The descent from the ridge to Zelene Pleso (Green Lake)
Distance: 4 km
Elevation loss: Approximately 500 m
You might want to pull out hiking poles for the steep descent to Zelene Pleso. The trail is easy to follow – but it’s narrow and a wee bit airy in places. On a foggy day it could be a very disorienting hike!
Switchback most of the way down – though it’s not always easy going. The hiking is uneven with boulders and some small sections of pebble-sized scree where it pays to take your time.
The most difficult section is in the gorge with a waterfall. There are chains in place to help your descent, though their placement is a bit awkward. We scrambled through this area quickly, but looking back it was getting backed up as some people seemed to be struggling. If it’s been cold, this could be treacherous without microspikes. Use common sense and turn back if need be.
The final part of the hike to Zelene Pleso goes faster. Pass one small tarn on route to the vibrant emerald-coloured lake. The lake itself is a breathtaking beauty, thanks to its colour and spectacular setting. It’s nothing like our Emerald Lake hike in the Canadian Rockies!
The cottage at Zelene Pleso (Chata pri Zelenom plese)
As you descend towards Zelene Pleso the traditional mountain cottage – Chata pro Zelenom plese – on the north shore of the lake stands out. It’s reminiscent of the Lake Agnes Teahouse if you’ve ever been to Lake Louise in Canada. It’s open year-round.
The “cottage” can accommodate 56 people in multi-bedrooms. Hikers can purchase food and drinks – but for cash only. On rainy or chilly days, you’ll want to take advantage of the warmth indoors.
Chata pri Zelenom plese to Tatranska Lomnica
Distance: Approximately 7.0 km depending on what route you take down.
It’s a long walk back to town on the yellow trail, especially the way we did it. It was raining for the full descent, and water was pouring down the road, so it was hard to keep our feet dry. Although it’s pretty in places along the river and under cover of the trees, walking on rock of assorted sizes for kilometres at a time is tough and in all honesty a bit boring.
To get back to Tatranska Lomnica you have a few options once you see the appropriate signage.
- Hike 20 minutes to the Biela Voda parking lot on Route 537. Pick up a bus here (it runs every 30 minutes) and take it back to town. If you’ve got a phone and speak Slovakian you could call a taxi and be back in about five minutes.
- The option we took was to hike towards Tatranske Matliare. Much of it is uphill – which is disheartening at the end of the day. It will take you to a gondola station in about 45 minutes where you can descend to the starting point. Our friend Scot did just that as he wasn’t feeling great. John and I continued on, zigzagging on asphalt trails all the way down to the base of the ski resort. It felt like forever and I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re staying nearby.
Where to stay near the Zelene Pleso hike
Tatrasanka Lomnica
This is the closest town to the start and finish point of the Zelene Pleso hike.
The Grand Hotel Praha in a central location comes with an outdoor infinity heated pool. It’s rated as wonderful.
APLEND Hotel Lujza Major is a simple and clean hotel at a good price point. It’s rated as excellent.
Poprad
The town of Poprad is a popular place to stay as it’s just a 20-minute drive away.
The Kalix Boutique Hotel, rated wonderful, is a few kilometres from downtown.
If you’re after a small hotel with a gracious host, check out Penzión Darinka.
Štrbské pleso
You’ll need to drive or take the train between Štrbské pleso and Tatranksá Lomnica. You’re better off staying in Tatranksá Lomnica.
Hotel Panorama Resort – We stayed here for three nights – because we did several hikes in the area. An excellent breakfast is included. Their spa with a hot tub, sauna, steam room can be booked free of charge. Front staff are very helpful. Rooms are fine – nothing special but roomy. They do keep free beer and drinks in the room’s mini-fridge.
Hotel CROCUS, rated superb offers spacious rooms with a balcony and a kitchenette – just a half kilometre from the lake.
Penzión Pleso rated wonderful, is a mid-range hotel.
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- 7-Day Lofoten Islands Hiking Itinerary – one amazing day hike after another
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- Fisherman’s Trail, Portugal – A Hiking Guide – perfect for March or April or later in fall
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