Jánošíkove Diery - Grand Circuit

From the Biely Potok (575 m) trail junction, right by Hotel Diery, follow the blue trail. After just a few minutes, rock walls begin to rise around you, until the first narrow gorge appears ahead – the gateway to Jánošíkove Diery. This lower section is called Dolné diery, and right at its beginning you’ll reach the Ostrvné (640 m) junction.

Nové diery

At the junction, turn left onto the yellow-marked trail into Nové diery. This was the last section to be opened to hikers, and it features several very narrow passages, iron footbridges, and a few waterfalls climbed by ladders. This part of Jánošíkove Diery is not long, so you soon leave the gorge behind and start climbing through the forest to a viewpoint over the valley and the cliffs opposite.

Beyond the viewpoint, an easy forest path leads you to the Podžiar (715 m) junction, where you can rest on the grass in the sun and, in season, buy some refreshments at a small wooden hut.

Horné diery

From Podžiar, continue on the blue trail upstream. You’ll cross a meadow, and at its edge begins the most beautiful part of Jánošíkove Diery – Horné diery. This is where you’ll find the most footbridges, waterfalls, and ladders. On the longest ladders, many hikers will find their breath catching, and once you’ve made it up them, you’ll definitely have something to remember.

The hardest section is behind you once you climb up to the pod Pálenicou (900 m) junction. Here the valley briefly widens, and an easy forest path brings you to the junction below Tesná Rizňa (935 m), where the blue trail turns right into one of the side ravines. This ravine is called Tesná Rizňa, and it has several more smaller waterfalls waiting for you.

Medzirozsutce Saddle

After crossing the last ravine, you’ll continue climbing through the forest for a little while until a beautiful view opens up of Malý Rozsutec, which certainly does not look small from here. You can admire its rocky eastern wall during a break at the pod Tanečnicou (1,186 m) junction, or continue a few more minutes to the broad grassy Medzirozsutce Saddle (1,200 m), from where you can also see its summit. In addition, views open out toward Orava, Veľký Choč, and the Western Tatras. A short distance before the saddle, on the left-hand side, there is a faintly marked short spur to a spring where you can refill your water.

Descent

For the descent, take the green-marked trail starting at the pod Tanečnicou (1,186 m) junction. It drops steeply for a short stretch to the valley floor, then continues gently downhill along the stream to the pod Tesnou Rizňou (935 m) junction and farther on, together with the blue trail, to pod Pálenicou (900 m). Here it turns left, traverses the slope, and finishes with a descent to Vrchpodžiar Saddle (745 m). From there, follow the yellow trail down a few dozen vertical metres to Podžiar, then descend on the blue trail through Dolné diery via the Ostrvné (640 m) junction back to Biely Potok.

Useful info

Transport

From Žilina, take a bus via central Terchová to Hotel Diery (“Terchová,,B.Potok h.Diery”). However, more than half of the buses do not continue all the way to Hotel Diery, so you need to change in central Terchová (stop “Terchová,,centrum”) or walk the remaining two kilometres from there.

Search connections

By car from Žilina, take road no. 583 to Terchová and then continue toward Zázrivá to the Biely Potok area. You can park in the paid car park by Hotel Diery on the right-hand side of the road.

Itinerary

Biely Potok Ostrvné (0:25) Podžiar (1:10) pod Pálenicou (2:00) pod Tesnou Rizňou (2:10) pod Tanečnicou (2:55) Medzirozsutce Saddle (3:05) pod Tanečnicou (3:15) pod Tesnou Rizňou (3:45) pod Pálenicou (3:55) Vrchpodžiar Saddle (4:25) Podžiar (4:45) Ostrvné (5:05) Biely Potok (5:25)

Water and refreshments along the way

refreshments at the Podžiar junction, spring below Medzirozsutce Saddle

Alternatives

• If you have enough time and energy, you can continue from Medzirozsutce Saddle to Malý Rozsutec. See the hike to Malý Rozsutec
• From Medzirozsutce Saddle, you can also climb Veľký Rozsutec and descend to Štefanová. See the hike to Veľký Rozsutec