Off-the-beaten-path viewpoints on Baraniarky and Kraviarske

Príslop Saddle

From the signpost opposite the car park, follow the blue trail toward Terchová. After about 100 metres, turn left onto an asphalt road and begin a gentle climb, with guesthouses scattered across the meadow on your right. After 650 metres, at a junction where the road bends sharply right, continue straight on along a wide forest track. You will pass beneath a ski slope on your left and start climbing more steeply. At the next nearby forest-road junction, continue straight, and after a few minutes you will reach a spot where the track turns sharply left. Leave it here and continue straight on up a rising footpath to the grassy Príslop Saddle (916 m).

Ascent to Baraniarky

Once you have taken in the views of Malý Rozsutec, Veľký Rozsutec, Stoh and Poludňový Grúň, continue left on the blue trail. You will pass a dilapidated shelter and start climbing through the forest toward the summit of Baraniarky (1,270 m). Here a breathtaking panorama opens up over almost the entire ridge of Krivánska Malá Fatra — from the Rozsutec peaks on the left, across Stoh, Chleb, Veľký Kriváň, Malý Kriváň, all the way to Stratenec on the right.

Continue along a narrow ridge, with forest on your left and steep grassy slopes on your right. After a while, the path swings onto the slope to the right, drops a few metres, and then skirts several rock outcrops on the right. You will come to a section where a fixed rope, chains anchored into the rock, and a short wooden footbridge help you cross safely. This is followed by a short descent through the forest into a grassy saddle, then another climb through the forest to Žitné (1,265 m), where there is no view, as the summit is completely surrounded by trees.

Ascent to Kraviarske

From Žitné, descend a few dozen vertical metres into a saddle, then begin climbing again — steeply at first, then more gently — to the broad grassy summit of Kraviarske (1,361 m). From here continue to Saddle behind Kraviarske (1,228 m), where you turn left onto the green trail. A narrow path descending gradually leads through dwarf pine and into the forest, where the descent becomes steeper. You will pass through a narrow clearing, at the end of which the path bends right, and then drops in several switchbacks to the bottom of Stará dolina.

Take care when passing through the valley, as the trail has been badly damaged by floodwater in many places, and in some sections it has disappeared completely under deposited stones. The water also washed away the wooden footbridge over the stream, so you will have to find a suitable place to cross it.

After about 750 metres of walking through the valley, the path leaves the valley floor to the left, and after another 750 metres it brings you to the asphalt road in Vrátna Valley, at the Stará dolina (700 m) signpost, where the green trail ends. Turn left onto the gently descending road, which leads you back to Starý dvor (614 m) in about two kilometres.

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