Sokolia Valley and Veil Waterfall

How to reach Sokolia Valley?

Sokolia Valley joins the Tomášovská Belá gorge about 3.5 km upstream along the Biely potok from the Hornád Gorge Breakthrough. Since this is one of the most remote gorges in Slovak Paradise, it takes a while just to get to the mouth of Sokolia Valley. There are several approach options:

• Follow the green trail from the village of Spišské Tomášovce via Tomášovský výhľad, the Biely potok, ústie junction, and Kysel, ústie. (7.5 km; 2:30 hrs)
• Follow the blue trail from Čingov through the Hornád Gorge Breakthrough to the Biely potok, ústie junction, then continue on the green trail via Kysel, ústie. (6.2 km; 2:00 hrs)
• From Hrabušice or Podlesok via Hrdlo Hornádu on the blue trail and onward through the Hornád Gorge Breakthrough to the Kláštorská roklina, ústie junction. Then take the green trail through Kláštorská roklina to Kláštorisko, and descend on the yellow trail into the Tomášovská Belá gorge to Kysel, ústie, then continue on the green trail to the mouth of Sokolia Valley - see the hike Kláštorská roklina via Hornád Gorge Breakthrough. (8.5 km; 3:30 hrs)

Sokolia Valley

The ascent through Sokolia Valley itself starts at the Sokolia dolina, ústie (569 m) junction, where you follow the yellow trail on a gently rising path that mostly runs through the rocky streambed or right beside it. After about twenty minutes you reach Skalný Waterfall, which is bypassed by a metal ladder on the left.

Veil Waterfall

A short way above the waterfall, the path begins to climb more steeply and turns left along an increasingly high rock wall. After a while it bends right, and the view opens up to the 20-meter lower tier of Veil Waterfall together with the first long ladder.

After climbing it, you cross a footbridge to the other side of the waterfall and continue up another system of ladders that tackles a long, very steep grassy slope to a second footbridge. Above it, only a few iron steps and a short ladder beside the final short drop remain, and then Veil Waterfall is behind you for good.

This is followed by a short narrow gorge, and within a few minutes you find yourself below Vyšný Waterfall. You can get directly beneath it by a series of walkways and iron steps. Along the waterfall, a long ladder leads you above the rock wall, where you transfer to a shorter ladder and overcome the last steep section. This climb marks the end of the demanding part of Sokolia Valley, opening into its broader upper section with beech forest and a quietly flowing stream.

Descent via Klauzy

Finally, the yellow trail brings you to the forest road at the Sokolia dolina, záver (1,002 m) junction, where you can rest on benches at a table under a shelter. Take the green trail left to the pod Bykárkou (1,000 m) junction, then descend on the yellow trail back into the Tomášovská Belá valley to the Klauzy Reservoir (643 m).

Until 1950, the Klauzy Reservoir was still used for floating timber down to Smižany. For most of the year, the low water level in Biely potok did not allow log driving, so when needed, the sluice gates were opened and the flow was temporarily increased.

At the reservoir, you can refill water from the spring. To return to the mouth of Sokolia Valley, follow the green trail downstream.

Video

Useful info

Transport

See the description in the introduction of the article.

Itinerary

Sokolia dolina, ústie Sokolia dolina, záver (2:00) pod Bykárkou (2:20) Klauzy (3:20) Sokolia dolina, ústie (4:00)

Water and refreshments along the way

spring by the Klauzy Reservoir