Veľký Kriváň via the Šútovo Waterfall and Chata pod Chlebom

Ascent of Veľký Kriváň

From the Šútovo train stop (430 m) on the shore of the Krpeľany Reservoir, head right on the blue trail along the busy road. Continue straight through the junction past a small roadside rest area, then shortly beyond it turn left onto a lane. You will pass a few houses and reach a junction in the Šútovo area known as Rieka (460 m); from here continue straight on toward the Šútovská dolina Valley.

At the end of the village you pass a paid car park next to Šútovská Fatranka chalet. Continue with the stream on your right along the road, which is still paved at this point. The asphalt ends at Vodopád chalet, after which the track becomes rocky. After just under an hour and a half of walking from Rieka, you reach the turn-off to Šútovo Waterfall (765 m), where the water drops 38 metres.

Here begins a steep climb from the valley floor up above the waterfall, where you cross the stream and keep gaining elevation. A few minutes after emerging from the forest onto the edge of a meadow, you come to Mojžíš Springs (1,140 m), where the stream quite literally flows out of a rock face.

Chata pod Chlebom

From the springs, continue steeply uphill across mountain meadows for about another hour until you reach the saddle below the southern summit of Sten. From there the path almost levels out and traverses the slope below the peaks of Hromové and Chleb all the way to Chata pod Chlebom (1,446 m), beyond which Veľký Kriváň comes into view. A spring flows directly onto the trail a few dozen metres before the hut.

From the hut, follow the green-marked wide track to Snilovské sedlo Saddle (1,524 m). A cable car runs up from Vrátna Valley on the opposite side of the ridge, so this area is often quite busy. At the saddle, turn left onto the red-marked trail and climb the remaining roughly 200 vertical metres to the summit of Veľký Kriváň (1,709 m).

Views from Veľký Kriváň

From the top you get excellent views of the other peaks of Malý Kriváň, Chleb, Stoh, Malý Rozsutec and Veľký Rozsutec. In the distance you may also spot the solitary Babia hora and Pilsko. Of the surrounding ranges, the neighboring Veľká Fatra is clearly visible, as well as the more distant Low Tatras and Western Tatras.

Descend by the same route to Chata pod Chlebom and continue on the green trail. Just behind the hut it starts descending down an old ski slope, at the bottom of which you briefly enter a forest of low trees. Soon you emerge again onto a logged clearing below the Čiertaž junction. Cross the wider track beneath the signpost and continue along the path skirting the edge of the clearing, then re-enter the forest. After a few minutes you reach a forest road, which you follow downhill all the way to the Zajacová (720 m) junction, where the asphalt begins.

Continue following the green trail. At the edge of the forest, turn left off it onto a wide track used by off-road vehicles, which leads across meadows to Šútovo (460 m), now not far away. From Šútovo, there is still an unpleasant 1.5 km walk along the paved road back to the train stop, or a slightly shorter option on the yellow trail to Rieka if you left your car there.

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Useful info

Transport

From Žilina or Ružomberok, take a local train to Šútovo.

Search connections

By car from Žilina via the E50 road, turn left at the Krpeľany Reservoir toward Rieka, where parking is available, or continue on to Šútovo and return here on the yellow trail.

Itinerary

Šútovo, train stop Rieka (0:20) Šútovo Waterfall (1:40) Mojžíš Springs (2:10) Chata pod Chlebom (3:30) Snilovské sedlo Saddle (4:00) Veľký Kriváň (4:30) Snilovské sedlo Saddle (4:50) Chata pod Chlebom (5:15) Zajacová (6:35) Šútovo (7:00) Šútovo, train stop (7:20)

Water and refreshments along the way

Mojžíš Springs, Chata pod Chlebom, spring near Chata pod Chlebom

Alternatives

• From Snilovské sedlo Saddle you can also climb Chleb (0:45), another very popular Malá Fatra peak
• Stay overnight at Chata pod Chlebom and join a ridge traverse, or hike one of the nearby summits and descend into Vrátna Valley
• At Snilovské sedlo Saddle there is the upper station of the cable car (www.vratna.sk), which you can take down to the opposite side of the range into Vrátna Valley. You can also descend to Vrátna Valley on foot on the green-marked trail from Snilovské sedlo Saddle (1:30)