Page Type: | Area/Range |
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Lat/Lon: | 49.21220°N / 19.64190°E |
Activities: | Hiking, Skiing |
Season: | Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter |
Elevation: | 5922 ft / 1805 m |
The name of the mountain is a reference to the colour of its limestone and dolomite rocks, so it could be translated as Hoary / Pale Grey Peak. (As for names of natural geographic features, the Slovak language uses lower case for the initial letter of the type of feature.)
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Sivý vrch (elevation 1805m, prominence 235m) with its three ridges forms a tiny, but distinct mountain group – the westernmost in the Western Tatras. In the west the group is divided from the Choč Mountains by the valley of Borová voda brook, Vyšné Hutianske Saddle at 950m, Javorina Saddle at 1185m and the Suchá (Sielnická) Valley. In the east the Jalovecká and Bobrovecká valleys along with Pálenica Saddle at 1570m and Pribišská brook separate the group of Sivý vrch from the granitoid group of Roháče.
The largest and longest (over 6km) ridge within the Sivý Vrch Group is the lateral ridge that runs south from Sivý vrch summit. In fact, it is this mighty spur that allows us to think of the group of Sivý vrch as a distinct region of the Western Tatras. Apart from Sivý vrch the ridge has two conspicuous summits – Ostrá (1764m, 125m of prominence), just south of Sivý vrch, and Babky (1566m, 75m of prominence) at the south end of the ridge – both accessible via the waymarked trail. Besides, Malá kopa (1637m, 52m ) sitting in the middle of the ridge just south of Predúvratie Saddle and Malá Ostrá (1703m, 23m) between Sivý vrch and Ostrá may be worth mentioning. The latter two summits are covered by thickets of dwarf pine.
The southeastern branches of the south ridge have broad and gentle tops, which drop dramatically into the Jalovecká Valley thus forming the outstanding cliffs of Mnich (1460m) and Sokol (1316m), which lie within a strict nature reserve (no waymarked trail). On the summit of Mnich remnants of an Iron Age hillfort have been discovered.
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As for the analogue maps, there are many options readily available. My favourite is this plastic map by WiT. It has a scale of 1:25,000, is durable and cheap. It can be bought online or in Zakopane and many other Polish towns.
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Undoubtedly most hikers visiting the area and eager to summit something aim for Sivý vrch. Ostrá is too close to it to be thought of as a destination in itself. The only other option is then Babky - it is usually done as a circuit via Predúvratie Saddle and the Pod Náružím Hut. The trailhead for the west ridge of Sivý vrch, which boasts cliffs and weird rock formations, is at Vyšné Hutianske sedlo near the bus stop (several buses per day from Zuberec) named Huty Javorinský potok on the 584 road, about 5km south of Zuberec. The lowest section of the trail, which traverses the northern slopes of the ridge, can get pretty muddy. After an hour's ascent you reach the crest at Biela skala (White Rock, 1378m). Above an elevation of 1600m sit Radové skaly - the most picturesque rock spires, turrets, keeps and the likes, among which a well-trodden path winds its way. Two steeper steps go at YDS class 3 and are chain-assisted. The highest stretch has poor marking, well below Tatra standard, so if you are not extra careful you can walk off the designated route easily, especially while going downhill. It seems like at least one piece of the waymarked trail has been redirected in recent years, but the old, fading marking is still visible, which may cause more confusion.
The table below shows route statistics for select hikes to the summit of Sivý vrch.
This table shows route statistics for the Chata pod Náružím-Predúvratie-Babky loop.
Red TapeHikingYou must keep to waymarked trails, except that traversing the east side of Ostrá via the unmarked path seems to be accepted practice. Camping is off-limits. After dark you are supposed to leave the national park (unless you are staying in a mountain hut). The area lies within the Slovak part of the Tatra National Park, within which trails above mountain huts as well as above the lower reaches of valleys are closed for hikers from 1 November to 15 June. Quite exceptionally, this regulation does not seem to apply to the trail running along the south ridge of Sivý vrch up to the very summit.Rock Climbing and SkiingRock climbing is forbidden. Skiing is allowed in the area lying south of Priehyba Saddle (the saddle between Sivý vrch and Malá Ostrá) from 21 December to 15 April – on condition that you are a member of a skiing or climbing club/association, such as UIAA or Alpenverein.Weather, Rescue & Warnings
Accommodation
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