Biela skala (Biely kameň)

Biela skala (older name, still used on most maps: Biely kameň; Polish Biały Kamień) is a partly rocky 1135 m summit in the Vtáčnik mountains of Slovakia. It lies in the northern part of the range, in the Vysoký Vtáčnik subunit, above the village of Podhradie, about 6 km south-west of the town of Handlová, in the Trenčín Region (Prievidza District). The summit reaches into the lands of Handlová, Cigeľ and Podhradie; the nearest settlements are Podhradie to the west (about 4 km), Cigeľ to the north-west (about 5 km) and Nová Lehota, part of Handlová, to the east. Counting from south to north, it is the last Vtáčnik summit higher than 1100 m. The name comes from the light-grey colour of the weathered rocks of the large outcrop below the top.

Biela skala is a distinct rise on the main ridge, roughly halfway between Jarabá skala in the south and Veľký Grič in the north. To the north the massif is bounded by the broad saddle below Veľký Grič (about 870 m), to the south by the shallower saddle below Orlí kameň (988 m). Neighbouring peaks are Tlstý diel (1016 m) to the north, Jančekova skala (843 m) and Brána (1036 m) to the west, Orlí kameň (1126 m) to the south and Trasľavý vrch (798 m) to the east. The western slopes belong to the Nitra basin, while the eastern ones hold the sources of the Handlovka (a Nitra tributary) and the Lutilský potok in the Hron basin.

How to get there / routes

The main Vtáčnik ridge carries the red long-distance trail, the Ponitrianska magistrála. It crosses the flat top of the mountain about 350 m west of the summit, and a short path (about 5 min) leads to the summit itself on the edge of the cliff.

• From the north – red trail from Handlová via Veľký Grič.
• From the south – along the ridge from Vtáčnik via Orlí kameň.
• From Cigeľ – blue trail up to the red one.

The sources give no official walking times, so plan the hike with a Vtáčnik hiking map.

What you can see from the top

The ridge is covered with mixed forest that gives way only at the eastern edge, where the massive rock stands. From there the view opens from north-east to south-east: over the Handlová basin at the foot of Vtáčnik, other peaks of the range, the Štiavnica Mountains, Javorie, Poľana, the Kremnica Mountains and the Greater Fatra. From spots with lower vegetation you can also see the Lesser Fatra, the Strážov Mountains and Považský Inovec.

Nature and history

The slopes of the massif are steep and strongly dissected, while the broad top is fairly flat and descends gently to the north, west and south. It was shaped on the front of an old lava flow: to the east it is bounded by a band of andesite walls, towers and rock ledges almost 1000 m long and up to 30–40 m high. The andesite is still breaking up, as shown by large boulder fields, screes and talus cones below the rocks. The massif is covered by extensive beech forests with some sycamore and spruce. Almost the whole top, together with the rocks, is protected by the Biely kameň nature reserve, created to preserve these lava flows.

Safety, season and rules

The summit sits right on the edge of the cliff: keep away from the edge, especially with children, in fog and on wet rock. Do not leave the paths in the reserve and do not climb the screes below the walls – the andesite keeps falling. The route is open all year, but in winter the ridge is snowbound. Slovak Mountain Rescue Service (HZS): 18 300 (+421 18 300) or 112.

Interesting facts

• The mountain has two names: officially Biela skala, but most maps show the older Biely kameň.
• The rock wall of Biela skala is the solidified edge of an ancient lava flow.
• Water from the mountain flows into two different basins, the Nitra and the Hron.

Photos: Stanislav Doronenko, CC BY 2.5; Doronenko, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons.