Brestová

Brestová (in some sources Malá Brestová; Polish Brestowa) is a 1903 m summit on the main ridge of the Western Tatras, in the Roháče part, in Slovakia. It lies at the head of the Bobrovecká dolina, south-east of Zuberec and about 19 km north of Liptovský Mikuláš. The mountain stands on the boundary of Liptovský Mikuláš and Tvrdošín districts, and the ridge here is the natural border between Orava and Liptov. The nearest villages are Zuberec (about 6 km), Huty (8 km) and Habovka (8 km).

The name is confusing. Slovak and German references give the name Brestová to this 1903 m summit; some sources, however, call it Malá Brestová and reserve Brestová for the higher, still unnamed 1934 m point a little to the south-east. Polish authors describe Brestowa as the 1934 m top – the main orographic knot of the Salatín group – and mention Mała Brestowa next to it. Both tops belong to one mighty massif between the Pálenica saddle in the west and the Parichvost saddle in the south-east; beyond Parichvost rises Salatín (2048 m), to the west Zuberec peak (1806 m). A three-kilometre side ridge, Predný Salatín, runs north from the massif, dividing the Salatínska dolina from the Salatín gully. The south-western slopes fall into the Kotliny cirque at the head of the Bobrovecká dolina (Váh basin), the northern ones to Dlhá jama and the Voliarisko valley (Orava basin).

How to get there / routes

• Red ridge trail: from the west from Huty via Sivý vrch and the Pálenica saddle; from the east from Volovec via Baníkov and Salatín. From the Baníkovské sedlo to the Brestová massif about 2 h 30 min.
• Yellow trail to the Pálenica saddle: from the south from Jalovec via the junction below Lysec, from the north from Zuberec via Ostrý grúň. From Pálenica to the summit about 1 h (45 min down).
• Blue trail from Zverovka via Predný Salatín to the higher top of the massif (1933–1934 m): about 3 h up, 2 h 15 min down.

What you can see from the top

The rocky top gives an all-round panorama: the surrounding Western Tatra peaks, the nearby valleys and part of the High Tatras. Osobitá, Sivý vrch and the whole Roháčska dolina with its peaks are particularly well seen. In good weather you also see the Skorušinské vrchy, the Orava Beskids, Oravská Magura, the Lesser Fatra, the Choč Mountains, the Greater Fatra and the mountains of southern Poland.

Nature and history

The massif is built of granite and gneiss. The summit and slopes are grassy, lower down – especially on the north – rocky. They used to be pastures; the rush growing on the slopes turns brown already at the end of summer, colouring them reddish. The name is linked to elms (Slovak brest) that once grew in the area; a pasture east of Zuberec bears the same name. In 1861 the Polish explorer Kazimierz Łapczyński traversed the summit. During the Second World War a partisan hospital operated in a forest hut on the slopes of Predný Salatín; in February 1945 TOPR rescuers carried wounded Slovak and Soviet partisans through a blizzard over the Łuczniańska Przełęcz pass to Zakopane.

Safety, season and rules

Brestová lies in the Tatra National Park (TANAP). The park's high-mountain trails are closed every year from 1 November to 31 May. The ridge is exposed to wind and storms. Stay on marked trails. Slovak Mountain Rescue Service (HZS): 18 300 (+421 18 300) or 112.

Interesting facts

• The highest point of the Brestová massif (1934 m) still has no name of its own.
• The massif has good ski slopes: a ski lift runs at its foot in the Salatínska dolina.

Photos: Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 3.0; Sebastian B, CC BY 3.0; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 3.0; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons.