Dlhé pleso (Velická dolina)

Dlhé pleso (the Long Tarn) in Velická dolina is a small elongated lake in the High Tatras, within Tatra National Park (TANAP). It lies in a stony basin between the massif of Gerlachovský štít — the highest peak of the Tatras — and Guľatý kopec, at about 1,930–1,945 m. The name reflects its shape: according to measurements by TANAP staff in the 1960s, the tarn measures 185 by 61 m, covers 0.63 ha and is about 5 m deep. It is also called Dlhé pleso pod Gerlachom.

The water is very clear: the bottom can be seen even in the deepest places, and the submerged boulders have a greenish-turquoise tint. The tarn is gradually shrinking as scree slides into it from the Krčmárov and Darmstädter gullies on the slopes of Gerlach. Dlhé pleso is the permanent source of the Velický potok: below, the stream flows across the flowery alpine meadow terrace of Kvetnica, forms the Velický waterfall at the Večný dážď step and enters Velické pleso.

Kvetnica is one of the richest places for plants in the High Tatras. In the late 19th century the Hungarian Carpathian Society leased it to protect it from grazing. Walery Eljasz, who walked up this valley over Poľský hrebeň in 1872, noted that Dlhé pleso was about 300 paces long and that its water ran through an alpine meadow called the Garden of the Swedish botanist Wahlenberg.

What to see and do

• Clear water and a stony bottom — the path runs right along the shore, so you can look at the tarn up close.
• The walls of Gerlach — the cliffs of the highest massif in the Tatras tower above the water.
• Kvetnica — in summer the meadow step below the tarn is covered with flowers; keep to the path.

How to get there

Dlhé pleso lies on the green route over Poľský hrebeň (Nižné Hágy – Junction below Poľský hrebeň). From Tatranská Polianka, a stop of the Tatra Electric Railway, the green trail leads to Velické pleso and Sliezsky dom — 1 h 45 min (1 h 15 min down). From Velické pleso via Kvetnica to Dlhé pleso takes 1 h (45 min down), and from Dlhé pleso to the Poľský hrebeň saddle (about 2,200 m) another 45 min (30 min down). You can also reach Velické pleso along the Tatranská magistrála from Hrebienok (2 h 05 min). From Tatranská Polianka to Dlhé pleso it is about 3 hours up and over 900 m of ascent: a proper high-mountain hike. Above Velické pleso the path becomes steeper and stonier.

Season and safety

The green trail from Velické pleso over Poľský hrebeň is closed from 1 November to 31 May (§ 4 of the TANAP Visitor Regulations, decree 26/2023), so you can visit Dlhé pleso from 1 June to 31 October; Velické pleso remains accessible during the closure. Entry to TANAP is free. You may walk only on marked trails and only in daylight; dogs are not allowed on the green trail from Tatranská Polianka to Poľský hrebeň, and drones are banned without a permit. Scree and stones come down the Gerlach gullies here, so do not linger below the slopes. Mountain Rescue Service HZS: 18 300, general emergency number 112.

Nearby

• Velické pleso and Sliezsky dom — an hour below.
• Gerlachovský štít — the highest peak of the Tatras above the tarn.
• Východná Vysoká — the summit above Poľský hrebeň.
• Batizovské pleso — west of Velické pleso along the magistrála.

Official website: tanap.sk

Photos: Punteador, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Michal Klajban, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Krzysztof Dudzik-Górnicki (User:ToSter), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Photochrom Print Collection, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons.