Magurka

Magurka is a 1193 m summit in the central part of the Spišská Magura in northern Slovakia. It rises above the village of Ždiar, about 17 km north-west of the town of Spišská Belá. The hill lies in the Prešov Region, on the boundary of the Kežmarok and Poprad Districts, and extends into the cadastres of Osturňa, Malá Franková and Ždiar. The nearest settlements are Ždiar at its southern foot (about 2 km) and Malá Franková to the north-east (3.5 km); Osturňa and Veľká Franková lie to the north, Jezersko, Reľov and Lendak to the east.

Magurka stands on the main ridge of the Spišská Magura between Priehrštie (1209 m) and Slodičovský vrch (1167 m). Its fairly distinct, fully wooded top is the junction of two side ridges. To the north-east runs a ridge descending to Veľká Franková over Solisko (1123 m) and Poľana (974 m), separating the valley of the Frankovský potok from that of a tributary of the Osturniansky potok. To the north, towards the Ždiar valley, runs a shorter ridge forming the western rim of the Mlynárska dolina.

How to get there / routes

Magurka is an important crossroads of several routes (the junction below Magurka). All of them bypass the wooded top, traversing its southern and eastern slopes:

• Red trail (hiking and ski) – from Ždiar over Magurka and its north-eastern ridge to Veľká Franková, about 2 h 45 min in total (3 h 15 min the other way).
• Blue trail along the main ridge – from Ždiar-Strednica via Priehrštie to Magurské sedlo via Smrečiny and Malá poľana; the whole ridge section takes about 6 h 15 min.
• Yellow trail – from Osturňa past the Osturnianske jazero lake to the junction below Magurka, about 2 h up, 1 h 35 min down.

What you can see from the top

Sparse, patchy forest covers the top, so the view from the summit itself is limited. On the eastern side, however, there are large clearings with wide views. From there you see the neighbouring peaks of the Spišská Magura, the nearby Belianske Tatras with Havran (2152 m) and Hlúpy (2061 m), the Levoča Hills, Babia Góra and the border hills of southern Poland.

Nature and history

The northern part of the ridge drains via tributaries of the Osturniansky potok to the Dunajec, while water from the southern slopes flows via tributaries of the Biela to the Poprad, so the watershed of the two basins runs over Magurka. The ridge carries the boundary of the buffer zones of the Pieniny (PIENAP) and Tatra (TANAP) national parks.

Safety, season and rules

The routes are easy but long; there are hardly any springs on the ridge, so carry water. In winter the red trail is also a ski route – in snow you need cross-country skis or snowshoes. In the national-park buffer zones do not leave litter and do not light fires outside designated places. In Slovakia the Mountain Rescue Service (HZS) operates: 18 300 (+421 18 300); the general emergency number is 112.

Interesting facts

• No marked trail goes to the very top – all of them skirt it on the slopes.
• The yellow trail from Osturňa passes the Osturnianske jazero lake.
• The Dunajec–Poprad watershed runs over Magurka.

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