Roháčske plesá

Roháčske plesá are a cascade of four glacial lakes at the head of Roháčska dolina in the Western Tatras, in the Orava region. They lie on three terraces below the ridge of Ostrý Roháč, Plačlivé and Kopy (Tri kopy, Hrubá kopa) and belong to the Roháčske plesá national nature reserve in Tatra National Park (TANAP). The lowest and largest is Veľké (Lower) Roháčske pleso: 1,562 m, 2.22 ha, 7 m deep. Higher up, side by side, lie the Second and Third tarns (1,650 and 1,653 m), and the highest is Horné (Upper) pleso at 1,719 m.

Interestingly, the tarns have different origins. The lowest formed on the floor of a glacial cirque, the middle ones in a trough scoured by the glacier that flowed down Roháčska dolina, and the upper one, which drains towards Spálená dolina, on the floor of a firn basin later destroyed by erosion. Their beauty has long attracted visitors: old guidebooks even called the lower tarn the "Morskie Oko of Orava".

TANAP has built an educational trail around the tarns with benches, tables, shelters and information boards. According to these boards, 22 mammal and 46 bird species live here — among them Tatra chamois, marmot, the Tatra pine vole, red deer, black grouse and capercaillie; bears, wolves and lynx also pass through. The meadows bloom with plane-leaved buttercup, alpine pasqueflower, golden cinquefoil, spotted gentian and monkshood. A few pairs of mallards on the lakes have got used to being fed by visitors — but wild animals should not be fed.

What to see and do

• The Roháčske plesá educational trail — a 5.4 km loop with 525 m of ascent (about 4 h) from the former Ťatliakova chata past all the tarns and Roháčsky Waterfall.
• A panorama of the Roháče — Ostrý Roháč, Plačlivé and Volovec rise above the water; the best view of all the tarns is from the climb to Baníkovské sedlo.
• A rest by the water — the shelters and benches by the lower tarn are good for a picnic.

How to get there

The starting point is Zuberec, then up Roháčska dolina to Zverovka, which has a bus stop. From Zverovka it takes about 1 h 30 min along the asphalt road to the former Ťatliakova chata (1,393 m) (route Zuberec – Tatliakove pliesko). From there the green trail through the lower part of Smutná dolina passes the lower and middle tarns to Horné pleso — 1 h 30 min up, 1 h down. From Horné pleso the blue trail descends past Roháčsky Waterfall to the Adamcuľa junction on the valley road — 1 h 10 min, 1 h 30 min up (route Adamcuľa – Roháčske tarns). Together this makes a lovely half-day loop with about 500 m of ascent: an ordinary mountain path without technical sections, suitable for schoolchildren used to walking. With a pram you can only use the asphalt part of the valley.

Season and safety

All marked trails to the tarns — the blue one from Roháčsky Waterfall, the green one from Ťatliakovo pliesko and the educational trail — are closed from 1 November to 31 May (§ 4 of the TANAP Visitor Regulations, decree 26/2023); the best time is June to October. Entry to TANAP is free. You may walk only on marked trails and only in daylight; dogs are not allowed on the trails to Roháčske plesá, and drones are banned without a permit. Mountain Rescue Service HZS: 18 300, general emergency number 112.

Nearby

• Roháčsky Waterfall — on the blue trail below the tarns.
• Ostrý Roháč and Volovec — summits above the valley.
• Baníkov — above Baníkovské sedlo.
• Jamnícke plesá — in the neighbouring Jamnícka dolina.

Official website: tanap.sk

Photos: Huhulenik, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Michal Jakubský, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.