Ihla (Levoča Hills)

Ihla (Slovak for "needle"; German Nadel) is a 1283 m summit in the Levoča Hills (Levočské vrchy) in eastern Slovakia, the third highest in the range. It rises above the village of Ihľany, about 10 km east of the town of Spišská Belá, in Kežmarok District, Prešov Region; the summit reaches into the lands of Holumnica and Ihľany. The nearest villages are Ihľany to the west (about 5 km), Jurské (6 km), Lomnička and Holumnica to the north-west (7–8 km), Kolačkov to the north and Jakubany to the north-east.

Ihla lies in the central part of the Levoča Hills, in the Levočská vysočina subunit, on the main ridge between Derežová (1214 m) and Rysová (1058 m). Together with the highest peak, Čierna hora (1289 m), it forms a common massif. Ihla is a knot of three ridges: the north-western one turns north and runs as far as Stará Ľubovňa, the eastern one soon turns north-east and links Ihla with Čierna hora, and the short south-western one branches towards the confluence of the Ihla, Holumnický and Kobylí streams. All water drains to the Poprad: the southern and western slopes via the Holumnický potok, the northern ones via the Lomnická rieka, and the Jakubianka rises south of the ridge towards Čierna hora.

How to get there / routes

The red trail from Nižné Ružbachy runs along the southern and western slopes, bypassing the summit itself: Krumľov – Sedlo – Rysová – Ihla – Derežová – Zelený vrch – Javor – Chata Vinná – Javorinka – Krížový vrch – Levočská dolina. It is a very long route: for most of its length, from Nižné Ružbachy to the saddle below Krížový vrch, it meets no other trails, so you cannot leave it for the nearest villages on marked paths. OpenStreetMap also shows a green route right by the summit – check a current map. Several forest roads cross the ridge and allow access from Ihľany, Kolačkov, Lomnička or Jakubany. The sources give no walking times.

What you can see from the top

The summit area of Ihla is cleared, with small patches of broken forest, so it offers an interesting view. In good weather you can see the surrounding peaks of the Levoča Hills, the High and Low Tatras, the Stolica and Volovské vrchy, Branisko, the Ľubovňa Highlands, Spišská Magura and many mountains in Poland.

Nature and history

The slopes of Ihla are forested, and on the southern side lies a large meadow – long unused, it is slowly becoming overgrown. The Levoča Hills are a massive, densely forested mid-mountain range, and Ihla with Čierna hora forms its highest part.

Safety, season and rules

The long red trail runs through remote forests with no quick way down to villages, so plan your strength and carry water and a map. Forest roads can be churned up by logging trucks, and in winter the ridge is snowbound. Slovak Mountain Rescue Service (HZS): 18 300 (+421 18 300) or 112.

Interesting facts

• Ihla is only 6 m lower than Čierna hora, the highest peak of the Levoča Hills.
• The name Ihla means "needle".