Ploská and Borišov: meadows and mountain hut in the heart of Veľká Fatra

Ploská (1,532 m) and Borišov (1,510 m) are two treeless summits in the very centre of Veľká Fatra, with the old Chata pod Borišovom mountain hut (about 1,300 m) standing in the saddle between them. Ploská is a knot of the main ridge: from it run the Liptov branch towards Rakytov, the ridge to Krížna and Ostredok, and the spurs to Borišov and Lysec. The name means «flat», and rightly so: instead of a sharp peak there is a broad, almost level plateau — a remnant of an ancient planation surface — built of soft marly shales. Borišov is the highest summit of the Turiec branch of the range and the only one in it above 1,500 m. All of this is Veľká Fatra National Park; the northern slopes of Borišov have been protected since 1981 as the Borišov National Nature Reserve (about 450 ha).

The key thing to know about these meadows is that they are not a natural alpine zone but shepherds' hole pastures created by people. The ridge pastures of Veľká Fatra date back to the Wallachian colonisation of the 15th–17th centuries, and the isolated trees on the summit of Borišov show that forest once reached right to the top. Grazing continues today — in summer you may see flocks of sheep on the slopes of Ploská, and maps show shepherds' huts such as Salaš pod Ploskou. The Ploská meadows are rich in species: globeflower, Siberian chives and alpine squill; crocuses bloom on the northern slopes in spring. In early spring the dome of Borišov turns purple with Spiš crocus, in summer gentians and woolly thistle flower here, and roseroot grows on the rocks.

What to see and do

• Chata pod Borišovom hut. The wooden building on a stone base was built by the Martin branch of the Czechoslovak Tourist Club in 1937–1942; during the war partisans sheltered here, and Ploská served as a drop zone where aircraft dropped weapons for them — signal fires were lit on the summit beforehand. The hut miraculously survived and reopened after repairs in 1949. There is no electricity and no access road: paraffin lamps provide the light and porters carry supplies up on their backs. Today it is looked after by the Slovak Tourist Club.
• The climb to Borišov — the yellow trail from the hut: about 1 km and 45 minutes up (30 minutes down), with views of Ploská and the Necpalská and Belianska valleys.
• The Ploská plateau — room for an unhurried walk across the grass; by the trail junction on the summit is the grave of a participant in the 1944 Slovak National Uprising.
• Best time — early spring for crocuses, June for flowering meadows and October for russet grass.

Getting there

Ploská and Borišov lie deep in the mountains, far from roads, so this is a proper mountain hike (times from signposts as quoted by pl.wikipedia). The shortest approach is from Liptovské Revúce to Ploská: 2 h 45 min (2 h 15 min down), then about 35 minutes from Ploská to the hut. From the Turiec side long valley trails follow asphalt roads closed to cars: the blue trail from Necpaly up the Necpalská dolina — 14.5 km, 4 h 20 min; the green trail from Belá-Dulice up the Belianska dolina — 14.7 km, 4 h 35 min; there is also a yellow trail from the Ľubochnianska dolina. From the hut to Ploská takes 1 hour, and from there along the Veľkofatranská magistrála over Ostredok to Krížna is 9.9 km, about 3 h 30 min. The Močidlo – Borišov trail leads from the hut to Borišov, and from Ružomberok along the ridge runs the trail from A. Hlinka Square to the hut under Borišov. The hut is open all year, but bring your own sleeping bag and torch.

Season and safety

The steep grassy western slopes of Ploská and the southern slope of Borišov are classic avalanche terrain: large avalanches run into the Hornoborišovská dolina, and a warning board stands by the trail from Ploská to the hut. According to the Veľká Fatra NP administration, the area around Ploská, Krížna and Ostredok is among the most avalanche-prone in Slovakia, so in winter come only when there is no avalanche danger and follow the warnings of the Mountain Rescue Service (HZS, tel. 18 300). On the open plateau it is easy to lose the path in fog. National park rules: walk only on marked trails, keep dogs on a lead, camping and bivouacking are prohibited. Information as of October 2026.

Nearby

To the south along the ridge are the Krížna massif and the Kráľova studňa plateau. In the valleys you will find Blatnica Castle and the Gader Valley, and 17 km away the village of Vlkolínec above Ružomberok.

Official website: npvelkafatra.sk

The Belianska valley and the Borišov waterfall

From the hut below Borišov the wooded Belianska valley with the Beliansky potok runs down north-west to the Turiec basin. Almost its whole length is followed by an asphalt road closed to cars, along which a hiking and cycling route leads: from the village of Belá-Dulice to the hut it is 14.7 km, 892 m of ascent and about 4 h 35 min (3 h 50 min down, according to signpost data on pl.wikipedia). At about 710 m the small Borišovský waterfall drops over a limestone step in the valley – only 3.61 m high. The valley slopes hold many karst caves, including Perlová jaskyňa with its cave pearls, and the whole valley belongs to Veľká Fatra National Park with the Borišov and Madačov reserves.

Photos: Pe3kZA, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Caroig, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons; Pudelek, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Michal Klajban, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.