Stebnícka Magura

Stebnícka Magura is an 899.9 m summit in the Slovak part of the Low Beskid, in the Busov range. It rises above the village of Stebník about 6 km north of Bardejov and, with the TV tower on its top, clearly dominates the whole area – it can be seen from many parts of the Low Beskid. In Polish geographical tradition it is the highest point of the Ondava Highlands. The mountain lies in Bardejov District of the Prešov Region; around it are Stebník, Zborov, Bardejovské Kúpele, Dlhá Lúka, Zlaté and Nižný and Vyšný Tvarožec.

Magura lies in the central part of the Busov range, on the ridge running south-east from Staviská (806 m) via Ostriež (893 m). To the west you can see Busov (1002 m), the highest summit of the Low Beskid. Nearby rise Mníchov (808 m) and Pivnica (857 m) to the west, Smilniansky vrch (749 m) to the east, and Hrb (764 m) and the border peak Javorina (881 m) to the north. The mountain belongs to the Topľa basin: the western slopes drain via the Čierny and Mníchovský streams, the southern ones via the Bardejovský stream and the northern ones via the Stebnícky stream, a tributary of the Kamenec.

How to get there / routes

The red Heroes of the SNP trail (Cesta hrdinov SNP) crosses the summit; it is also part of the European E8 and of the Eisenach–Budapest friendship trail.

• From Zborov – red trail from the east via the Pod Magurou junction.
• From Bardejovské Kúpele – red trail from the south-east via the Čerešňa saddle.
• From Vyšný Tvarožec – blue trail from the north-west.
• From Zlaté – unmarked road.

Sources give no official walking times.

What you can see from the summit

The summit is wooded, so there is no all-round view. From thinner patches of forest you can see the neighbouring summits of the Busov range, the Ondava Highlands, Vihorlat, the Slanské Mountains, Čergov and occasionally the Tatras.

Nature and history

In 1975 an 81 m steel radio and TV relay mast and a masonry technical building were built on the summit. There is also a wooden shelter for hikers with a signpost.

The northern and eastern slopes are protected by the Stebnícka Magura National Nature Reserve, declared in 1964 on 76 ha; according to Polish sources it now covers 184 ha. The reserve lies at 650–900 m in the wet spring area of the Stebnícky stream and preserves natural, partly old-growth forests of beech, fir and sycamore maple. There are scree maple-beech woods, maple beechwoods and, lower down, fir beechwoods; beech, silver fir, sycamore and ash exceed 25 m in height. The shrub layer includes black and red elder, guelder rose and gooseberry.

The flora has a clear East Carpathian character: the most interesting are the stands of Scopolia carniolica. Ferns are very diverse – hard shield fern, male fern, lady fern and narrow buckler fern are common, while Braun's holly fern is rarer. In spring hollow-root corydalis, snowdrops, yellow star-of-Bethlehem and lungwort flower in masses.

Safety, season and rules

The climb to Magura follows mostly forest paths without rocky sections. The national nature reserve has the highest degree of protection: stay on the marked trail, do not pick plants and keep noise down. There are several springs near the summit (the nearest about 1 km away), but it is better to carry water. In the Slovak mountains help comes from the Mountain Rescue Service HZS: 18 300 (+421 18 300) or 112.

Interesting facts

• The TV mast makes Magura a landmark that is easy to recognise from many summits of the Low Beskid.
• Some beeches, firs and sycamores in the reserve are more than 25 m tall.

Photos: Pe3kZA, CC BY-SA 3.0; Pistal, CC BY-SA 4.0; pepanos, CC BY 3.0; Clowiecik, CC BY-SA 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons.