Šútovo Waterfall

The highest waterfall in the Malá Fatra

The Šútovo Waterfall (Šútovský vodopád) is the highest waterfall in the Malá Fatra mountains and one of the highest in Slovakia: the water drops 38 m. It lies in the Krivánska Malá Fatra about 4 km north of the village of Šútovo in the Martin district, at roughly 822 m above sea level, almost in the middle of the Šútovská dolina National Nature Reserve, declared in 1967. The reserve protects the forested and alpine slopes below the peaks of Úplaz, Žobrák and Suchý vrch.

The waterfall is fed by the Šútovský potok stream, which rises about a kilometre upstream in a picturesque rock formation called Moses’ Springs (Mojžišove pramene). Above the drop the stream is about 2.5 m wide. The rock step itself was created by the uplift of the mountains and the subsidence of the neighbouring Turiec Basin (Turčianska kotlina); the fall sits on a presumed geological boundary between granites and granodiorites. It is at its most impressive in spring, when the snow melts, and after heavy rain.

What to see

• The waterfall itself – a narrow white ribbon of water on a dark rock wall; you can walk over the stones to its foot.
• The Šútovská dolina valley with its mountain stream and dense forests.
• The Šútovská dolina nature trail with boards on mountain streams, fauna and flora, forests and geology (opened in 1986, renewed in 2009; some boards are damaged).
• For fit hikers – Moses’ Springs and the alpine meadows below Chleb above the waterfall.

Practical information

Šútovo lies in the Váh valley between Žilina and Martin; buses run to the village. The most convenient option is to leave the car in the car park by the Fatranka hut at the upper edge of the Rieka settlement. From there the blue trail follows a forest road along the stream, climbing gently past chata Vodopád, and the last 200 m or so of the side path is a narrow footpath. The winter variant of the nature trail is 3.8 km long with 322 m of ascent and takes about 1.5 hours one way; according to hiking portals it is 1–1.5 hours from Fatranka to the waterfall. The first section is tarmac, so you can reach chata Vodopád with a pushchair; beyond it you continue on foot only.

Entry is free and there are no tickets. Malá Fatra National Park rules apply: stay on marked trails, from 16 April to 31 October between 6:00 and 21:00 and in winter between 7:00 and 18:00, and keep dogs on a lead. The full summer route of the nature trail (8.8 km, over 1,000 m of ascent) continues higher to Moses’ Springs and the ridge: that is a serious mountain hike, and the Tesnô gorge above the waterfall is steep and slippery in wet weather; in winter there is avalanche risk in the upper part. An ordinary walk to the waterfall and back suits families with children. Experienced hikers can do the traverse from the Trusalová campsite via the Čierťaž saddle, Pod Chlebom and Moses’ Springs to the waterfall and down to Šútovo – about 5.5 hours and 990 m of ascent.

Nearby

On the other side of the ridge lie Vrátna dolina, with its cable car to Chleb, and the Jánošíkove diery gorges. On the way to Žilina, stop at Strečno Castle above the Váh, and in Martin visit the Museum of the Slovak Village.

Official website: npmalafatra.sk

Photos: Michal Jakubský, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Qasinka, CC0, Wikimedia Commons; Eple487, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Ondřej Bahula, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.