Veľký Choč

Veľký Choč (Polish Wielki Chocz) is the highest peak of the Choč Mountains in northern Slovakia at 1,611 m (some sources give 1,608 m). A solitary, irregular pyramid with many crags, it stands between the Orava and Váh valleys and rises about 900 m above the surrounding valleys, so it is visible from all of Lower Orava and as far as Štrba. The summit itself lies in the cadastre of Vyšný Kubín, and the boundary of the Dolný Kubín and Ružomberok districts of the Žilina Region runs just below it. Choč is considered one of the most beautiful mountains in Slovakia.

The massif also includes Malý Choč (1,465 m), separated from the main summit by the grassy Vráca saddle (1,422 m), the forested Zadný Choč, Kopa and the panoramic Predný Choč (1,249 m) above the Spuštiak saddle. The broad saddle at the western foot holds the large Stredná poľana meadow with a shepherd's hut and a trail junction. From Valaská Dubová the mountain gains height gradually, while from the north and from Lúčky it drops in steep slopes.

Getting there / trails

Several marked trails lead to the summit; times are approximate, from Slovak and Polish sources:

• Red markings from Lúčky up the Jastrabá valley via the Žimerová meadow and the Vráca saddle — about 2 h 25 min. One of the most beautiful ascents.
• Blue markings from Valaská Dubová to Stredná poľana, then green to the summit — 2¼–2½ h, about 950 m of ascent. The shortest route.
• Green markings from Vyšný Kubín via the Drapáč meadow — 3–4 h, about 1,100 m up; fine views of Orava.
• Red markings from Jasenová via Bralo — about 3 h 25 min.
• From Likavka or Ružomberok on red or blue markings via the Spuštiak saddle to Stredná poľana and on by green — 3½–4½ h; the variant past the ruins of Likava castle is longer still.

The view

The treeless summit offers an all-round panorama of most of Slovakia's mountains: the nearby Lesser Fatra, then Oravská Magura, the Orava Beskids, the Western and Low Tatras and the northern part of the Greater Fatra; on clear days Poland and Moravia are visible too.

Nature

The base of the massif is made of relatively soft Cretaceous limestones and shales, so the lower slopes are gentle. The upper part consists of thick beds of grey dolomite and dark Triassic limestone of the so-called Choč nappe: geologists first described these layers here, which is why they bear the mountain's name. There are many rock walls, towers, scree fields and a few short caves. The massif is almost entirely forested — beech with fir and spruce lower down, spruce higher up, largely primeval. The tree line runs at 1,350–1,420 m, above it is a belt of dwarf pine, and relict pines grow on the crags. The summit dome is rich in lime-loving and alpine flora: bird's-eye primrose, short-stemmed gentian, mountain avens. In 1982 the massif was declared the Choč nature reserve (1,428 ha); it is also part of the Natura 2000 network.

History and culture

Veľký Choč was mentioned by Matej Bel in his «Notitia Hungariae novae» (1736). In 1804 the Hungarian botanist Pál Kitaibel climbed it, in 1840 King Frederick Augustus II of Saxony, travelling incognito, and in 1878 the Polish physician Tytus Chałubiński collected minerals here. The poet Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav, who celebrated the mountain, was born below it in Vyšný Kubín; Choč was pictured on the reverse of the Czechoslovak 10-koruna note (1986–1993).

Safety and rules

The massif is a nature reserve: keep to marked trails and do not pick plants. The upper sections are rocky and steep, slippery in rain, and in winter the northern slopes ice up. Slovak Mountain Rescue Service (HZS): 18 300 (from a foreign phone +421 18 300) or 112.

Photos: Andrej Krivulčík, CC BY 3.0; Wikipedysta:Gower, CC BY-SA 2.5; Oto Zapletal, CC BY 4.0; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 3.0; Ján Sokoly, CC BY 2.0 — Wikimedia Commons.