Veľký Sokol Gorge and its waterfalls

Veľký Sokol is the longest gorge in the Slovak Paradise National Park and, according to the park administration, one of its wildest and most exposed. It cuts through the western part of the Glac karst plateau from south-east to north-west: its upper end lies by the Glacká cesta (Glac road, 899 m) and its lower mouth in the valley of the Veľká Biela voda by the Sokol forester’s lodge at about 620 m. The Sokol stream, roughly 6.4 km long, runs through it: it rises on Tekeliho lúka meadow below Vrábľová (986 m) and, 1.2 km before its mouth, receives a tributary from the side gorge of Malý Sokol.

The valley was carved by water into Mesozoic limestone. The narrowest middle section is called Kamenné vráta (Stone Gate): the rock walls here reach 300 m in height and in places close in to little more than a metre apart. The highest section is named Róthova roklina (Róth’s Gorge) in honour of Martin Róth — a small metal plaque on the rock recalls it. The whole valley is part of the Sokol National Nature Reserve, declared in 1964 (amended in 1976, 700.93 ha); more than 50 caves have been recorded in it.

The first tourist crossing of the gorge was made on 20 August 1898 by Martin Róth from Spišská Nová Ves, Professor Michal Karolíny and the botanist Nándor Filarszky. During the second crossing, on 24 September of the same year, the Levoča drawing teacher Wilhelm Forberger took the first known photographs of the Slovak Paradise gorges. The first steel ladders were installed by the Slovak Paradise Mountain Service in 1956. The park retells a charcoal-burners’ legend about the name: a great falcon is said to have snatched a baby that its mother had laid on the grass while bringing her husband his lunch; another version says that from the high cliffs the gorge looks like a falcon in flight.

Waterfalls and what to see

• Malé kaskády (Small Cascades) and Malý vodopád (Small Waterfall) — 8.5 m high, the first big step above Kamenné vráta.
• Veľké kaskády (Big Cascades) and Veľký vodopád (Big Waterfall) — about 7 m; both are climbed by iron and wooden ladders.
• The dark, narrow Róthova roklina in the upper part, tree trunks washed in by floods, and log ladders above the stream.

The gorge lies far from the main tourist centres, so there are far fewer people here than in Suchá Belá or the Kláštorská Gorge.

Getting there

The most convenient start is the paid car park at Píla (Píla – Piecky) near Hrabušice. From there, follow the green sign for about 25 minutes to the Sokol, horáreň junction, where the gorge begins. Then comes the yellow trail Sokol, Forester's Lodge – Glacká Road: 5.5 km, 305 m of ascent, about 2.5 hours, upstream only. The way back to Píla — Glacká cesta, former Glac forester’s lodge, Malá poľana junction, Palc junction — takes another 2.5 hours or so. You can reach Podlesok via the end of Suchá Belá and Pod Vtáčim hrbom in under 3 hours. Altogether this is a full mountain day (5–6 hours), not a walk for small children.

Season and safety

The gorge is accessible all year, but conditions change with the weather; on 26 October 2026 the park listed it as open with a warning about the risk of falling trees. Wear sturdy footwear; in winter the ladders ice over and the park recommends crampons. Turning back through the gorge is not allowed. Before entering you pay the fee for using the technical facilities: €3 (aged 15–65), €2 (children 6–15 and people over 65), under 6 free. Dogs must be on a lead and muzzled in the park, but a dog cannot climb the ladders. Walk only on marked trails; tents only in campsites. Mountain Rescue Service — 18 300 or 112. As of October 2026.

Nearby

The Piecky Gorge starts from the same Píla, and close by are the Suchá Belá Gorge and the Závojový waterfall in Sokolia dolina. On the plateau above the gorges stands Kláštorisko – Carthusian Monastery Ruins, and south of Glac lies the Dobšinská Ice Cave.

Official website: npsr.sk

Photos: Honza Groh, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Falk2, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.