Vysoká Magura

Vysoká Magura (Polish Wysoka Magura) is a 1115 m summit in the Orava Beskids (Oravské Beskydy) in northern Slovakia, which Polish geographers count as part of the Żywiec–Kysuce Beskids. It lies above the village of Oravská Lesná, about 22 km west of Námestovo, in the south-western part of the range – the Ošust sub-unit. The summit stands south of the Slovak–Polish border, in the Námestovo District of the Žilina Region, in the cadastre of Zákamenné, and lies within the Horná Orava Protected Landscape Area. It is the second-highest summit of the Ošust group after Úšust itself (1155 m). Slovak data give its height as 1115.2 m, Polish maps as 1111 m.

Vysoká Magura does not stand on the main ridge but on a short spur running south (south-east) from it, between Úšust and Krkoškuľa (1024 m). To the north lies Słapówka (906 m) in Poland, to the west Krkoškuľa and Bukovina (1050 m), to the south Surový vrch (1057 m), and to the east Juríková (918 m) and Úšust. The Juríkov potok drains the western part of the massif and its tributary the Magurský potok the eastern part, to the Biela Orava. The nearest settlements are Oravská Lesná to the south, Vychylovka (part of Nová Bystrica) to the south-west, Polish Soblówka to the north and Zákamenné to the east.

How to get there / routes

No marked trail leads to the summit; it can only be approached on forest paths. A yellow trail runs along the eastern foot from Oravská Lesná via the Kohútik junction to the Podúšust junction, where it joins the ridge trail; from the ridge you can reach Vysoká Magura through an indistinct saddle. The main ridge carries a blue trail – from the west from the Príslop saddle via Talapkov Beskyd and Bednárová, and from the north-east from the Kaňovky junction via Podúšust; a green trail comes from the west from the Demänová saddle. Nearby, at the Beskyd saddle, is the terminus of the historic narrow-gauge Orava Forest Railway from Tanečník, used by tourist trains, with an observation tower by the saddle.

What you can see from the top

The patchy forest on the summit allows only very limited views. From some spots you can see the neighbouring peaks of the Orava, Kysuce, Silesian and Żywiec Beskids, the Orava Magura, the Kysuce Highlands and the Lesser Fatra, and often the Tatras.

Nature and history

The mountain is entirely forested. The name "magura" comes from Romanian and means a hill, mound or knoll; it is one of the most common place names across the Carpathians – Romanian, Slovak and Polish alike. In the Slovak and Polish Carpathians it was spread by the Vlachs, migrating shepherds.

Safety, season and rules

Without a marked path you need a map or navigation and experience of finding your way in forest. In winter the snow is deep. Slovak Mountain Rescue Service (HZS): 18 300 (+421 18 300); general emergency number 112.

Photos: Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons.