Stage 17 of 29 · Low Tatras
Ďurková → Čertovica
The roof of the trail: along the main crest of the Low Tatras over Dereše and Chopok, past the Štefánik hut under Ďumbier and down to Čertovica.
- Distance
- 24 km
- Climbing
- ↑ 950 m
- Descent
- ↓ 1,390 m
- Highest point
- 1,981 m
- Walking time
- 9 h 00 min
- Difficulty
- Demanding
Measured from the map; walking time by the standard hiking formula, without breaks.
The best and the hardest day. The trail stays on the main crest of the Low Tatras above two thousand metres: over Kotliská and Dereše to Chopok, at 2,024 metres the highest point of the whole Heroes’ Trail.
Past Chopok it drops to the Štefánik hut under Ďumbier, the highest summit of the range, an hour’s detour away. Then the long descent over Králička and Lajštroch to the road pass at Čertovica. Never start this stage in a storm: there is nowhere to hide on the crest.