Resting on Baranec's summit after demanding hike (source: Jana Liptáková)
The ascent to Baranec is an easy walk through the forest, a friend of mine said when choosing another peak to climb in the Tatras for us. She could not be further from the truth. Part of the hike did go through the forest, along a route flanked with ripe raspberries, strawberries and blackberries. But its total length and the elevation gain – 20.5 km and 1,500 m – made it my record hike, beating even the unforgettable Kriváň hike.
Yet it was worth the effort. The rounded Baranec summit at a height of 2,184 metres above sea level offers exceptional panoramic vistas – encompassing the nearly the entire Liptov region, the Roháče mountain range, the Veľká and Malá Fatras as well as the High Tatras.
Read in this article
• The difference between the Western and High Tatras
• What makes the hike up to Baranec demanding?
• What plant can be found on the slopes of Baranec?
Which Tatras?
Baranec is the third highest peak of the Western Tatras, a mountain range neighbouring the better known High Tatras on its eastern side. Bystrá and Jakubina are only higher, 2,248 and 2,194 m, mountains, respectively.
Compared to its more popular, Alpine-like, sibling, the Western Tatras are not so rocky. Their slopes are gentler, overgrown with grass and the mountains’ summits are less pointed. The trails mostly consist of soil trodden paths and not so rocky as in the High Tatras. These make the Western Tatras more comfortable for hiking.
