Lomnický štít via the Normal Route: A Guide to the 0+ Ascent from Lomnické sedlo

Lomnický štít (2,634 m n.p.m.) is the second highest peak in the Tatra Mountains, ranking right after Gerlach. For over two hundred years, its soaring, monumental summit has sparked the imagination, inspired, and attracted successive generations of mountain enthusiasts. There is no shortage of those eager to experience its majesty; therefore, despite being located off any marked tourist trail, the mountain is a popular excursion destination. Many routes lead to Lomnický štít, some of which are quite simple, while others require advanced climbing skills. In this entry, I will describe the ascent via the “normal route,” specifically the variant through Lomnická kopa [0+].

Table of Contents

1. Lomnický štít – Essential Information
2. Start from Tatranská Lomnica
3. Approach to Skalnatá chata
4. At Skalnaté pleso
5. Off-Trail Trek to Lomnické sedlo
6. Lomnický štít – Ascent from Lomnické sedlo
7. Lomnický štít – Chains
8. Lomnický štít – The Summit
9. Lomnický štít – Descent
10. Trip Map
11. Bibliography

Lomnický štít – Essential Information

• Lomnický štít stands at 2,634 m n.p.m., making it the second highest peak in the Tatras and the entire Carpathian range. The mountain is also one of the fourteen peaks belonging to the Great Crown of the Tatras.
• Lomnický štít is located entirely on the Slovak side of the Tatras, and no marked tourist trail leads to it. This is significant because hiking off-trail in the Slovak Tatras is theoretically prohibited and punishable by fines from park rangers. Since the normal route to Lomnický štít is perhaps the most popular off-trail trek, be particularly mindful of potential patrols.
• The normal route to Lomnický štít leads from Lomnické sedlo through Lomnická kopa. The variant is easy to navigate and mostly technically undemanding – only on the final sections of the route will you encounter a few rock walls rated 0+, which are secured by a series of iron chains. This method of reaching the summit will be the subject of this post.
• Alternatively, numerous other variants lead to Lomnický štít with varying levels of difficulty. Most begin in the Malá Studená dolina, but some also lead from the Kežmarská dolina.
• Lomnický štít is connected to the nearby Kežmarský štít (2,558 m n.p.m.) by the Vidlový hrebeň, considered one of the most magnificent ridges in the Tatras.
• A cable car leads to the summit of Lomnický štít, built in stages between 1936–1940, standing as one of the most impressive achievements of Tatra tourist infrastructure. At the top sits the characteristic upper station building, equipped with a cafe, two romantic apartments, an astronomical observatory, and a TV relay station. A trip to Lomnický štít from the bottom costs… 89 euros [as of 2026]. An overnight stay for two in the apartment, meanwhile, costs… 1,000 euros. Absolute madness, isn’t it?
• The first documented ascent of Lomnický štít was made by the English naturalist Robert Townson in 1793. Interestingly, several decades earlier, a local gold prospector named Jakub Fábry claimed to have reached the summit. The first known Pole on Lomnický štít was the researcher Stanisław Staszic (ascent in 1802 or 1804), who climbed the peak to conduct a magnetic experiment.

Start from Tatranská Lomnica

It is 7:30 AM when Agata, Maks, and I pull into the free roadside parking lot in Tatranská Lomnica, near the Grandhotel Praha (coordinates: 49.1699244N, 20.2791792E; altitude: 902 m n.p.m.). The goal for today is to make the most of the only sunny weekend this month. And it’s hard to imagine a better way to spend free time than fulfilling another Tatra dream and setting foot on the famous Lomnický štít.

After getting out of the car, we pass the Grandhotel, cross another parking lot, and then turn left – onto the green trail. For about a kilometer, we walk along a forest dirt road, gaining the first 120 meters of elevation. At the level of 1,030 m n.p.m., we reach the upper station of the chairlift to Buková hora, where the trail traverses a cleared ski slope belt and continues on asphalt.

Signs drawn on the road inform us that for safety reasons, we should walk on the right side of the road. The left side is reserved for people descending the mountain on bizarre go-karts, which can be rented at the “Štart” restaurant located higher up. By the way, the construction of these “vehicles” is so flimsy that from the start, I have the impression that descending the hill on steep asphalt is much more dangerous than the ascent of Lomnický štít itself. My fears are confirmed on the way back when we find one of the enthusiasts of this strange activity… in a roadside tree. Fortunately, nothing serious happened to the girl – she shook it off, got back into the go-kart, and drove on.

Already during the asphalt climb, we satisfy ourselves that the fantastic weather forecasts for today have fully come true. Thanks to this, both Lomnický štít and the accompanying Kežmarský štít look excellent from the trail.

Approach to Skalnatá chata

After walking about 2.5 kilometers, we reach the building of the middle station of the gondola lift to Lomnický štít (approx. 1,173 m n.p.m.). There is the “Štart” restaurant, belonging to the powerful Slovak company Tatry Mountain Resorts (owner of, among others, the entire ski resort in Tatranská Lomnica or on Chopok). Interestingly, the name of the facility is no coincidence. The restaurant stands on the spot where, at the beginning of the 20th century, the start of a large sledding and bobsled track was placed. Use of the facility was completely discontinued only in 2004.

Behind the restaurant, the asphalt road gives way to stones, and we begin a laborious ascent up the ski slope, along the line of the gondola lift. As we gain more elevation, a pleasant view of the Low Tatras materializes behind our backs. The trail initially leads through open areas (on the ski slope), only to disappear briefly among the trees in the upper parts (at an altitude of 1,450 – 1,550 m n.p.m.). Then, the path again runs along a vast slope before finally, shortly before the hut, diving into a dense belt of dwarf mountain pine.

The climb is brutally steep: 600 meters of elevation gain over a distance of two kilometers. Add to that the strong sun, and we get a truly serious endurance workout.

At 9:15 AM, we arrive at the small Skalnatá chata (1,751 m n.p.m.), which has an atmospheric buffet and about a dozen beds. It’s hard to believe, but the first facility of this type was built here as early as 1841! The hut primarily served tourists going to Lomnický štít, which in the first half of the 19th century was by far the most popular destination for Tatra hikes.

At Skalnaté pleso

From Skalnatá chata, we continue the trip along the red trail, a fragment of the Tatra Magistrala. Just 300 meters later, we arrive at Skalnaté pleso, which is very crowded. This is not surprising, as we are in perhaps the most popular place on the Slovak side of the Tatras. The lake is full of water today, which has not been a given in recent years. Due to climate change and destructive human activity (in the form of the nearby construction), Skalnaté pleso began to periodically dry up. The climax was on November 2, 2021, when the lake disappeared completely.

The large number of tourists at Skalnaté pleso doesn’t come from nowhere. Right by the lake, there is a large building with a restaurant, a mountain hotel, and, above all, another transfer platform for the cable car to Lomnický štít. Towering over Skalnaté pleso is the characteristic building of the astronomical observatory, built in the years 1940 – 1943.

From Skalnaté pleso, you can clearly see both the summit of Lomnický štít and the cable car running to it. The northern face of the Queen of the Tatras looks absolutely phenomenal up close – a true crown jewel among high-mountain landscapes.

Off-Trail Trek to Lomnické sedlo

For a few minutes, we wander around the large square, looking for the path marked on the map. At some point, it becomes clear that we must cross the railing exactly where there is a large and very prominent sign saying “STOP”. Well, if you’re going to break park regulations, do it with a bang. The first meters off the marked trail pass on a clear, well-worn path. At one point, the trail dives into mountain pine so dense that we practically have to push through the trees. However, the fun lasts only a short while, and the path quite efficiently leads us out onto vast, open terrain.

We continue the laborious climb, ascending through the highest parts of the ski resort in Tatranská Lomnica. We walk directly under the chairlift that runs from Skalnaté pleso up to Lomnické sedlo. In winter, it takes skiers to the start of the black run – the steepest and most difficult in the entire resort. And indeed, the slope of the terrain here is truly significant – in a distance of just 1.5 kilometers, we gain 430 meters of elevation gain.

The path runs in two variants. The first, steeper and much stonier, leads directly under the lift line. The second variant cuts the slope with wide switchbacks, which slightly lengthens the route but simultaneously makes it much less physically demanding. On the ascent, we choose the steeper version, and we decide on the switchbacks for the way back.

There’s no hiding that the lion’s share of the trip to Lomnický štít consists of laborious, tedious approaches on steep ski slopes. Rocks only appear at the very end, and they are rather undemanding. For this reason, the ascent to Lomnický štít via the normal route seems to me more of a physical challenge than a technical or navigational one.

Shortly before 11 AM, after about 4.5 hours of walking, we arrive at Lomnické sedlo (2,190 m n.p.m.), which separates Lomnický štít from Veľká Lomnická veža (2,214 m n.p.m.). From here, the goal of our trip is perfectly visible, along with several nearby peaks, including the jagged Prostredný hrot and the gentle Slavkovský štít.

Lomnický štít – Ascent from Lomnické sedlo

Due to the aforementioned chairlift, we meet quite a few people at Lomnické sedlo. The summit of Lomnický štít is perfectly visible from this perspective, and the route leading to it seems quite obvious. Nevertheless, it was this fragment that I feared the most before the trip. It happens, especially on sunny weekend days, that a patrol of Slovak rangers stands at Lomnické sedlo, turning back everyone who wishes to conquer the second peak of the Tatras without spending several hundred zlotys on a guide. When it turns out that no one is controlling the passage, we breathe a sigh of relief and eagerly set about gaining the last 500 meters of elevation difference.

For the next twenty minutes, we ascend a steeply inclined slope along a fairly clear path. However, the higher we go, the less visible the trace becomes, and the grass is replaced by a scree of larger and smaller stones. Off-trail hiking has the quality that there is no one single perfect line of ascent. On the contrary – as many people, so many ways to overcome a chosen route. In our case, it didn’t turn out badly. The Strava recording shows that on both the ascent and descent, we stayed very close to the paths marked on the map.

At an altitude of approx. 2,250 m n.p.m., we begin to head slightly to the left – towards a clear ridge with the minor culmination of Lomnická kopa (2,430 m n.p.m.). Navigation continues to pose no major difficulties, and we are further reassured of our choice by a chain draped over one of the rocks. We arrive at the ridge itself around 11:40 AM, less than 40 minutes after leaving Lomnické sedlo. The spot offers a great panorama of the Malá Studená dolina, Prostredný hrot, Ľadový štít, Javorový štít, Gerlach… Only the strong wind, blowing through the higher parts of the Tatras today at a dizzying speed, interferes with enjoying the views.

Walking the ridge requires increased concentration but is not technically difficult. We feel some consternation only at the level of approx. 2,480 m n.p.m. when we begin to have doubts about the further course of the route. On the ridge ahead, I see several climbers moving very slowly and securing themselves with ropes. Hmm, what’s going on? Wasn’t our ascent supposed to be a simple 0+? Fortunately, my doubts are quickly dispelled by a glance at the map and a Slovak sitting on a nearby stone. It becomes clear that the normal route now veers slightly to the right to dive into one of the gullies moments later. As it later turned out, the ridge variant I was watching is the so-called Birkenmajer route (with the most difficult variants reaching V+).

Lomnický štít – Chains

Reading various reports of ascents of Lomnický štít, one often encounters the opinion that finding the correct gully with artificial aids can be problematic. Personally, I cannot confirm this. We reached the ironwork “on the first shot,” within minutes of starting the slight veer to the right. It is quite possible, however, that we had a bit of luck in all this. The sun’s rays were hitting strong enough that the iron clamps were shimmering from a distance.

The final 100 meters of elevation difference pass in easy but very pleasant scrambling (a variant most often rated 0+, or I according to Andrzej Marcisz’s guide). There are plenty of chains and clamps, but in my assessment, the terrain is not demanding enough that their use is strictly necessary. Besides, the ironwork is quite old and consequently not in the best condition.

Lomnický štít – The Summit

Shortly before 12:30 PM, after 5 hours of hiking, we reach the long-awaited summit of Lomnický štít (2,634 m n.p.m.). At the top, there is a viewing platform with the famous “photographic” sign. Usually, I don’t do photo sessions on summits, but for Lomnický štít, I decide to make a small exception :D. Due to its lateral position, Lomnický štít offers a fantastic view of practically the entire High Tatras. The most magnificent panorama opens to the west and includes Prostredný hrot and Ľadový štít, Javorový štít, Svišťový štít and Východná Vysoká, Gerlach, Vysoká, Rysy, Kriváň, and even the distant Western Tatras. To the northwest stands the nearby Pyšný štít, the fourth highest peak of the Tatras. To the north, Kežmarský štít draws attention, connected to Lomnický štít by the majestic Vidlový hrebeň. In the background are Kolový štít, Jahňací štít, and the Belianske Tatras.

While the summit atmosphere is somewhat “disturbed” by its commercialization, we still spend truly great moments here. For all three of us, this is our first ascent of Lomnický štít, so we are happy to add such a symbolic and iconic peak to our mountain CVs. We soak in the views, eat snacks, and rest. Maks dreams of crossing the Jordan route (the link between Lomnický štít and Pyšný štít); I look longingly at Vidlový hrebeň. We’ll do it someday, for sure!

On our way out, I pop into the upper cable car station building for a moment. You could say it’s a clash of two worlds. You cross the threshold and suddenly, from the rocky, raw environment, you enter an elegant, spotless reception area. To each their own, but I definitely find myself more at home in the former world. Nonetheless, the existence of the cable car to Lomnický štít neither annoys nor irritates me – I think I’ve outgrown that. I understand that not everyone can climb the highest peaks of the High Tatras, and it’s fine if one of the mountains can be reached by cable car. The capacity of the cable car is also small enough that the summit is not excessively crowded. Anyone who has been to Kasprowy Wierch knows it can truly be worse :D.

Lomnický štít – Descent

We descend from Lomnický štít the same way we came up. This time, crossing the section secured with chains takes us a bit longer because on the way back, we encounter a bottleneck caused by a small group of people securing themselves with a rope. I must admit, it’s my first time having to wait in a queue while off-trail :D.

Below the rock wall, we meet a group of guys. One of them asks us which way leads to Starý Smokovec. We look at each other… “This way you’ll descend to Tatranská Lomnica,” we say. At one point, it turns out the group started from Smokovec, climbed Pyšný štít, crossed to Lomnický štít via the Jordán route, and started descending “on a hunch.” The experience must have been intense, as one of the guys firmly refuses to return to Pyšný štít, wanting to descend anywhere as long as it’s down. Well, not bad, where do people like that come from?

In the further part of the descent, our route differs slightly from the one we took up. We walk via a traverse, at some distance from the main ridge. The path is clear enough that, according to the Strava log, we manage to stay on the track marked on the map for most of the time. When we reach Lomnické sedlo, all that remains is a long but efficient descent through the vast areas of the ski resort.

The final difficulty of the day is the return to Krakow. The sunny weekend weather attracted so many people to the Tatras that the “Zakopianka” road moves at a snail’s pace. But that’s okay! For me, all that matters is that I conquered Lomnický štít—my seventh peak of the Great Crown of the Tatras—in great company.

Trip date: September 21, 2025

Trip statistics: 18 km; 1,800 meters of elevation gain

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Trip Map

Bibliography

• Nyka Józef, Nyczanka Monika, Tatry Słowackie, Wydawnictwo Trawers, 12th Edition, Latchorzew 2022.