Minčol (1,394 m a.s.l.) is the highest peak of the Orava Magura, a lesser-known range belonging to the Slovak part of the Western Beskids. These mountains charm with empty trails, lovely pastoral glades, and extensive panoramic views of the nearby Tatras, Malá Fatra, Choč Mountains, and Żywiec Beskids. In this post, I will describe the ascent to the peaks of Minčol (1,394 m a.s.l.) and Kubínska hoľa (1,346 m a.s.l.) from the village of Hruštín. Enjoy the read!
Table of Contents
- Start from Hruštín
- From Príslop Pass along the ridge of the Orava Magura
- Mokradská hoľa
- Wandering to Kubínska hoľa
- Kubínska hoľa glade and Minčol
- Vasiľovská hoľa and the return to Hruštín
- Trip map
Start from Hruštín
Taking advantage of a beautiful July day, a few minutes after 9:00 AM, I check in at the Slovak village of Hruštín (approx. 700 m a.s.l.). I leave the car in the center of the village, in the parking lot in front of the COOP Jednota store. Although the space is intended exclusively for market customers, I don’t expect this to be a significant problem on a Sunday. Hruštín lies in the historical Orava region and is inhabited by just over 3,000 people. The village was founded in the mid-16th century as a result of intensive Vlach colonization. By the way, the sheep farming brought by the Vlachs developed so quickly in Upper Orava that by 1619, as many as 24,000 sheep were grazed in this region! (source).
I begin the trek along the shoulder of Hlavná Street, which is part of Slovak national road No. 78. After a 2.5-kilometer ascent, I reach the Príslop Pass (807 m a.s.l.). There is an inn here, a large parking lot, and a bus stop. The name of the pass comes from the Vlach language and means… simply a pass. This explains why there are so many “Príslops” in the Beskids.
From Príslop Pass along the ridge of the Orava Magura
At the pass, I take a wide path running straight through the dense forest. After a moment, I realize that the route I chose lacks any trail markings. I check the map and… right. It turns out that three variants lead west from the pass – two are bike paths, and one is the red hiking trail. Since I am currently on the cyclists’ route, I enter the forest and push through for a short while to the correct path. The red trail turns out to be just as wide and very well marked. During the first kilometer after leaving the pass, my path turns sharply twice: first to the right, then to the left. Other than that, for the next 10 kilometers, the trail is completely straight, constantly running along the main ridge of the Orava Magura.
In the section about two kilometers from the pass, the red trail rises by about 200 meters in elevation. It might not be a large elevation gain, but it is noticeable. The further course of the trail is quite gentle – until Minčol itself, you don’t really feel like you’re going uphill. The path now leads through a dense forest with a clear dominance of spruce. I’m making good progress here – clean air, the gentle sound of the wind, blissful silence; in short, a perfect Beskid excursion.
Mokradská hoľa
After 4.5 kilometers from the pass, I reach a vast pastoral glade with a view of the lower ridges of the Orava Magura, the valley of the Hruštínka river, and the Żywiec Beskids – for example, Babia Góra, Pilsko, and Rysianka. On Slovak maps, the glade is called Mokradská hoľa, and on the tourist sign in the field – Lihôčanská Hoľa. I must admit – I was completely lost in the moment here. The glade is breathtakingly beautiful, and though it may sound lofty, the Orava Magura turned out to be a source of much greater joy than I expected.
What is particularly interesting, however, is that all these idyllic glades are anthropogenic in nature. Vlach shepherds burned the halls using the so-called “slash-and-burn” technique to obtain large areas for grazing sheep and cattle. While shepherds are now hard to find in the Beskids, their glades remain, delighting the eyes of tourists who venture here. Another thing I observed in the Orava Magura is the very small number of people on the trail. Despite the warm Sunday morning, I could count the number of people met on the main ridge of this range on the fingers of one hand.
Wandering to Kubínska hoľa
After crossing the Mokradská hoľa glade, I reach the forested summit of Dva pne (1,205 m a.s.l.). Looking at the aged sign, I think to myself: I wonder where more people have been – on Mount Everest or maybe right here? A quick break for a second breakfast, and I continue my forest walk. Less than a kilometer of walking and I reach another culmination of the main ridge – Čierny vrch (1,319 m a.s.l.). In this section, the surrounding vegetation becomes significantly lower, and numerous mountain pine stands become visible around the trail. In this way, I descend to a shallow pass and then reach the second highest peak of the Orava Magura – Kubínska hoľa (1,347 m a.s.l.). The summit is overgrown, so it does not offer panoramic views.
Kubínska hoľa glade and Minčol
From Kubínska hoľa, I descend to the pass of the same name (Sedlo Kubínska hoľa, 1,310 m a.s.l.). The yellow trail from the center of Dolný Kubín joins the red trail here. I continue the march along the ridge road, starting the final ascent to Minčol, the main goal of my trip. I am currently passing through Hala Kubínska – another vast pastoral glade today. I am most captivated by the vastness of this space – it’s easy to imagine that many hundreds of animals could once have grazed here. The charm of this place is enhanced by common bistort, which covers most of the glade with a delicate, pinkish carpet.
With good visibility, Hala Kubínska offers a fantastic panorama to the west – towards the Choč Mountains (with the characteristic Veľký Choč), the Western Tatras, Great Fatra, and the Low Tatras. Although the clarity is no longer the best, I still feel that the views are really pleasant. I scramble up to Minčol (1,394 m a.s.l.) at 12:10 PM, about three hours after leaving Hruštín. At the summit, I find a board describing the panorama (also looking west), the upper station of the SKI PARK Kubínska hoľa ski lift, and a meteorological station. Air clarity still leaves much to be desired, but nevertheless, the view of Veľký Choč and the valley between the Orava Magura and the Choč Mountains makes a big impression on me. In this valley lies the town of Dolný Kubín, which is the most common starting point for Minčol. Numerous downhill tracks operate within the ski resort, but I personally don’t see any mountain biking enthusiasts at the top.
Interestingly, on mapy.cz, next to the summit of Minčol, there is a pictogram representing a mountain hut. However, I must disappoint you – there is no such facility on the highest peak of the Orava Magura. What is marked as a shelter on the map turns out to be a ruined wooden shed. Well… a bit of a shame. After the fact, I checked that there is only one mountain hut in the Orava Magura, and it is Chata na Kubínskej holi (approx. 1,100 m a.s.l.), located on the yellow trail from Dolný Kubín to the aforementioned pass.
After a break for a second breakfast, I return to the red trail. Not even ten minutes pass when I stand by the sign saying Minčol. This means that the actual summit is located slightly west of the buildings I passed earlier and is completely forested.
Vasiľovská hoľa and the return to Hruštín
The red trail continues towards Zázrivá, and I turn right onto the blue-marked nature path. The path is quite narrow, but neither its course nor its markings cause me any major problems. After 750 meters, at an altitude of approx. 1,280 m a.s.l., the nature trail joins the blue trail. This is a variant from Hala Kubínska, bypassing the main summit of Minčol. The trail traverses the slopes of Zadný Minčol and then gently descends towards the last pastoral glade of the day – Vasiľovská hoľa (1,139 m a.s.l.).
Vasiľovská hoľa is another charming glade, offering idyllic views of the surrounding peaks of the Orava Magura. A ski lift runs through the center of the glade, under which the yellow hiking trail is marked. Along this trail, I have nine kilometers to cover, all the way to Hruštín itself. The section along the downhill run is steeply inclined and poorly marked, but it allows for a descent of over 200 meters in just one kilometer of distance. At the bottom station of the lift, there is the Horský Hotel Kristína, in whose restaurant I allow myself a small pleasure in the form of a non-alcoholic Birell.
The last eight kilometers of today’s trip are covered along an asphalt road running along the Hruštínka stream. At first, the road leads through the forest, then among green fields, and finally reaches the buildings of Hruštín. The section is quite monotonous, so I cover it with a jog. While the ridge of the Orava Magura was very empty today, the asphalt part of the yellow trail seems quite popular among cyclists. I check back in Hruštín shortly after 2:00 PM, which allows me to close the loop in just over 5 hours. The Orava Magura was great, I would love to come back here again someday!
Trip date: July 6, 2025
Trip statistics: 24.5 km; 730 meters of elevation gain
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