This very nice route starts in Smrečany. The already mentioned Gothic Church of the Sacrifice of the Lord (blessed in honour of the Purification of the Virgin Mary), the foundations of which date back to 1349, is the oldest preserved building in Smrečany. Do not miss the village museum; its permanent exhibition called „The History and the Important Personalities of the Village“ chronicles the history of the Smrečany village and displays a selection of traditional folk crafts, farm tools, folk costumes, period documents, photographs, etc. The Smrečany village merges with the Žiar village, at the end of which you will find The Chata Kožiar mountain hotel with the on-site snack bar and information boards. From the hotel, turn onto an asphalt road that will lead you to the Žiarska Chata chalet. The route can be explored on foot, by bike and there is also a possibility of renting a downhill scooter, with the road having a dedicated lane for scooters. You will see an occasional car or two. A quieter alternative to the asphalt road is an old trail through rocky forest terrain marked blue. It runs parallel to the busy supply road, but it leads through a spruce forest, providing shade from the sun. A recently renovated Žiarska Chata chalet provides accommodation with the “Tri Kopy” restaurant and an outer terrace. There are many natural beauties worth seeing just a stone´s throw from the Žiarska Chata chalet. One of them are the cascades of the Šarafiový Vodopád waterfall in the Krásno rock gully. To reach it, follow the path to Jalovecké Sedlo saddle marked with green markings that will lead you past the Symbolický Cintorín cemetary to the frothy white cascades of the Šarafiový Vodopád waterfall.
Starting point: 49.120129; 19.650750
There is a paid parking lot at the beginning of the Žiarska Dolina valley.
You can get a bus or train to Liptovský Mikuláš and then a bus to the Smrečany village or you may prefer to take a bus which stops next to the Salaš Kožiar sheep farm.
There are several accommodation options available in the villages of Smrečany and Žiar and also a number of restaurants, chalets and snack bars where you can dine in both summer and winter.