The best hiking routes in Region of Prešov

The Region of Presov presents a stark choice between exposed granite heights and dense, quiet beech forests. In Tatransky narodny park, you walk on hard, rocky paths and stone steps, climbing above the treeline into glacial valleys where the terrain is steep and completely open. This is a landscape of grey stone and cold mountain tarns, where the sheer verticality dictates the pace. In contrast, the far eastern borderland of Narodny park Poloniny offers soft forest soil underfoot, shaded by ancient trees. Here, the ridges are lower and covered in alpine meadows, with none of the jagged rock faces found in the west.

For those who prefer limestone gorges and river beds, Narodny park Slovensky raj requires navigating wooden ladders, iron catwalks, and chains bolted directly into the gorge walls. The ground here is often wet limestone and exposed tree roots, requiring steady footwork through narrow, shaded ravines. Pieninsky narodny park offers a gentler alternative, where the Dunajec river has cut a deep gorge through white limestone cliffs, allowing for flatter riverside walks on gravel tracks.

Your choice depends on your comfort with exposure and steepness. The high Tatras demand constant attention to footing on slippery granite blocks, while the eastern beech forests of Poloniny offer long, undulating ridge walks on packed dirt. Slovensky raj is highly technical and unsuitable for those who dislike heights or climbing ladders.