Popradské Pleso Hike in Spring: What No One Tells You

Know the feeling when you read a hike is “easy, family-friendly, more of a walk than a hike, really” and then you almost end up losing your sanity (and legs) during it?

Well that’s what happened to us on the Popradské Pleso hike in spring.

All because information online isn’t always the full story.

So, if you are visiting the High Tatras in the spring, and you are planning on doing the popular hike to the stunning Popradské Pleso, read on to avoid this dangerous mistake.

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Here’s a little bit about our journey, if you are new here! If you know us, feel free to skip this part.

After leaving our old life in Scotland in March 2022 (it rains too much there), we travelled full-time for almost 2 years. Sounds fancy, doesn’t it? Well, it was. If you think that carrying overpacked backpacks in 45°C heat around streets that aren’t even on Google Maps is fancy. And that’s just 1% of all the fun we had! 😆

During the 2 years we volunteered in Italy and Bulgaria (free travel while learning new skills, anyone?), explored other amazing European countries and backpacked Southeast Asia. Btw, even our secret wedding was more of an expedition than a wedding. 😅

And, of course, we researched and planned everything ourselves, because you gotta keep the budget low, right? If you are like us, you’ve come to the right place, because we want to share all the useful travel tips and info with you!

Excited? Good. Let’s get into it so you can go on your own epic adventures too!

How to get to Popradské Pleso

There are 2 popular trails to get to Popradské Pleso, but they are not equal in the slightest:

• You can take the blue trail, which is an asphalt road from the Tatra Electric Railway stop (TEŽ in Slovak) named after the lake itself, Popradské Pleso.
• Or you can take the red forest trail from the famous Štrbské Pleso.

Since we had done the blue trail previously (in winter), we decided to start straight in Štrbské Pleso, on the red trail, which was described as having beautiful views and being “easy and family-friendly”.

1hr to 1.5hrs one way.

Sounds great, right?

We thought so too, at the start. And then we discovered we messed up.

The problem with Popradské Pleso hike in spring

Here is what all articles online said about the Popradské Pleso hike:

“It’s easy, doable, accessible year-round.“

Here is what some of them added:

“During the winter trail closure, though, if hiking from Štrbské Pleso, you will have to change from the red trail to the green trail partway.“

But here is what nobody mentioned:

“In spring, the green trail can be deadly icy, so it should only be attempted with hiking crampons or microspikes.“

The danger here wasn’t just the icy path and lack of gear.

It was also the misleading info we found online.

We always try to stay safe when we travel: from using free safety hacks to getting good travel insurance.

But, and this was a big problem when we were travelling full-time, relying on information online isn’t always a good idea. Reality is often very different and we’ve gotten into a 💩 situation more times than we care to admit as a result of it.

What you need to know about the Popradské Pleso hike in spring

When hiking from Štrbské Pleso (red & green trail)

• This hike is more beautiful than the blue trail.
• It takes around 1 – 1.5hrs to get to Popradské Pleso. That is unless you end up fighting for your life, like we did. Then it might take you 2hrs (and it will feel like 6hrs).
• We lucked out with a sunny, mild spring day, so we ended up taking our winter jackets off and hiking in a base layer and a jumper (Mirka) and a short sleeve T-shirt (Daniel. But he is Scottish, so don’t use him as a point of reference).
• Even if the path isn’t icy, we would still recommend hiking in shoes with a good grip. We did see some people in trainers and they were struggling. We hiked in Salomon X Ultra 3 GTX  (Daniel) and Landrover boots (Mirka. Although she borrowed them from Daniel).
• As we mentioned, be prepared for icy snow on the green trail and bring crampons, microspikes or, at the very least, hiking poles (though, we spoke with hikers who did the trail in trainers and with the poles, and they were still fighting for their life every second of the green trail).

What can you do if you get stuck on an icy trail in the High Tatras

Okay, here’s what we should have done, once we discovered the green trail to Popradské Pleso was icy:

• First of all, we shouldn’t have trusted information online and been more prepared. If you own crampons or microspikes, pack them for your Popradské Pleso hike in spring.
• We should have turned around and gone back down the red trail. This would have been the safest and smartest option. No shame in quitting, when it’s not safe!

As you might have guessed by now, we didn’t do the safest and smartest thing though.

We pushed on, swearing, stressing (Mirka) and trying to keep a positive mood (Daniel).

How did we get to Popradské Pleso past the icy trail?

• By shamelessly using whatever the mountain gave us for grip: rocks, roots, random muddy patches… dignity was not part of the strategy
• By sticking together like glue (because hiking solo + no proper gear + no one knowing where you are = a very bad idea, not a personality trait)
• By awkwardly balancing along the edge of the path like budget tightrope walkers

Quick reality check: stepping off the trail isn’t the genius hack it feels like. Yes, you avoid ice… but you gain surprise obstacles (branches to the face, bushes grabbing your legs) and, more importantly, deep snow that can suddenly collapse under you. And breaking a leg in a snow hole is not an upgrade from slipping on ice (we learned that in Lapland!)

If you’re sweating just reading this:

• Make sure you get good travel insurance when travelling to Slovakia. Or on any holiday, for that matter. This spring trip to the High Tatras was also meant to be a relaxing break for us! The universe clearly had other plans, though.
• Fear not, we’ve got a good solution for how to do the Popradské Pleso hike in spring, without risking appearing on Slovak evening news as the dumb tourist that had to be airlifted off an “easy, family-friendly” trail. It’s called taking the safe, blue trail.

Popradské Pleso hike in spring: safe blue path

Want to stay totally safe on the Popradské Pleso hike in spring?

Take the blue trail from TEŽ Popradské Pleso (meaning a Tatra Electric Railway stop called Popradské Pleso). 

This is an asphalt trail, meaning it’s:

• Accessible year round
• Easy
• Suitable even for older people, families with prams and bikes (even in spring. We saw all 3 during our trip)

Must-know about the blue trail to Popradské Pleso:

• It takes around 1hr to get to Popradské Pleso
• The path is slightly uphill, so don’t expect a literal walk on an asphalt road
• It’s not as pretty as the red trail hike, especially on the way back, when the mountains are behind you
• As with the red trail, there might be a little unpleasant surprise waiting for you. Just a few meters from Popradské Pleso the trail was flooded and the only option to pass was either through the deep water or along a narrow, icy ledge. Older people and families with prams/small children struggled—very frustrating when you are almost in your destination and can smell the coffee (or feel the relief of a toilet break!)
• The train to/from the starting point goes only once an hour, so plan your way back accordingly. There are benches at the small wooden train stop, but not much else to do (and no facilities)

Don’t forget this when heading to the High Tatras mountains

Slovakia is a (relatively) safe country. 

But accidents can still happen. 

The story of our unfortunate Popradské Pleso hike in spring is just one example.

Make sure you’re covered by reliable travel insurance when you venture out into the world.

We recommend True Traveller, for their unbelievable customer service and their insanely low prices.

If you want to check how much their insurance would cost for your next trip, just check their website. They have a quote generator that takes a couple seconds and you will see the price right away – without having to give up your email or a phone number!

Popradské Pleso is one of the best lakes to visit in the High Tatras mountains. It’s stunning, accessible (you can walk around the whole lake!) and has two chalets with food, drinks and toilets! (Also accommodation, if you wanted to spend longer by the lake. Check out the Mountain Hotel Popradské Pleso and Majláthova Chalet).

While beautiful, it’s not worth breaking your leg over, so make sure you come prepared, if you are doing the Popradské Pleso hike in spring, or take it easy on the blue trail.

And if you do end up going, let us know on our Instagram – we’d love to hear about your experience!