Jánošíkove diery with children: which route to choose and what to watch out for

For children the gorges beat any playground: ladders, footbridges over the stream and a waterfall every few steps. For parents it means staying close the whole time. Here is how to choose a route by age, where you can turn back and how to make sure the day ends with smiles rather than tears halfway up.

Route by age

• The youngest and children in a carrier: better to skip gorges with ladders, and never climb a ladder with a carrier on your back. The Terchovské srdce lookout tower or a walk along the cycle path are better choices.
• From about four: Dolné diery from Biely Potok, about an hour one way, with two waterfalls. Those with energy to spare go on to Podžiar, the rest turn back earlier. You return the same way.
• School-age children: the small loop, 5 km and 210 m of ascent. The most excitement on the shortest route.
• Older children with some experience: the big loop through Horné diery, if they can manage five hours on foot and ladders 12 to 15 m high.

The age of four is a rough guide from Hotel Diery by the car park. What matters more is whether your child can climb a ladder without fear and keep walking for two to three hours.

Watch out for Nové diery: there is no way back

Nové diery is one-way and can only be walked from Ostrvné up to Podžiar. Once you go in with children you have to reach the top, which takes an hour to an hour and a half. So take a break before you enter, have something to eat and check the children still feel like it. If you are unsure, start with Dolné diery, where you can turn round at any time.

Ladders with children

• Going up, climb behind your child, that is below them; going down, go first. That way you can catch them if they slip.
• Hands must be free. Backpack on your back, poles strapped to it, nothing in your hands.
• Thin gloves help, as the metal rungs are often cold and wet.
• At the waterfalls keep children away from the edge of the footbridges; the spray makes surfaces slippery.
• When a queue forms at a ladder, give children time and do not let the people behind you rush you.

What to pack for children

• shoes with a thick, grippy sole, not sandals or smooth-soled trainers,
• spare socks and a T-shirt, as it is easy to get wet at the waterfalls,
• a windproof jacket, since the gorge is cooler than the valley,
• snacks and plenty to drink; the snack bar at Podžiar is usually open only in summer,
• plasters and tissues.

When to skip it with children

• After heavy rain: wet footbridges and a lot of water; Horné diery can become impassable.
• In winter: ice on the ladders and paths, and you need microspikes and poles. With small children, leave the gorges out in winter.
• On summer afternoons: hiking portals recommend early starts partly because storms tend to come in the afternoon.

Alternative family trips, from a lookout tower to the cable car, are in our article on Terchová with children in autumn.

Back at the cottage

From the car park in Biely Potok it is ten minutes by car to Chata Ranto. In the fenced garden children have a trampoline and a volleyball net, on the covered terrace there is table tennis and table football, and while they let off steam the parents can sit at the table on the terrace. Times and difficulty for each section are in How long do Jánošíkove diery take.