Štefanová: the best hikes and trips from one of the loveliest parts of Terchová

If Terchová has a hiking heart, it beats in Štefanová. The hamlet sits below Veľký Rozsutec, and most waymarked trails to the peaks of the northern Vrátna valley start here. From a single car park you can head somewhere different every day, from a family loop to a full-day summit.

Getting to Štefanová

• By car: 8.1 km from Chata Ranto in Nižné Kamence, about 17 minutes. There is a paid car park in the hamlet.
• By bus: SAD Žilina, but only services marked Terchová, Vrátna. In Štefanová the stop is right by the trailheads.

More about getting into the valley in Vrátna valley.

Hikes by fitness level

Easy going

• The Štefanová to Diery nature trail: a loop via the Vrchpodžiar saddle, Podžiar, Dolné diery, Ostrvné and Nové diery back to Podžiar and Štefanová. About 3 km and 185 m of ascent with ten boards about nature; the municipality lists it as suitable for families with children too. There are ladders in Nové diery.

A full day

• Stoh: green to the Medziholie saddle, red to the summit, then yellow towards Poludňový grúň to Chata na Grúni and blue back. 11 km in up to six hours; the municipality says you can do it with children.
• Osnica: 10.3 km, 4 hours 15 minutes and 747 m of ascent; the resort grades it 4 out of 5.

For fit hikers

• Veľký Rozsutec: from Štefanová via Medziholie, about 5 km with 980 m of ascent; the loop through Horné diery is 10 km and five and a half hours. Details in Veľký Rozsutec.
• Malý Rozsutec: the traverse through Horné diery and Medzirozsutce to Biely Potok, about 9 km and 4 hours. More in Malý Rozsutec.
• Horné diery: about half an hour from Štefanová to Podžiar, then up the gorge to the Medzirozsutce saddle and back on the green waymarks.

Stoh: a grassy summit with the widest view

According to the municipality, Stoh is 1,607 m high, with a grassy summit. From the Medziholie saddle it takes about an hour and a quarter. In good weather you can see Veľký Rozsutec, Poludňový grúň, Veľký Choč, Šíp, the Western Tatras and Kráľova hoľa. On the descent via Poludňový grúň, Chata na Grúni is on hand for food and drink.

Osnica: the quiet peak

Osnica is one of the less visited peaks of the Malá Fatra. It is 1,362 m high, with a grassy summit, a rocky outcrop and views of Veľký Rozsutec, the Low and Western Tatras, Babia Góra and Veľký Choč. According to the resort it can be reached all year from Štefanová, Párnica and Zázrivá, and the climb tests your stamina more than your navigation.

Medziholie: the crossroads below Rozsutec

The Medziholie saddle at 1,185 m is where you make your choice. In one direction the red waymarks lead to Veľký Rozsutec, in the other to Stoh. From 1 March to 15 June the section between Medziholie, Veľký Rozsutec and Medzirozsutce is closed; the red route towards Stoh is not part of the closure.

Podžiar

The Podžiar junction is about half an hour from Štefanová. The nature trail, all three parts of the gorges and the routes to the Rozsutec peaks meet here. In summer a snack bar in a wooden hut is usually open. Everything about the gorges is in our guide to Jánošíkove diery.

Štefanová as a day trip from the cottage

Chata Ranto is under twenty minutes by car from Štefanová, so you can pick your hike in the morning according to the weather and be back by the fireplace in the evening. The yard holds about ten cars, so all you need to agree in the morning is who drives whom.