Tri studničky - Kriváň

Access to starting point:
Best path from Slovenia runs past Graz, Vienna, Bratislava, Nitra and Banska Bystrica over the mountain pass Donovaly into Ružomberok and then towards Poprad (E50), but soon at the exit Liptovski Hradok we leave the highway and on "liberty road" (537) through the village Pribylina by which there is also an important ethnological settlement, we drive to the parking lot Tri studničky, where we park on a payable parking lot.

Path description:
On the eastern side of the parking lot, we turn to the left and on at the beginning still an asphalt road (next to it, there are additional parking lots) we are about 150 meters ascending uphill. By the signs, on which it is written, that to the top of Kriváň there is 4 hours, we turn left and we continue on the path which runs by the road, on which we came to the parking lot, slightly downwards. After approximately 600 meters we get to an old forestry cottage. To here we can come from the parking lot also if on the road we go back in the direction from which we came and a little before the first turn, we turn right on the path which I just described. At the forestry cottage at the signposts there are some benches for (too soon) a rest and water. With a view on signposts we are surprised to find out, that we are already half an hour closer to the destination, because on the signs it is written, that to the top there is only 3 hours and 30 minutes. We turn right on a green marked path towards the northwest. The path is becoming steeper and past the partisan bunker in zig-zags ascends below Grúnik (1576 meters). Out of the forest we get to with dwarf pines vegetated slopes on which the path is still ascending in zig-zags. When we leave this lane of dwarf pines in front of us a view opens up on Kriváň. Right from the peak we also notice a crossing towards "Krivánskom žľabe", but to there it is still quite far. Above the path there is Vyšná priehyba (1982 meters) and we are ascending diagonally below the ridge towards the groove, which is from beneath Mali Kriváň (2334 meters) descending into a valley. At the crossroad, there is also a signpost, on which we read, that to the top there is only 1h and 15 min of walking. From the green marked path we step on the blue path, which at first goes to the left and then right into the groove and through the groove even a little more to the right on a hardened rocky slope. The old path was following the groove but because of loose rocks they redirected it to the right, but a lot of visitors on the saddle between Mali Kriváň and Kriváň still ascend through the groove. The difficulty of the path on that solid rocky terrain increases a little. We soon step on the southern ridge and there we at first ascend on Mali Kriváň (2334 meters). From the top, we descend to Daxner saddle, on which there is winding also the unofficial old path through the groove. We continue straight ahead and for some time we are still ascending on the ridge and then we leave the ridge, we turn a little to the left and with an easy short climbing on rocky flank we ascend to the top. It is a very popular Slovak mountain, so in the summer season there are a lot of hikers on this peak. Therefore it is good to start walking early. Parking lot at the starting point is often full already before 5:00 AM.

On the way: Grúnik (1576m), Vyšná priehyba (1982m), Razpotje v Krivánskom žľabe (2120m), Malý Kriváň (2334m), Daxnerovo sedlo (2325m)