Katova skala is located in the territory of the Veľká Fatra National Park at an altitude of 901 m n. above the Kantorská valley and the village of Sklabinský Podzámok. The red tourist sign leads to it from Sklabinský Podzámek and the ascent time is about 60 minutes. At the end of the village there is a parking lot and from there you go right up the meadow uphill between the family houses.
The beginning is steeper, but short. Children will certainly be pleased with the ladder, which they climb straight into the forest and from there the route is less steep and winds through serpentines through the forest to the top. The whole area is rich in karst formations, large rocks overgrown with moss and small caves in the rocks. As you get closer and closer to the big rocky cliffs on the way, believe that your goal is already within reach.
Katova skala is a nature reserve in the 5th degree of protection. It is about the protection of a geomorphologically significant rock complex with karst phenomena and with preserved original communities of plants and animals. Rock climbing is possible on Katova skala from 1. 8. until 30.11 and with permission.
The top of Katova Skala will provide you with a beautiful view of the Turiec Basin, part of the Lúčanská Malá Fatra and the Veľká Fatra peaks such as the Veľká Fatra Kľak, Prieložnica, Jarabiná, Kečky, Lysec, Tlstá and others. An unforgettable view in almost all directions. You can enjoy it and relax a little on the bench that is set on the rock. However, the peak itself is located about 100m higher in inaccessible terrain with no views.
The Executioner’s Rock owes its name to the executioner from the nearby Sklabina Castle, to whom it served as a place of execution. In addition, it is also surrounded by a dark legend, according to which a young virgin is cursed in the rock. She was imprisoned there by a cruel man to force her to marry him. However, even this did not help and she did not want to marry him. So he cursed her and she has to sit on his treasure. Once every hundred years, he has the opportunity to say one word. And so “Liberate” is heard from the rock, with the expectation that a young man will free her.
Perhaps it is this reputation that will motivate your children to go on a pleasant trip with a beautiful view.
You can see the exact route here. See also the video tip from Katova skala.
Text: Bc. Veronika Šimková
Photo: archive of S-NPVF
