Chopok in Summer: Cable Car from Jasná, Hiking Up and the Ďumbier Ridge

By cable car up Chopok: route and operation

From the north side, from Jasná in the Demänovská valley, you go up Chopok on two cable cars. The first takes you from Biela Púť to Priehyba, the second, the Funitel with its 24-seat cabins, from Priehyba to just below the summit. The Funitel cabins hang from two cables, so the lift copes even with wind that would stop an ordinary gondola.

In the main season, in July and August, you can also get on at Záhradky. From there a chairlift runs to Priehyba, where you change to the Funitel. You can also reach the summit from the south, from Krupová via Kosodrevina. A return ticket is valid on the Biela Púť - Priehyba - Chopok - Kosodrevina - Krupová route, but always there and back the same way.

In summer 2026 both northern cable cars ran daily in September from 8:30 to 15:30, and the summer season ended on 30 September 2026. Jasná will publish the dates and times for next summer on its website.

Operation always depends on the weather: when it is windy at the top or a storm is on the way, the lifts may stop. So check the status on the Jasná website in the morning and do not leave it to the last minute to get to the lift. Do not count on the last ride down, especially if you are coming back from the ridge.

How much is the cable car up Chopok

Jasná sells tickets at dynamic prices. They depend on expected visitor numbers, the date you buy and the weather. Online at gopass.travel, a return ticket started at €19. At the ticket desk the price is fixed and higher: according to the summer 2025 price list, an adult paid €29 for a return ticket.

Categories:

• children aged 6 - 11,
• juniors aged 12 - 17 or with an ISIC, ITIC or EURO26 card,
• seniors from 60 or ZŤP disability card holders,
• children up to 5 travel free when accompanied by an adult.

It is worth buying your ticket a day or two ahead, once you know the weather will be fine. You save money and do not have to queue at the ticket desk in the morning. For a family with small children, Chopok is cheaper than it might seem, because the youngest ride free.

Walking up Chopok from Jasná

If you want to hike to the summit, you start by the cable car at Biela Púť. The route goes via Pod Orlou skalou and Luková all the way to Chopok. Most of the way you follow the blue markings, on the section from Pod Orlou skalou to Luková together with the red, and below the summit just the blue again.

• time: up to 3 hours up,
• climbing: 915 m,
• length: about 6 km one way.

The path leads through dwarf pine and above it over stony slopes. The cable cars and pistes are below you the whole time, so you will not get lost, but the last part is steep and unpleasant in the wind. At the top, by the upper station, there is the Rotunda restaurant, and just below the summit on the ridge the Kamenná chata pod Chopkom hut.

A good combination is to walk up and ride down. It saves your knees and your time. Just make sure you catch the last ride; in September 2026 it was until 15:30.

From Chopok to Ďumbier along the ridge

The best-known summer hike in the Low Tatras starts where the cable car drops you off. From Chopok you follow the red-marked ridge trail via Konské, Demänovské sedlo and Krúpove sedlo to Ďumbier, the highest peak of the Low Tatras (2,043 m).

• time: up to 1 hour 45 minutes one way,
• climbing: 367 m,
• markings: red.

So for Ďumbier and back to Chopok, allow about 3.5 hours of walking, plus breaks. Below Ďumbier on the ridge stands the Chata M. R. Štefánika hut, which you can reach from Chopok on the red markings via Demänovské sedlo and Krúpova hoľa in about 2 hours.

The whole ridge is above the tree line, with no shade and no shelter. Take water, a windproof jacket and a hat, even in August. If clouds start to build over the ridge, turn back sooner than you would like. You have to get back to Chopok in time, or you face a walk all the way down to the valley.

NAPANT rules, weather and mountain rescue

Chopok and Ďumbier lie in the Low Tatras National Park (NAPANT). The park administration lists these basic rules on its website:

• stay on marked hiking trails and nature trails,
• you may only use the trails during the day; the visitor rules tie the exact times to sunrise and sunset (this does not apply around recreational facilities),
• dogs must be on a lead and muzzled, and the same restrictions apply to them as to you,
• respect trail closures, including seasonal ones,
• take home everything you bring.

Before your hike, check the forecast and mountain information on the Mountain Rescue Service website. In an emergency, call the single emergency number 112. We recommend having a charged phone and saving the location of the hut or saddle where you are.

Where to park and what to do with children

According to the Jasná car park overview for 2025, parking in summer cost:

Car park	Price per day
Lúčky, 250 spaces	€5
Covered multi-storey car park at Biela Púť	€15
Záhradky	paid, not run by the resort

If you are taking the cable car from Biela Púť, the multi-storey car park saves you a walk, but in summer Lúčky and a few minutes on foot are fine.

With children: a child who can manage half a day on their feet can also manage a cable car trip up Chopok and a short walk along the ridge towards Konské. We only recommend the hike up, with 915 m of climbing, for older children who already have longer hikes behind them.

At the summit it is usually much colder than down by Mara, so a jacket for everyone is a must.

What to combine it with

On the way back down the Demänovská valley, it is worth stopping at the Demänovská caves; both the Ice Cave and the Cave of Liberty are a few minutes off the road to Jasná. You will find more mountain days in the Jánska valley and in our guide to the Roháče tarns. We have set out a whole day with Chopok, a cave and an evening in town in our guide Demänovská valley in a day. If you want to come back to Chopok in winter, see skiing at Jasná.

From Bosorka Zrub by Liptovská Mara you are at Jasná in 25 minutes, so after your hike you still have time for a swim at the beach by the cabin or an evening by the fireplace. You will find more about summer with us on our summer at Liptovská Mara page. We are a local host and nobody pays us for our recommendations.