Popradské pleso, High Tatras, Slovakia

Popradské pleso is a glacial lake in the Mengusovská Valley of the High Tatras in Slovakia, at 1,494 m. With an area of 6.88 ha and a depth of about 17 m, it is one of the larger tarns on the Slovak side of the Tatras. On its shore stands the Horský hotel Popradské pleso, a mountain hotel with a restaurant, and an easy path circles the lake in about 25–30 minutes.

A short walk above the lake lies the Symbolic Cemetery, created in the 1930s by the painter Otakar Štáfl in memory of people who died in the Tatra mountains. Popradské pleso is also a hub of hiking trails: the red-marked Tatra Magistrala leads west to Štrbské Pleso in about 1 h 15 min and east over the Ostrva saddle to Sliezsky dom, while other trails climb to Veľké Hincovo pleso and to Rysy (2,503 m).

Key points:

• Lake: 1,494 m above sea level, 6.88 ha, about 17 m deep.
• Getting there: from the Popradské pleso stop of the Tatra Electric Railway, a blue-marked asphalt road leads up to the lake in 1–1.5 hours; cars need a permit.
• Season: open all year; in winter the road can be icy, and the Symbolic Cemetery is closed from 15 December to 30 April.
• Admission: free; the lake lies in the Tatra National Park (TANAP).