The Sugar Loaf
A detached rock pillar 105 metres high halfway along.
FOTO:Fortepan — ID 95435: Adományozó/Donor: Schermann Ákos. archive copy at the Wayback Machine — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Petergonda — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wkmdjay — CC0 · Katarína Senajová — CC BY-SA 4.0
A narrow limestone cleft running about **three kilometres** between walls rising to **300 metres**, and at its tightest no more than **ten metres** wide. It was cut by the **Blatný potok** stream through the karst plateau over millions of years, and is among the deepest and most enclosed gorges in central Europe. The path is almost level and follows the stream along the floor, making it **far easier** than the Slovak Paradise gorges — no ladders, no chains and no water sections — and entirely suitable for a family. There and back is two to three hours. The climate on the floor is cold and damp even in August, and that has produced an odd botanical effect: **high-mountain plants grow here at low altitude**, because cold air settles in the cleft. The area is protected for exactly that reason. Halfway along stands the **Sugar Loaf** — a detached rock pillar 105 metres high that separated from the wall, and the gorge''s best-known feature. Note: **free and always open**, with parking at the entrance to Zádiel village.
A detached rock pillar 105 metres high halfway along.
Ten metres between walls three hundred metres high.
Species that normally grow only far higher up.
Zádiel, Slovak Karst — about 40 km south-west of Košice
The difference is **difficulty and purpose**. The **Slovak Paradise** gorges (Suchá Belá, Piecky) are climbed on **iron ladders and chains** above waterfalls, compulsorily one-way, and you get wet and need fitness and proper boots — they are a short adventure. **Zádielska** is a **level path along the floor** beside a stream, with no climbing and no equipment, and you can turn back at any point. So: with **small children, older visitors, or a fear of heights**, Zádielska is the only sensible choice. For excitement, the Slovak Paradise. ⚠ Zádielska is also **open all year and free**, while the Paradise gorges close from November to mid-June and charge an entry fee.
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