Kľačianska Magura (1,372 m a.s.l.) is one of those rare peaks that belongs entirely to nature — the summit is protected by law and off-limits to visitors. But don't let that put you off: the trails leading up to the mountain hut on its southern slope offer a wonderful taste of the wild Malá Fatra, complete with sweeping views and old-growth forest.

The peak sits in a ridge running south from the prominent summit of Suchý (1,467 m a.s.l.) in the southern part of the Krivánska Malá Fatra range. Its slopes are draped in dense, primeval spruce forest — the kind that looks untouched by human hands, because largely it is. This forest is the very reason the area was declared a National Nature Reserve back in 1976. In winter, the southern slopes buzz with activity thanks to ski lifts; in summer, quiet descends and the mountain feels truly remote.

• Turčianske Kľačany — green trail, via Chata pod Kľačianskou Magurou, continuing to the summit of Suchý — moderate difficulty
• Lipovec — yellow trail to Chata pod Kľačianskou Magurou — easy difficulty

• The actual summit is legally closed to visitors — it falls within the NPR Kľačianska Magura nature reserve (204.47 ha).
• Chata pod Kľačianskou Magurou on the southern slope is accessible and makes a great base for further hikes toward Suchý.
• From the area around the hut, the views are excellent: Turiec Basin, Martinské hole, and on clear days the Western Tatras, Veľký Choč, Low Tatras, Veľká Fatra and Žiar.

The reserve protects some of the last truly old-growth spruce stands along the ridgeline of the Krivánska Fatra — a living relic of what these mountains once looked like across the board.