Straník (769 m / 2,523 ft) rises sharply above the city of Žilina in northwestern Slovakia, just 5 km from its centre. It is a summit that punches well above its modest elevation — offering sweeping views, easy access, and a vibrant paragliding scene that keeps the skies above it colourful on almost any calm day.

The peak belongs to the Kysuca Highlands and stands out prominently above the Žilina Basin. The partly open summit and nearby mountain meadows reward visitors with views stretching across the surrounding Kysuca Highlands, the Malá Fatra range, the Strážov Hills, Súľov Rocks, the Javorníky mountains, and on clear days even parts of the Kysuca Beskydy and Orava Magura. Spring brings flowering meadows, summer is peak season for air sports, autumn colours the forests brilliantly, and winter offers crisp, far-reaching panoramas.

• Zástranie (district of Žilina) — yellow-marked trail leading from Teplička via Zástranie almost to the very summit; easy walk, suitable for families.
• A vehicle track from Zástranie follows part of the same yellow trail and reaches near the top — making the summit very accessible.

• Two official paragliding and hang-gliding launch sites are maintained on the summit: a south-west launch (wind from S, SW, W) and a north launch (wind from N, limited NW).
• Landing zones are located at the south-west launch, in the saddle between Straník and Malý Straník, or in the fields near the KIA car plant at the base of the southern slope.
• TV, radio and GSM transmission masts stand on the summit, serving Žilina and its surroundings.

Straník holds a proud place in Slovak aviation history — in 1934, instructor Štefan Pleško performed the first certified gliding achievement in Slovakia here, and the hill soon became the most sought-after gliding terrain in the entire Czechoslovak Republic. The summit also hides a Celtic coin hoard and the remains of a Bronze Age hillfort, proof that this commanding spot has been drawing people for over three thousand years.