Czerwona Ławka is one of the most dramatic and thrilling mountain passes in the Slovak High Tatras — a place where sheer exposure, iron chains bolted into red-tinted rock, and sweeping alpine views combine into an unforgettable experience. Dubbed the 'Slovak Zawrat' by mountaineering writers, it is a bucket-list crossing for any serious Tatra hiker.

Sitting at 2309 m above sea level, the pass is actually made up of two saddles separated by a small rocky tower called Malá Spága. To the east, the slopes plunge toward the Ľadová Valley; to the west, they open onto the Strelnická basin in the upper Starý Smokovec Valley. The reddish hue of the surrounding mylonite rocks gives the pass its Polish name — 'Red Bench'. Despite the harsh high-alpine conditions, botanists have recorded 50 species of vascular plants here, including 8 species of saxifrage. In early summer the ledges bloom with colour; in autumn the stone glows in warm golden light.

• Téry Hut (Malá Studená dolina valley) — yellow trail, approx. 1 h 30 min, demanding (secured with chains)
• Zbojnícka Hut (Veľká Studená dolina / Staroleśna Valley side) — yellow trail, approx. 1 h 45 min from the pass, demanding
• Via ferrata route (grade A/B) — opened in August 2021, runs above the classic trail on the rock face

• Trail open only from 1 June to 31 October.
• The route is exposed and secured with some of the longest chains in the entire Tatra range; passable in both directions since 2013.
• An unmarked route leads from the pass to the summit of Malý Ľadový štít.

The first recorded tourist crossing took place in 1846, yet the secured trail was only built between 1935 and 1937 — making it a relatively young but already legendary route across the roof of the Tatras.