Landscapes of Beskid Żywiecki are extraordinary and worth a difficult climb. However, not only for them you have to go here. See the queen of the Beskids herself, and meet … witches on its top. See the description of the trekking route from Węgierska Górka to Zawoja through Babia Góra.

Beskid Żywieckiare one of the most beautiful mountains in Poland. Oh, they can give you a hard time! They attract with lofty peaks, picturesque meadows, crystal water and ancient forests. Undoubtedly, the dominant here is the queen of the Beskids, that is Babia Góra, the highest peak in Poland, apart from the Tatra Mountains. Pilsko is terrifying, with its frequently changing weather.

There aren't many shelters or cableways here, the routes are long and demanding. Entering Babia, for example, vividly resembles climbing the Tatra Mountains, and the road to Pilsko also requires physical condition.

But it is from the water of these mountains that Żywiec beer is "made" and one of the first bottled waters - Żywiec Zdrój. Years later, Archduchess Maria Teresa Habsburg returned to these areas, and the Golcowie brothers sing longingly, "Come back to Milówka!" (their home village on the Soła river).

Hiking plan in the Żywiec Beskids

Route:Węgierska Górka - Zawoja through Pilsko and Babia GóraTime:3 days (two nights at the shelter) Checkout:240 PLN (including two nights)Difficulty level:for a very good walker (long sections, difficult ascents, chains and buckles)

Beskid Żywiecki hiking plan: day 1

  • Day 1:to Hala Miziowa, near Pilsko
  • Time:approx. 7-8 hours

Going from Węgierska Górka, on the road to Żabnica village (it's worth taking the bus, it will shorten the long route!). After the stop, take the trail toHala Rysianka . About 5 hours ahead of you. At first, the ascents are steep, and they become gentler after some time. The trail crosses the housing estateSucha ,Tokarnia , still climbing to the tourist station onSłowianka . Here you can take a break, but not too long.

After about an hour you reach the great attraction of the trail - a huge (for the Beskids of course!) Rock. Chains will help you get through it (almost like in the Tatra Mountains).

And again sharply uphill, wandering the mountain pastures with moments of rest. Just a steep climb toHalaRysiankaand rest in the shelter. When you stand in front of the shelter in Hala, you will seeBabia Góra ,Pilskoand one of the most beautiful views of the High and Western Tatras.

You descend from Rysianka along a ridge that is covered with a magnificent beech and fir forest (the "Pod Rysianką" reserve). Between the forest walls you approach gently toTrzy Kopce(1216m). This is where the state border will join you. Before your destination, you will have a few small approaches, you passHala Cebulaand you reach the vastHala Miziowa . The hostel on Hala Miziowa is actually a large hotel with a restaurant, café and TV room. Unfortunately, it is very expensive (PLN 90 per night, phone: 033 488-72-54; 033 475-00-00). End for today. Sleep, sleep, sleep, but before that it's worth soaking your feet in the stream!

Beskid Żywiecki hiking plan: day 2

  • Day 2:near Babia Góra
  • Time:8 hours

Oh, a hard day ahead of you! So it's best to get up in the morning and set off (without your backpack!) ToPilsko(1557 m). It will take you approx. 40 minutes. You pass a cross dedicated to a soldier of the Border Protection Corps, who died here in September 1939. The top of the mountain is vast and flat, and the peak is on the Slovak side. You have to be very careful with signs, because it's easy, especially in fog, to lose your way. However, the otherworldly views reward the trouble of entering.

On the way back, take your backpack from the shelter and go on the trail. The road will be long and quite monotonous. First you go down toGlinne Pass(border crossing), and then you laboriously climb toStudent, JaworzynaandGłuchaczki Pass. Here, on the Głuchaczki Pass, a student campsite has been operating for many years. If you feel that you have enough for today, it is worth staying here overnight. You can sleep in military tents, and prepare your own meal in the kitchen, there is boiling water (price: PLN 8 per night).

If you can go on, march abroad. At some point, it is worth shortening your way by walking about 30 minutes through Slovakia. The trails are well marked. And so, in the evening you come toBrandowe SzczawinypodBabia Góra(price: PLN 35 for multi-bed rooms, tel. 033/8775 105).

Beskid Żywiecki hiking plan: day 3

  • Day 3:to Babia Góra and Zawoja
  • Time:approx. 4-5 hours

Leave your backpacks in Goprówka and off you go. A surprise for a good morning - tickets to the park (PLN 4). When the weather is good, you can choose two variants of the route, the "ordinary" road (approx. 2 hours) orDormitory routeintended foronly for experienced tourists (very difficult and very dangerous trail, with chains and clasps - approx. 1.5 hours).

Choosing the "ordinary" route, you have the opportunity to look into the caves where robbers were hiding a hundred years ago. This path is also not easy, because it leads steeply up, at times along the edge of steep cauldrons. The path among the stones is marked by poles, so be careful not to leave the trail!

Perć Akademików, on the other hand, leads along a narrow path (the road is one-way - only upwards), first among the wonderful vegetation, then over the bare rocks. Chains are used to help over the cliffs, and there are also a few clamps for climbing the rock ledges. Extremely difficult route!

This will be useful to you

Węgierska Górkabecame famous for its heroic defense in September 1939. For 29 hours, one company resisted the German division. There are 4 forts from those times in the village (Wędrowiec, Waligóra, Wąwóz and Włóczęga). In Wędrowiec, on the road to Żabnica, a memorial room was set up.

In theMarkowe Szczawinythere was a large pasture yard. Due to the intense grazing of sheep, alpine sorrel (the only plant that tolerates high nitrogen concentration in animal excrements) grew on large tracts. Hence the name of the hall. Today it is difficult to find sorrel, but you can spot it, as well as, for example, twin dog grass or turf daredevil, the presence of which is also a result of sheep grazing.

There is a Museum of Mountain Tourism in Markowe Szczawiny. It is located in a small, stylized building, the so-called the curatorial house, a miniature of the first shelter from 1906. The museum was opened in 1966. There are old maps, mountain equipment, models and, what is quite impressive, documentation of rescue expeditions.

Babia Góra(1725 m above sea level) is the highest peak of the entire Western Beskids, it is included in theCrown of Polish Mountains . She is also called the Queen of the Beskids and the Mother of Bad Weather. At the top of Babia (where witches are said to have flocked) a stone wall has been placed to protect it from winds. There is also a Slovak plaque dedicated to Pope John Paul II. Previously, there was a plaque in this place commemorating Lenin's stay in Babia Góra.

Now it will be downhill! You descend back toMarkowe Szczawiny , take your backpack and go toZawoi , the longest village in Poland. It is 18 km long. The center is Zawoja Jastrzębie, it is worth knowing about it when choosing the route from Babia.

You need to climb:

  • to Babia Góra (because it is the highest one here)
  • in Pilsko (because you will see the Tatra Mountains)

Must see:

  • alpine vegetation growing on the slopes of Pilsko and Babia (because in the whole Beskids you will find such plants only here)
  • Zbójeckie caves (because maybe you will find something else in them)

In the Beskid Żywiecki it is worth:

  • have a drink in Żywiec (after all, it is made here)
  • see forts in Węgierska Górka (because they are well preserved)

These numbers may be useful to you:

Tourist Information Office

033 861 70 38

PTTK o / Żywiec

033 861 26 34

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