Beskid Wyspowy
Beskid Wyspowy is a mountain range located in Ma艂opolska, between the Makowski Beskid Mountains to the west, the Gorcze and Rabka Zdr贸j to the south, and the S膮decka Valley and S膮decki Beskid to the east. The most popular peaks to conquer are the queen of the range: Mogielica (1170 meters above sea level), but also Lubo艅 Wielki (the only peak behind the shelter), Ciecie艅, 艢nie偶nica, Zembolowa, Szczebel, Lubogoszcz, and 膯wilin. The main centers and trail junctions are Mszana Dolna and Limanowa. Numerous trails in the Beskid Wyspowy also start from Szczyrzyc, Kasina Wielka, Tymbark, and Jurk贸w.
A characteristic feature of the region is that the individual peaks do not form longer ridges and ranges, but rather they are "separate islands" in the "sea" of valleys.
Beskid Wyspowy with Children
In the Beskid Wyspowy, you will find many short trails that you can take with your whole family. An additional attraction for the youngest (and not only!) will be the opportunity to rest in a shelter (the only one in this range can be found on Lubo艅 Wielki).
...and admiring panoramas from observation towers (Mogielica, Mody艅, Skie艂ek, Jaworz, and soon supposedly also from Kamionna, Cietnia, Lubogoszcz, and 膯wilin).
To start your mountain hiking adventure, we recommend an easy walk to Jaworz:
Easy
Mount Jaworz
from 艁臋towe to Jasie艅 and Polana Skalna:
Medium
Green trail to Jasie艅 and Polana Skalne
...or a forest trail to Ciecie艅:
Medium
To Ciecie艅 from Wi艣niowa - yellow trail
Beskid Wyspowy - Most Beautiful Views
Beskid Wyspowy is characterized by forested slopes and peaks, but if we search well, we will find many scenic clearings. From the most beautiful Stumorgowa Glade below Mogielica:
...through Michurowa Glade on 膯wilin, Skalne Glade on Kutrzyca, and many, many others!
A beautiful scenic trail is the yellow trail from Przys艂op Pass (Lubomierz - Rzeki):
Medium
Jasie艅, Kutrzyc臋, and Skalna Glade - yellow trail
The Highest Peak of Beskid Wyspowy - Mogielica
If you want to conquer the highest peak of the range, Mogielica (1170 meters above sea level), you have several trails of different lengths and difficulty levels to choose from. The best compromise between comfort and views is the popular green trail from Prze艂臋cz Rydza-艢mig艂ego in Chysz贸wki.
You can read more about the routes to Mogielica here:
Mogielica: trails, routes, and loops
Mogielica is the highest peak of the "Beskid Wyspowy" , part of the Crown of Polish Mountains (1170 meters above sea level). At the prominent and quite steep summit, there is a new observation tower. The nearby Polana Stumorgowa is also famous for its beautiful views. ...
Trails in Beskid Wyspowy
The Ma艂y Szlak Beskidzki (Small Beskid Trail) passes through the Beskid Wyspowy, connecting the Ma艂y Beskid and Makowski Beskid, with its starting and ending point on the summit of Lubo艅 Wielki. We can encounter it, among others, on Wierzbanowska G贸ra and Lubogoszcz.
During hikes through Beskid Wyspowy (and not only, also in Beskid Makowski, for example), you will surely notice the GSBW markings, which stand for G艂贸wny Szlak Beskidu Wyspowego (Main Trail of Beskid Wyspowy).
However, these markings do not form a "big loop," but rather create a "big network" connecting individual peaks. The GSBW sign is always a pretext for us to have fun inventing the most creative expansions of the abbreviation, for example: "g贸rski szlak bez wyg贸d" (mountain trail without comfort), "grube stwory bez w膮troby" (fat creatures without a liver), "g贸rski sklep bez warzyw" (mountain shop without vegetables), what will you come up with?
A trail that could claim the title of "Beskid Wyspowy Loop" is the Leopold W臋grzynowicz Green Trail, which covers a distance of about 100 km from Wi艣niowa, through Tymbark, Limanowa, and 艁ukowica, and connects the peaks of Ciecie艅, Kostrza, Skie艂ek, Cichonia, Mogielica, 艁opie艅, and 艢nie偶nica.
Challenging Hikes in Beskid Wyspowy
ATTENTION! When hiking the trails of Beskid Wyspowy, remember that despite the relatively low absolute heights of the peaks, due to deeply incised valleys, you will encounter many steep ascents! Before choosing a trail, be sure to check its profile!
Some of the most difficult ascents include the climb to Szczebel from Kasinka Ma艂a, Per膰 Borkowskiego, and the red trail to Lubo艅 Wielki, as well as the blue trail to 膯wilin from Prze艂臋cz Gruszowiec.
Beskid Wyspowy - Attractions
The Beskid Wyspowy range is not characterized by a well-developed tourist infrastructure in the valleys. Many tourists only pass through here.
The most "off-mountain" attractions can be found in Rabka-Zdr贸j, located on the southwestern border of the region (Rabkoland amusement park, Museum of Highlanders and Bandits, spa park), and nearby in Chab贸wka: Skansen Taboru Kolejowego (Open-Air Museum of Rolling Stock).
In the eastern part of the region, you will find artificial reservoirs on the Dunajec River: Jezioro Czchowskie and Jezioro Ro偶nowskie, as well as attractions such as Tropsztyn Castle, ruins in Ro偶n贸w, beaches, swimming areas, and water sports equipment rentals. To the north of Beskid Wyspowy, Jezioro Dobczyckie awaits, and to the south, Gorcza艅ski National Park.
Ps. New boundaries of Beskid Wyspowy
To establish the boundaries of the region, we rely on the latest findings of the Polish Academy of Sciences, namely the monograph "Regional Physical Geography of Poland" published in 2018. Therefore, for accuracy, in the "Beskid Wyspowy" section on our website, you will find routes and places from the mesoregion Beskid Wyspowy 513.49. This means that you will find our Pasmo 艁ysiny and Lubomir (previously often classified as part of Beskid Wyspowy) in the "Beskid Makowski" section.