From Wodzicki Park to Potaczkowa - a scenic and easily accessible peak in the Gorce Mountains
Nearby: Mszana Dolna| Distance | 1.7km |
|---|---|
| Time | 1h |
| Ascents | 235m |
| Descents | 2m |
wb_sunny Route in the sun
directions_car Access by car
The trail to Potaczkowa (746 m above sea level) from Wodzickich Park in Poręba Wielka is a short mountain walk to one of the most beautiful and easy-to-reach viewpoints in the northern Gorce Mountains in southern Poland.
Wodzickich Park to Potaczkowa: start of the trail
The most popular route to the summit of Potaczkowa starts in Wodzickich Park in Poręba Wielka. The park is not only walking paths, but a green oasis full of old, monumental trees. In the rebuilt manor house you will find the education center of Gorce National Park and a nature museum (see below).
You can leave your car in the park parking lot (between the manor house and the amphitheater). From there, walk uphill through the park paths toward the Gorce National Park headquarters building. By the asphalt road going up you will see the green trail signs.
Green trail to Potaczkowa from Poręba Wielka
The green trail goes uphill: first on an asphalt road, then on a gravel road. Take a short stop to enjoy the view from the meadow on the left side of the trail.
The path enters denser forest for a short while, but after a few minutes it reaches wide, scenic meadows. When you get to the ridge, turn right. You can either follow the track across the fields or take the narrower path marked as the black trail. Our goal—the summit of Potaczkowa with a cross visible from afar—is almost there! Note: in Poland, trail colors show the route, not the level of difficulty.
Potaczkowa, 746 m above sea level - a scenic and easy-to-reach peak
About one hour after leaving Wodzickich Park you will reach the summit of Potaczkowa. Besides the cross, there are comfortable benches, a fire ring, and an outdoor altar. Most of all, you get wide views in all four directions.
Views from Potaczkowa
Although the summit is not very high, the views are impressive: to the north you can see the Island Beskids (Beskid Wyspowy), and to the south the whole northern Gorce Mountains.
Chapel on Potaczkowa
On the very top of Potaczkowa there is a roofed outdoor altar. A few hundred meters below the summit there is a stone chapel of St. Gianna Beretta Molla (follow the arrow).
Other trails to Potaczkowa
You can also reach the summit by other routes, for example:
- black trail from Mszana Dolna: 6.5 km, 400 m elevation gain, about 2 hours one way
- black trail from Olszówka: 3 km, 300 m elevation gain, about 1 h 10 min one way
- from Raba Niżna: green + black trail: 4 km, 320 m elevation gain, about 1.5 hours one way
- black trail from Rabka-Zaryte: 6 km, 400 m elevation gain, about 2 hours one way
Note: It is worth combining the hike to Potaczkowa from Poręba Wielka with a walk in Wodzickich Park and a visit to the Gorce National Park Nature Museum.
Wodzicki Park by the Gorce National Park Nature Museum
Wodzicki Park in Poręba Wielka is a historic manor park that forms an enclave of Gorce National Park. There are many walking paths here, plus a pond with a small pier, a brine graduation tower (an open-air salt inhalation structure), and the Gorce National Park Nature Museum. ...
Gorce National Park Nature Museum
The GPN Nature Museum—officially the Nature Exhibition at the Education Center of Gorce National Park—is an excellent introduction to the secrets of Gorce nature: plants and animals. ...
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