3 Peak Hike in the Polish Tatras: Sarnia Skala, Nosal, and Kopieniec Wielki Trail Guide
- Margaux
- 8 hours ago
- 4 min read
One of my favourite hikes in the Polish Tatras was this 3 peak hike encompassing Sarnia Skala, Nosal, and Kopieniec Wielki. It was not too difficult but still provided great views of the mountains and even goes past the Wodospad Siklawica waterfall. You can shorten this hike very easily, and I will explain how below. This is a complete trail guide to this three peak hike, including information on trailheads, what to expect on the hike, and more advice.
Contents
Hike Stats
Time: 6 hours
Distance: 23km
Elevation gain: 1500m
How to get to the Trailhead
The trailhead for this hike is reachable by city bus - these are the blue ones. There is a bus stop right outside it and another a 15 minute walk away. Where you are staying will determine the best route for you to get there, and I recommend checking Google Maps for this.
You can pay by cash or card on the bus when you get on - there are machines onboard. A one-way journey costs 6 PLN (approx. £1.20), or you can buy a 24hr ticket for 8 PLN (approx. £1.60). Make sure you validate the ticket on the bus.
Before you start the hike, you will need to pay the National Park entry fee. This costs 11 PLN (approx. £2.20) for one adult per day, or 45 PLN (approx. £9) for a week. You can buy these online in advance, but in my experience, paying at the Park entrance was very straightforward. You can use cash or card.
What to Expect on this 3 Peak Hike
From the trailhead, you will start with a steady but gentle ascent to the waterfall: Wodospad Siklawica. It’s actually off a little offshoot path which is signposted, and it took me about 30 minutes to get there from the trailhead, which was approximately 3km. It’s not a huge falls but when I went it was very quiet there, which was lovely. Be careful on the trail, however, as it gets slippery, especially after rain.
Head back down to the crossroads and follow the signs to Sarnia Skala, your first peak. It isn’t a high peak, which means you can get to the top from the crossroads in around 45 minutes depending on how fast you walk. I found this section quite steep but it was such a rewarding view at the top, and I loved it. It took the total hiking distance to 5.6km with 585m of elevation gain.
On your way down from Sarnia Skala, turn left and follow the trail that traverses the mountain. It’s a really beautiful section. After a short descent, you’ll reach a crossroads. If you want to cut the hike short here, turn left and walk back into town. To continue the hike, keep going straight and head to Kuznice. On the way you’ll have great views of the mountains and a very quiet trail. I only saw a handful of people on this section. Before you reach Kuznice, you will see signs for Kalatowki hut. It’s a great place to stop for food, toilets (3 PLN, approx. £0.60), and water - they provide free tap water refills. There are also plenty of picnic benches overlooking the valley which is gorgeous.
From Kalatowki hut, it’s a short descent to Kuznice. At this point, I had been hiking for around 3 hours 25 minutes, with a total distance of 11.3km and 752m of elevation gain. You can very easily end this hike here as well, as you’re in the centre of town.
You will exit the park at Kuznice and have to re-enter, but you can show your receipt and you don’t have to pay the entry fee again. At the entrance, follow the signs to Nosal, your second peak. It’s not a long climb up to the peak from the entrance hut, only around 25-30 minutes. It’s steady and very manageable, and you’ll gain only 200m of elevation. The views at the top are great: you can see Zakopane on one side and a vast stretch of mountains on the other. I really liked this peak.
On your way down from Nosal, turn left and follow the signs down to Olczyska Polana and Dolina Olczyska. You’ll walk down through a beautiful valley and then follow the river to a bridge and crossroads. At this point, you can either turn left and end the hike at Jaszczurówka, or turn right and head up towards Kopieniec Wielki and Polana Kopieniec. If you do this route, your total hike time will be around 4 hours 45 minutes, 17km, with 1000m of elevation gain.
However, I recommend heading up to Kopieniec Wielki - it was my favourite! It’s a steady climb with one steep section at the end. Polana Kopieniec breaks up the steep bit with a gorgeous meadow filled with wooden mountain huts. In July and August the flowers here are pink and it’s stunning, especially in the evening or morning light.
The last stretch up to the top of your third peak, Kopieniec Wielki, is short and steep, but you are rewarded with some incredible views of some of the Tatra peaks beyond the forested hills. This peak was a lot quieter than Nosal, and slightly more wild as you can’t see Zakopane from it. I absolutely loved this one.
From the peak, you can head back down the same path you came up and continue down along the river all the way to Jaszczurówka. It’s a very easy walk down. There is a bus stop right as you exit the National Park that takes you back into the centre of Zakopane, or you can walk - it’s only about 3km.
This three peak hike is slightly less visited than Morskie Oko and Czarny Staw, but it deserves a day in its own right. I loved it. As always, please look after the places you visit and remember to only leave your footprints behind :)
Looking for more on the Polish Tatras? Have a look at my other posts here:
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