Nosal and Kopieniec Wielki Hike From Zakopane: Complete Trail Guide
- Margaux
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Nosal and Kopieniec Wielki are two peaks in Tatra National Park, Poland. They are both easily accessible from the town of Zakopane and provide great views of the surrounding mountains without being too strenuous. You can combine both in one hike which is absolutely gorgeous. This guide will tell you how to get to the trailhead from Zakopane, what to expect on the hike, and my best advice for making the most out of it.
Contents
Hike Stats
Time: 2.5-3 hours
Distance: approximately 10km
Elevation gain: approximately 600m
How to get to the Trailhead from Zakopane
The trailhead of this hike is in Kuźnice, the bottom of the main cable car in Zakopane. You can get there by using the city buses, tourist shuttle buses, taxi, or walking.
The city bus will be one of your cheapest options. 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 24 hour ticket for 8 PLN (approx. £1.60). Make sure you validate the ticket on the bus.
The tourist shuttle buses leave from Zakopane central bus station and go to Kuźnice every 10 minutes or so. While there is a timetable, it is not very accurate in the summer as they put on multiple buses and they just cycle around. It’s not a long drive, so you won’t be waiting long. These buses are cash only, and you normally pay the driver when you get off the bus. The tickets cost 5 PLN (approx. £1) one-way.
Uber and Bolt are the main taxis in Zakopane, and they are very cheap as well. If you’re planning on starting this hike early in the morning, this will be your best option. I paid 17 PLN (approx. £3.30) for a 5 minute drive at 5:15am, which I thought was very reasonable.
Depending on where you are staying, you can also walk to Kuźnice. Just follow Google Maps to get you there.
What to expect on the Nosal and Kopieniec Wielki Hike
Before you start the hike from Kuźnice, 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.
At the entrance, follow the signs to Nosal. It’s not a long climb up to the peak from the trailhead, 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, 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 turn right and head up towards Kopieniec Wielki and Polana Kopieniec. It’s a steady climb with one steep section at the end. Polana Kopieniec breaks up the steep 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 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.
I combined this hike with Dolina Strazyska and Sarnia Skala peak which made it a bit longer, but it was amazing.
I hope this inspires you to tackle this hike in the Polish Tatra National Park. Please remember to take all your rubbish out of the Park with you, and as always, leave only your footprints behind :)
For more on hiking in Tatra National Park, Poland, check out some of my other guides here:
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