Magurki (1,108 m) – A Viewing Tower in the Gorce Mountains – A Trip Along the Wallachian Culture Trail

Magurki (1,108 m a.s.l.) is an inconspicuous mountain in the Gorce range, located in a side branch of Gorc, in the village of Ochotnica Górna. At the summit, there is a charming viewing tower, which in good weather offers a wide panorama towards the south – including the entire wall of the Tatra Mountains. The mountain is relatively easily accessible via two marked routes. The first, and at the same time shorter one, is the educational trail “dolina rzeki Jaszcze” (Jaszcze River Valley). The loop is less than 10 kilometers long, requires overcoming just 400 meters of elevation difference, and starts from the Jaszcze settlement in Ochotnica. In this post, however, I will focus on the longer and slightly more interesting trail, namely the western loop of the Wallachian Culture Trail. The route leads through a number of beautiful forests and charming clearings, and its start and finish are located in the very center of Ochotnica Górna. The entire loop is approx. 13 kilometers long and requires overcoming approx. 650 meters of elevation difference. I cordially invite you to the report!

The western loop of the Wallachian Culture Trail does not cross the boundaries of the Gorce National Park, so when choosing this route, you do not need to buy admission tickets!

Table of content

• Start from Ochotnica Górna
• Hiking the Wallachian Culture Trail
• Magurki (1 108 m a.s.l.) – viewing tower
• Descent to the Forendówki settlement
• The Holina settlement and return via Rokitowiec
• Trip map
• Bibliography

Start from Ochotnica Górna

We begin the trip at a free parking lot in the picturesque village of Ochotnica Górna (approx. 610 m a.s.l., coordinates: 49.5101111N, 20.2463581E). The drive to this place was very interesting in itself. We drove through the Knurowska Pass (846 m a.s.l.), which separates the two main parts of the Gorce Mountains – the Turbacz hub from the Lubań range. The paved road here was built by the Austrians at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries for military purposes.

Ochotnica Górna lies in the valley of the river of the same name, in the very heart of the Gorce Mountains. The history of the village dates back to 1416, when Władysław Jagiełło issued its foundation charter. Thanks to this, Ochotnica is considered the first village in Poland established under “Wallachian law”. This law was nothing more than a set of location rules adapted to the difficult mountain conditions and the pastoral character of the new settlements in the Beskids.

And who were these Wallachians? Well, the Wallachians were a pastoral people who originally inhabited the lands of today’s Romania. In the 14th century, seeking shelter and new pastures after Turkish invasions, they began to migrate along the Carpathian arc to the north and west, eventually reaching Poland. The Wallachians brought with them a rich pastoral culture, significantly contributing to building the distinct identity of the region (based from then on on seasonal sheep migrations, cheeses, and sheep) and changing the landscape of both the Gorce and neighboring ranges forever.

Hiking the Wallachian Culture Trail

We leave the parking lot in Ochotnica Górna and follow the sidewalk along the main road of the village for about 200 meters. Then we turn left – into the Jaszcze settlement, beginning our journey on the western loop of the Wallachian Culture Trail. Although it is not an official PTTK trail, it remains well marked – with red signs and characteristic wooden posts with a highlander pattern.

For the next 2.5 kilometers, we continue along an asphalt road, walking among the charming buildings of Ochotnica Górna. There is still a lot of wood here – both on farm outbuildings and impressive residential houses! After a few dozen minutes, the houses seem to become less frequent, and charming forests and extensive meadows take over. At an altitude of approx. 700 m a.s.l., we turn left, reaching the second information board of the Wallachian Culture Trail (we must have missed the first one). We learn from it that we are currently in the Kosarzyska hamlet, where a great PTTK activist and promoter of mountain tourism, Władysław Krygowski, liked to stay.

Shortly afterwards, the asphalt turns into a dirt road, and the slope of the terrain gradually shifts from quite gentle to moderately steep. The walk is made more pleasant by ubiquitous clearings and soothing views of the forested, gentle slopes. At an altitude of approx. 900 m a.s.l., we reach another set of buildings – the Królczyk farm. The content of the next information board indicates that we are standing in front of a model example of a solitary farmstead, which is a trace of the Wallachian economy in the Gorce range. The large distances between the permanent residential huts of the shepherds and the seasonal pastures had a direct impact on the creation of this type of settlement. For these reasons, a need arose to build makeshift huts to serve as shelter during the summer months. Over time, the temporary structures transformed into year-round residences, just like in the case of the presented Królczyk farm.

After a few minutes of further ascent, we reach Koliba pod Magurą, which is a wooden shepherd’s hut from the end of the 19th century. Near the hut, we find a fireplace and… an abandoned bathtub. From the clearing here, there is a pleasant view of the Lubań range.

Moving forward, we continue our walk among beautiful forests and pleasant clearings. After reaching an altitude of 1,050 m a.s.l., the terrain flattens out noticeably, and on the right side, a panorama of the characteristic dome of Gorc (also with a viewing tower) flashes from time to time. Gosh, how pretty it is everywhere here!

Magurki (1 108 m a.s.l.) – viewing tower

A bit over five kilometers from leaving the parking lot in Ochotnica Górna, we come out onto the vast Magurki mountain pasture (hala Magurki). This is one of dozens of charming Gorce clearings once used for grazing. The pastures have an anthropogenic origin and were created through the controlled burning of selected parts of the forest (the so-called “cyrhlenie”). Magurki belongs, moreover, to the oldest clearings in the Gorce Mountains. The beginnings of its use date back to the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries, which means that members of the first Wallachian settlement migration were already grazing animals here.

Today, as grazing ceased long ago, the clearings are gradually becoming overgrown, which not only reduces biodiversity but also negatively affects the tourist attractiveness of the Gorce Mountains. To counteract this, cultural grazing is organized, which consists in sporadically releasing sheep onto their former pastures. Since 2010, this has also been happening on Magurki.

In this way, a few minutes after 11 o’clock, we reach the viewing tower at the summit of Magurki (1,108 m a.s.l.). This means that the leisurely walk from the center of Ochotnica Górna took us about two hours. Due to local cloud cover, the Tatras are not visible from the viewing tower today. Despite this, I would still describe the panorama as very pleasant. You can perfectly see several of the highest peaks of the Gorce range – including Kiczora, Jaworzyna Kamienicka, Kudłoń, Gorc, and the Magurki pasture looks really pleasant from above.

The viewing tower on Magurki was built in 2015 as one of four objects of this type in the Ochotnica Dolna municipality. The remaining ones are located on Gorc, Lubań, and on Mount Koziarz in the neighboring Sącz Beskids.

Descent to the Forendówki settlement

After a short break for a late breakfast, we continue our trip along the Wallachian Culture Trail. From Magurki, we descend in a southerly direction, following a wide and well-marked path. Along this section, we pass a few steeper and rockier fragments, but the slope of the terrain is generally not significant.

A bit over a kilometer from leaving the viewing tower, we come out onto Kurnytowa Polana. A wooden residential house from 1839 stands on the clearing – Kurnytowa Koliba. According to the information board, the building is the oldest non-sacral monument in the entire Gorce Mountains and is another example of a so-called “zarębek” – a small high-mountain settlement cleared in the forest far from the dense buildings of the village. In the autumn and winter of 1944, the hut served as the headquarters for the command of the 4th Battalion of the 1st Podhale Rifle Regiment of the Home Army under the command of Captain Julian Zapała, pseudonym “Lampart”.

Fifteen or so minutes later, we return to the asphalt road, coming out among the buildings of the small Forendówki settlement (approx. 760 m a.s.l.). Here we encounter a small pond with an amphibian breeding facility run by the Gorce National Park.

The Holina settlement and return via Rokitowiec

At the Forendówki settlement, we turn left, starting a severe climb to the Holina settlement. Another of the signs informs us that we are on a fragment of the bike trail “Kasia Niewiadoma – Ochotnica Challenge”. The name is, of course, no coincidence. Katarzyna Niewiadoma, our best cyclist and the winner of the women’s Tour de France in 2024, comes precisely from Ochotnica Górna. Well… if this girl trained on these absurd, 26-percent climbs, it doesn’t surprise me at all that she is this good.

Over less than a kilometer, we overcome approx. 130 meters of height difference and come out among the houses of the Holina settlement. Another board informs us that in the post-war years, this peaceful settlement was a base for the controversial partisan units of Major Józef Kuraś, pseudonym “Ogień”.

At the Holina settlement, we turn right – back onto a forest path. We traverse the culmination of Szlagówka (954 m a.s.l.) and begin our descent along a gentle, charming ridge. Over the course of the next few dozen minutes, we pass the summit of Rokitowiec (896 m a.s.l.) and come out onto a vast open area. I won’t hide it – I fall in love with this clearing almost at first sight. I felt that the journey along the Wallachian Culture Trail might be a pleasant walk, but I didn’t expect the views to be this charming, idyllic, and soothing. Shortly afterwards, a panorama of the buildings of Ochotnica Górna stretches before us. We leisurely descend to the village, enjoying the sun, the blue sky, and the coming spring.

We reach the car around 14:15, which means that the entire trip took us approx. 5 hours. It was a good, relaxing walk, filled with soothing nature and purely positive emotions. The Wallachian Culture Trail is definitely a plus!

Date of the trip: March 21, 2026

Trip statistics: 13 km; 650 meters of elevation difference

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Trip map

Bibliography

• information boards of the Wallachian Culture Trail.