Skrzyczne (1,257 m a.s.l.) is the highest peak of the Silesian Beskids, featuring a distinctive, somewhat “flat-topped” silhouette perfectly visible from almost every part of the Żywiec Basin. The mountain is one of the most popular excursion destinations in the Western Beskids, driven by its location in close proximity to the Upper Silesian conurbation, its inclusion in the Crown of Polish Mountains list, the operation of a year-round chairlift, and good tourist infrastructure – spearheaded by a PTTK mountain shelter right at the summit.
When visiting the Silesian Beskids, it is worth not limiting oneself exclusively to reaching its highest peak. It is a great idea to walk along its main ridge, passing many places that are highly charming and at the same time considerably less crowded. In this post, I will introduce a long walk through the Silesian Beskids, started and finished in Szczyrk – the most widely recognized resort of the range. The excursion route will naturally include Skrzyczne, but also Małe Skrzyczne (1,211 m a.s.l.), Malinowska Skała (1,157 m a.s.l.), the Malinowska Cave, Malinów (1,115 m a.s.l.), the Salmopol Pass, and Kotarz (974 m a.s.l.). I cordially invite you to the report!
Table of contents
- Start from Szczyrk
- Along the blue trail to Skrzyczne
- Skrzyczne – summit
- Along the main ridge via Małe Skrzyczne and Kopa Skrzyczeńska
- Malinowska Skała (1,152 m a.s.l.)
- Malinowska Cave
- Malinów and the descent to the Salmopol Pass
- Kotarz and hiking through the Hungarian Beskid
- Route map
- Bibliography
Start from Szczyrk
It is 11:40 AM when we pull into one of the paid parking lots in Szczyrk, a town located at the foot of Skrzyczne (approx. 520 m a.s.l.). We are starting our trekking exceptionally late today, but the July day is long enough that we will comfortably have plenty of time for a long, satisfying route. My travel companions today are my Ada and Mikołaj, for whom this will be the first time in the Silesian Beskids.
The first kilometer passes by walking along the sidewalk running next to regional road no. 942. Although Szczyrk has enjoyed town rights since 1973, the settlement still has the structure of a typical Beskid linear village. This means that a single main road runs through the valley, from which numerous side residential streets branch out in all directions. And the atmosphere? Well… Szczyrk has long seemed to me to be the local, Beskid equivalent of Zakopane. During the tourist season, the town fills to the brim with visitors, and consequently – with restaurants, fast-food shacks, and stalls selling all kinds of junk ;). Even more eagerly than in summer, the town is visited in winter. A large ski resort operates in the settlement, located on the slopes of Skrzyczne and Małe Skrzyczne. A uniform skipass system applies to the entire complex, but formally they have two owners. The slopes of Skrzyczne belong to the Central Sports Centre, and the slopes of Małe Skrzyczne – to Szczyrk Mountain Resort (owned by the Slovak giant – Tatry Mountain Resorts).
In this way, we reach the lower station of the two-stage chairlift to Skrzyczne. The structure was built in 1958 and was a true phenomenon back then – the first lift of this type in all of Poland. In 1990, the first of the major modernizations was carried out, replacing the 1-person chairs with 2-person benches. I still caught this version of the lift, riding it back when I was a middle school student. The years 2013 and 2017 brought further upgrades, and the year 2024 – the commissioning of an elegant structure by the Leitner company, co-financed by ministerial funds.
Along the blue trail to Skrzyczne
At the lower station, we pick up the blue trail, which runs almost parallel to the first stage of the chairlift, i.e., the section from Szczyrk to Jaworzyna. For the first few minutes, we walk along the edge of a wide ski slope, only to land a moment later in a dense, intensely green forest. By Beskid standards, the blue trail is quite steep – just over 700 meters of elevation difference across 4 kilometers of ascent. It gets a bit grueling in places, but I assure you it is worth it – reaching the summit under your own steam brings worlds more satisfaction than riding up in a lift (and besides – this option is completely free!).
A little over an hour after leaving the car, we arrive at the Jaworzyna clearing (approx. 940 m a.s.l.). Once a vast pastoral mountain pasture, today it serves as the transfer station for the chairlift. There is also a restaurant here – created with skiers in mind, but also open during summer. We are not stopping for now and continue our march along the blue trail, right beside the wide ski slope. At this stage, the climb becomes significantly more scenic. The summit of Skrzyczne looms ahead of us, and a pleasant panorama of the northern part of the Silesian Beskids opens up behind our backs.
The excursion is made all the sweeter by ubiquitous blueberry bushes, densely covered with delicious fruit. Consequently, we are gaining elevation a bit slower now, but also with hands thoroughly stained by sweetish, purple juice.
After about 2.5 kilometers of climbing, the green trail coming from the center of Szczyrk joins the blue trail. Anyone whose sole objective is to bag the highest mountain of the Silesian Beskids might consider using this route to build a neat little loop. The green trail also runs mostly through forested areas and features a similar slope.
Continuing along the combined blue and green trail, we cover the final 1.5 kilometers of hiking to the roof of the Silesian Beskids. We cross the black FIS ski slope and then begin a traverse of a steep section of Skrzyczne’s eastern slope. We are walking along a narrow path now, and the surrounding vegetation becomes somewhat sparser. The numerous mountain pine stands are quite impressive, occurring here starting from an altitude of approx. 1,200 m a.s.l. It looks really good, but truth be told, it is the result of artificial planting.
Skrzyczne – summit
We reach Skrzyczne (1,257 m a.s.l.) shortly before 2:00 PM, roughly two hours after starting our hike (having covered a distance of 5 kilometers and overcome 750 meters of elevation gain). There are tons of people on the wide summit dome, which doesn’t particularly surprise me. After all, it is a Sunday afternoon, the weather is beautiful, and we are on one of the most popular mountains in the Beskids. There is a viewing platform at the summit, offering a vast panorama to the north and east – over the entire Żywiec Basin, nearby Klimczok, Lake Żywieckie, the inconspicuous ridge of the Little Beskids, and a large chunk of the Żywiec Beskids – including Romanka, Rysianka, Pilsko, and Babia Góra.
The views are pleasant, but Skrzyczne is definitely far too built up to feel that beloved “communion with nature.” Within the summit dome area, there is the upper station of the chairlift, several technical buildings, a characteristic 87-meter transmission tower, and the large complex of the “Start Skrzyczne” holiday facility with an elegant restaurant. Alongside all of this sits the PTTK shelter with a lovely viewing terrace. The first facility of this type stood on the sub-summit clearing in 1933, erected by a German, Rudolf Urbanke. After World War II, the shelter was taken over by the Upper Silesian Branch of the PTT, through whose efforts the building was renovated and, in 1950, reopened to the public. The facility owes its current appearance to another revitalization carried out in the years 1998–1999.
Along the main ridge via Małe Skrzyczne and Kopa Skrzyczeńska
From Skrzyczne, the blue trail leads southeast on a steep descent to Lipowa (Żywiec district). We, however, choose the green trail and continue our hike along the main ridge of the Silesian Beskids. We are walking along a wide dirt road now, leading through a young spruce forest. For a good fifteen minutes, the section is almost completely flat (which also makes it somewhat monotonous).
A short while later, about 1.5 kilometers from Skrzyczne, we reach the nearby summit of Małe Skrzyczne (1,211 m a.s.l.). At the peak, there is the upper station of another chairlift, which runs here from Hala Skrzyczeńska. This lift is also running today – mostly for mountain bikers. MTB fans have their own little kingdom here in the form of several diverse downhill tracks.
From Małe Skrzyczne, we continue our trip along the main ridge of the Silesian Beskids. We quickly reach the summit of Kopa Skrzyczeńska (1,189 m a.s.l.) and then head towards Malinowska Skała. The views here are very wide, thanks to the very young, not yet fully grown forest. We look out over a series of green, massive silhouettes, among which the highest is Barania Góra (1,220 m a.s.l.), the second highest peak of the range.
And where did such a young forest come from? Well, even 200 years ago, the main ridge of the Silesian Beskids was covered by dense Carpathian beech forest. Everything changed with the development of metallurgy, advancing from the beginning of the 19th century. To meet the needs of charcoal production, beeches were logged en masse, valued for their high fuel value. In their place, across extensive areas, spruce was artificially introduced — fast-growing and efficient, it was meant to be a simple answer to the growing demand for wood. Consequently, by the end of the 20th century, the vast majority of the stands in the Silesian Beskids consisted of spruces, which ultimately led to an ecological disaster. Weakened by acid rain, the conifers could not cope with gales and, above all, a bark beetle plague. The trees died out en masse, yielding today’s effect. The new forest is being reconstructed more cleverly now – the monoculture has been abandoned, and beech and fir are being reintroduced.
Malinowska Skała (1,152 m a.s.l.)
Four kilometers after leaving Skrzyczne, we greet Malinowska Skała (1,152 m a.s.l.). It is a minor but distinct ridge culmination, crowned by a highly characteristic pulpit-shaped rock outcrop. The outcrop is built of quartz conglomerate, unique to this part of the Silesian Beskids. Interestingly, it was once used for bouldering, but this was put to a stop in 1777 when the outcrop was entered into the register of natural monuments.
On Malinowska Skała, we take a short break, observing both the interesting shape of the rock and the panorama spreading from it. Both the range’s highest Skrzyczne and the second highest Barania Góra are clearly visible from here. There are a fair number of people, but it doesn’t seem like a big problem today. The place is truly charming, and the weather remains fantastic.
Malinowska Cave
If one were to keep going straight from Malinowska Skała along the green trail, we would head towards Magurka Wiślańska (1,140 m a.s.l.) and ultimately reach Barania Góra. We, however, turn right – onto the red trail, thereby leaving the main ridge of the Silesian Beskids. Over the course of the next half kilometer, we drop about 150 meters of elevation and descend to the pass below Malinów (1,005 m a.s.l.).
After leaving the pass, we continue along the red trail, starting a gentle but somewhat tedious climb to the summit of Malinów. About 600 meters further on (at an altitude of approx. 1,080 m a.s.l.), we turn left – onto a distinct, well-visible path. After a few minutes, we reach one of the greater curiosities of this part of the Silesian Beskids, namely the Malinowska Cave.
The cave was formed as a result of underground fracturing of sandstones, which yielded a system of fissures, chambers, and corridors with a total length of a whopping 249.5 meters. The site has been known for centuries, gathering various legends over the years. In local folklore, it functioned as a hiding place for Hussites, Evangelicals, and even the brigand Ondraszek himself. Until recently, exploring the object required a ton of climbing gear and specialized skills. Everything changed in 2019, when through the efforts of Bielsko speleologists, the entrance to the cave was secured with a series of iron steps and brackets.
Well, since there’s a ladder, why not make use of it? We descend inside slowly, illuminating our way with light from a cell phone flashlight. We move carefully through the cave, minding our heads and the damp, slippery floor. I would be lying through my teeth if I wrote that the place made a staggering impression on me. But it is an excellent curiosity, because after all, how many times during trekkings through the Beskids do you get to explore a cave?
Malinów and the descent to the Salmopol Pass
From the Malinowska Cave, we return to the red trail, only to reach the forested summit of Malinów (1,115 m a.s.l.) after a few minutes. A short rest, and we begin our descent, heading along a wide, gently sloping path. Along the way, another break awaits us, forced by blueberry bushes filled with fruit. Because after all, they can’t go to waste, right?
A quarter to 6:00 PM, we descend to the Salmopol Pass (934 m a.s.l.), which separates the ridge of Malinów from the ridge of Kotarz on one side, and Szczyrk from Wisła on the other. Taking advantage of the privilege of a long July day, we stop here as well, treating ourselves to a delicious coffee in an atmospheric café.
The name of the pass comes from the village of Salmopol, founded in this spot in the 17th century by Evangelicals fleeing persecution. The religious dissidents were escaping from the Duchy of Teschen and decided to settle in the more tolerant Polish Crown. Today, Salmopol is part of Szczyrk, and its characteristic feature is a large white cross. Regional road no. 942 runs right through the pass, paved here in the 1960s. This road is important in that it constitutes the highest accessible point by road in the Silesian Beskids (and the second highest in the entire Polish Beskids – after Krowiarki).
Kotarz and hiking through the Hungarian Beskid
From the Salmopol Pass, we continue along the red trail, beginning the fourteenth kilometer of our route today. Walking through a lush green forest, we pass the eminences of Biały Krzyż (940 m a.s.l.) and Grabowa (907 m a.s.l.), to reach the summit of Kotarz (965 m a.s.l.) after about an hour. At the peak, there is a pleasant clearing offering views of the main ridge of the Silesian Beskids, most notably Małe Skrzyczne built up with ski infrastructure.
The section of the ridge from the Salmopol Pass to the summit of Beskidek (precisely the one we are traversing today) is sometimes referred to as the Hungarian Beskid (Beskid Węgierski). The name comes from a Magyar settler who was said to have arrived in these lands at some unspecified point in the past and established the first shepherd’s hut. In later times, the ridge was intensively used for shepherding, the finest example of which is the nearby Hala Jaworowa. To reach that vast clearing, one must branch off slightly to the west from the red trail onto the blue trail. Since the sun is already quite low, we are skipping this attraction for now. I will return here someday, though, because I have read nothing but fantastic reviews about Hala Jaworowa :項目.
By the way, I also take a strong liking to the Hungarian Beskid. Unlike the main ridge, beautiful deciduous forests have been perfectly preserved here. On the right side, a view of the nearby, high Skrzyczne peeks through from time to time. No wonder then that the walk in this place has etched itself into my mind as one of the best memories of this year’s summer. Tell me… why can’t July last the whole year round? Is it so that when it finally arrives, we admire its intense colors, soothing sounds, and long, warm evenings even more?
Accompanied by the last rays of the sun, we pass the summit of Hyrca (929 m a.s.l.) with the upper station of an old T-bar lift. We turn off the red trail just before the summit of Beskidek (830 m a.s.l.), using a small shortcut to the blue trail. We descend to Szczyrk along an asphalt road, with a fantastic view of the entire silhouette of Skrzyczne.
When we finally hit regional road no. 942, it is already completely dark around us. As is easy to guess, we are the last tourists leaving the parking lot :D. It was a beautiful day in the Silesian Beskids, full of excellent views, intense greenery, and just standard Sunday relaxation. How I love summer! :D
Date of the trip: July 20, 2025
Trip statistics: 23.5 km; 950 meters of elevation difference
Thank you for taking the time to read my post! If you want to stay up to date with new content, I invite you to follow me on Facebook and Instagram! I will be grateful for every like, comment and share. If you find my content valuable and want to support me, feel free to buy me a virtual coffee at buycoffee.to.
Route map
Bibliography
- Barański M., Beskid Śląski. Przewodnik, Oficyna Wydawnicza Rewasz Publishing House, Pruszków 2019
![Trekking to Memurubu: A Great Downpour in the Jotunheimen Mountains [+ Lake Gjende Ferry]](https://nadpoziomemmorza.pl/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_20240726_160602-min-600x400.jpg)