Beskid (Tatra Mountains)

Beskid (2,012 m) is the easternmost peak on the main ridge of the Western Tatras and one of the easiest 2,000-metre summits to reach in Poland. A short ridge walk separates it from the top station of the Kasprowy Wierch cable car, and from the summit you look down into the Gąsienicowa Valley, across to Świnica and into Slovakia's Tichá Valley. Its name is a curiosity: it is simply the singular of "Beskidy", the Beskid Mountains.

A peak of pink granite

Beskid lies on the main Tatra ridge between Sucha Przełęcz pass (1,950 m) and Liliowe pass (1,952 m), with the Polish–Slovak border running over the summit. On the Polish side the slopes drop into the Gąsienicowa Valley, closing off the Kasprowy cirque to the east, while on the Slovak side they fall towards the Tichá Valley. The peak is made of pink granite resting on sedimentary rocks. It belongs to a small group of granite summits that sit on a limestone base, known as the Goryczkowa crystalline island. The summit is stony, the slopes gentle and grassy.

Did you know?

At the foot of Beskid, in the Gąsienicowa Valley, Eugeniusz Sieczka-Gąsienica built a private mountain hut in 1934–1936. The opening of the Kasprowy Wierch cable car and its summit restaurant in 1936 drove the venture into bankruptcy. Its ruins, known to skiers and rescuers as Gienek's Walls, were only removed in 2006. Mass tourism has also left its mark on the ridge: the path has been trampled into a broad track and the vegetation badly damaged. Even so, in 2001 botanists confirmed a site of mountain plantain, a plant rare in Poland.

How to get there

The shortest route follows the red trail from the Kasprowy Wierch top station via Sucha Przełęcz. The trail continues over Liliowe towards Świnicka Przełęcz and Świnica; the whole Kasprowy Wierch–Świnica section takes about 1 hr 40 min. Alternatively, you can climb from Hala Gąsienicowa to Liliowe pass and reach Beskid from the east. Many visitors treat the peak as a short walk after riding the cable car, with no plans for Świnica.

Tripto tip

Beskid has no ticket office, staff or opening hours: it is a natural summit in the Tatra National Park, where the park entry ticket applies. There is no snack bar or shelter on the ridge, so bring water, an extra layer and a charged phone with the TOPR mountain rescue number. Above the tree line the weather changes fast, and fog, wind or ice can make even a short stretch difficult. Check Tatra National Park notices, the forecast and, in winter, the avalanche danger level before you set out. Allow about an hour for the walk from Kasprowy Wierch to Beskid and back, including a stop for the views.