Czupel

Until the 1970s hikers climbed Czupel without knowing they were standing on the roof of the Little Beskids (Beskid Mały) – at the time, Łamana Skała was thought to be the highest peak of the range. Only accurate surveys gave Czupel first place: according to the latest lidar measurements it is 931 m high (maps also give 930, 933 and 934 m). Today it is a goal for collectors of the Crown of Polish Mountains and a good excuse to explore the western part of the range, between the Soła and Biała valleys.

A summit in the beech woods

Czupel is the meeting point of several short ridges in the Magurka Wilkowicka group, separated from neighbouring Rogacz (900 m) by the Wysokie Siodło saddle. The whole massif is covered by forest, mostly beech with some spruce. The fairly rare foxglove grows here, and the woods are home to the rare ground beetle Carabus intricatus. Windthrow and logging have thinned the trees on the summit, however, opening up a view that did not exist before.

The view

According to the regional tourist portal, Skrzyczne and the Klimczok group stand out above the Wilkowice Gap, the Soła river and its reservoirs glitter to the east, and the eye is drawn to the upper reservoir of the hydroelectric plant on Mount Żar. In good visibility you can also see the Silesian Foothills and Lake Goczałkowice. From meadows on the eastern ridge, a few hundred metres down, you can see Babia Góra, Pilsko and even the Tatras and Slovakia's Malá Fatra.

Traces of old pastures

Along the ridge trail run long walls of stones once cleared from the mountain pastures – locals call them krody. Remains of Second World War trenches also survive. Before 1914 a mountain hut called "Widok na Tatry" (Tatra View) was built on the trail from Czupel to Magurka Wilkowicka; it operated until 1967. The ridge marks the boundary between Międzybrodzie Bialskie and Łodygowice.

Trails

• Blue from Czernichów via Suchy Wierch, Rogacz and Wysokie Siodło – about 1 h 55 min up, about 1 h down; short but steep.
• Red from Międzybrodzie Bialskie – just under 2 hours according to beskidy.travel.
• From the Przegibek pass via Magurka Wilkowicka – about 1 h 45 min.
• From Łodygowice via Przysłop and Wysokie Siodło – about 2 h 35 min to Międzybrodzie.

Tripto tip

The summit is free and accessible all year, but it has no facilities – the nearest PTTK mountain hut is on Magurka Wilkowicka, about 45 minutes away on the blue trail. The most rewarding loop goes from Czernichów up Czupel and on via Magurka, which takes most of a day. The climb from Czernichów can be more tiring than the distance suggests, and after rain roots and stones get slippery. Take water and check parking at your starting point.