Biała Wisełka Valley

Around 25 waterfalls and rock steps, the tallest of them 5 metres high – these are the Rodło Cascades, the highest waterfalls in the Silesian Beskids, tucked away in the valley of the Biała Wisełka stream in Wisła Czarne. The stream is one of the source streams of the Vistula, Poland's longest river, and runs down from Barania Góra into Lake Czerniańskie. The lower valley is an easy, car-free walk on a gently sloping asphalt road; higher up, a proper mountain trail begins.

The stream where the Vistula begins

The Biała Wisełka ("White Little Vistula") is about 7 km long and rises in a small valley on the northern side of Barania Góra. The name probably refers to the foaming, "white" water on its many steps; in 1834 the traveller Apoloniusz Tomkowicz offered another explanation – the stream turns cloudy after rain, while the neighbouring Czarna ("Black") Wisełka always runs clear. A comfortable carriage road was built up the valley back in Habsburg times. After major floods in the late 1950s the bed was regulated with artificial weirs, and the right bank, along which today's road runs, was walled.

The Rodło Cascades

In its middle section the stream cuts so deep that it exposes layered Carpathian flysch rocks. The lower steps formed on thin-bedded sandstones and shales of the Godula beds, the higher and more impressive ones on the massive sandstones and conglomerates of the Istebna beds. The waterfalls range from 0.5 to 5 m, and at their foot the water has scoured out potholes. They were named on 19 September 1987, the 65th anniversary of the Union of Poles in Germany; guests included Edmund Osmańczyk, a former chairman and later chronicler of the Union. Since 1959 the Biała Wisełka has been protected as part of the "Wisła" nature reserve, set up for the native brown trout.

A stroll or a hike up Barania Góra

The whole valley is more than 6 km long, and the asphalt walking route covers about 2.5 km. The road climbs gently and is suitable for small children and pushchairs. The blue trail also runs through the valley, from the car park in Wisła Czarne via the Wrota Kubisza gap to Barania Góra (1,220 m), the second-highest peak in the Silesian Beskids. It is 7.7 km with about 650 m of ascent – about 2 hours 25 minutes up and 1 hour 25 minutes down.

Tripto tip

Cars are not allowed into the valley, so park in Wisła Czarne near Lake Czerniańskie. A stop of the nature trail to Barania Góra is located by the cascades. After rain the stones by the water are slippery, so wear shoes with a good grip if you want to get close to the falls. In winter, horse-drawn sleigh rides are organised in the valley, usually ending with a bonfire.