Kiczera (Little Beskids)

Most visitors end their outing at Żar, beside the reservoir of the pumped-storage power station. Yet about an hour's return walk further on lies Kiczera, also called Kiczora – a peak whose meadows offer even more than Żar itself: the reservoir on top of the mountain, Lake Żywiec, the Silesian Beskids and, on a clear day, Babia Góra. For many regulars it is their favourite summit in the Little Beskids (Beskid Mały).

Location

Kiczera sits in the eastern Little Beskids, in the Kocierz group, on a ridge that descends via Żar to Lake Międzybrodzie. Its height varies by source: 831 m according to beskidmaly.pl, 827 m according to other references. The boundary between Porąbka in Bielsko county and Międzybrodzie Żywieckie in Żywiec county runs across the summit. To the south-east, the Isepnica Pass (698 m) separates Kiczera from Cisownik, while to the north-east a ridge drops towards the Wielka Puszcza valley.

What to see

The summit itself is hidden in the woods, marked by a white concrete survey post of the Porąbka-Żar power station. The real draw is the open meadows below the top – former mountain pastures that are slowly being reclaimed by forest:

• from the western meadow – the huge upper reservoir of the Porąbka-Żar power station, beyond it the Little Beskids across the Soła river, the Silesian and Żywiec Beskids, and below you Lake Żywiec, Lake Czaniec and the town of Kęty,
• from the northern meadow – the Wielka Puszcza valley, Bukowski Groń, Złota Góra, the Targanice Pass and Wielka Bukowa, and further away Leskowiec and the Silesian Foothills with Kęty and Andrychów,
• when the air is clear – Pilsko, Romanka and the top of Babia Góra.

In summer the summit meadows are full of wild blueberries. On the north side of the summit, on the meadow sloping down to the Wielka Puszcza valley, there is a campsite with a shelter and fire pit.

Tripto tip

The easiest option is a walk from Żar: about an hour gets you to Kiczera and back. The red Little Beskids Trail (Mały Szlak Beskidzki) passes over Kiczera on its way from the Porąbka Dam via Żar to the Kocierz Pass (about 4 hours), skirting just below the summit on the south side; a green trail, mostly on a tarmac road, follows the southern slopes. The trail from Międzybrodzie Żywieckie via Kiczera to the reservoir on Żar takes about 1 hr 55 mins. Paths can be slippery after rain, and the views are best on days with clear air. Stay on the trails and leave no litter at the fire pit.