Krzakoska Rock in Wisła

On the slope of Kobyla, a few metres from a hiking trail, the hillside suddenly drops away and a rocky pulpit rises up with jagged, partly overhanging walls. Krzakoska Rock – also known as the Kobyla Rocks – is the best-known climbing crag in the Silesian Beskids and an easily reached viewpoint above the town of Wisła. For some it is the goal of a short walk, for others a training ground on vertical sandstone.

The rock in numbers

The outcrop lies in the Kobyla massif, part of the Stożek and Czantoria range, about 500 m north of the summit and on the northern edge of the Kobyla neighbourhood, within the town of Wisła. Its upper edge is at about 720 m above sea level (some sources say 710 m). The step in the slope runs for about 60 m – other measurements give as much as 100–130 m. The walls are up to 15 m high and vertical, with cracks, corners, pillars and roofs.

The rock is made of clearly layered, thick-bedded Istebna sandstone from the Upper Cretaceous. At the bottom you can see thick slabs, higher up ever thinner layers – best appreciated from the foot of the wall. As early as 1958 the Kobyla Rocks were declared a natural monument; they lie within the Silesian Beskids Landscape Park.

A playground for climbers

Krzakoska Rock is the best-known climbing crag in the Silesian Beskids. It has 26 routes graded from III to VI.3 on the Polish scale, so there is something for beginners with an instructor as well as experienced climbers. Even if you don't climb, it is worth watching others tackle the overhangs.

The view

From the upper edge you look out over the Vistula valley and the mountains that frame it to the east – from Równica to Barania Góra. Old guidebooks already described this view, although today growing trees hide part of the panorama.

Tripto tip

• Getting there: follow the blue trail from Wisła Dziechcinka railway stop towards the Sałasz Kobyla saddle – the rock stands just a few metres north of the track the trail follows.
• Safety: the walls are vertical and in places overhanging. Keep children well back from the edge of the drop, and only climb with your own gear and experience or with an instructor.
• Time: 20–30 minutes at the rock itself, plus the walk along the trail.
• Entry is free – it is open land within the landscape park.