Kudłoń (Gorce Mountains)

The summit of Kudłoń itself is wooded and has no view, yet it is one of the most rewarding goals in the Gorce Mountains. The slopes of this 1,274 m peak (Gorce National Park gives 1,276 m) hold the range's best-known rock outcrops, led by the Kudłoński Baca (the Kudłoń Shepherd), and the Kudłoń meadow on the northern slope opens up a panorama of the Beskid Wyspowy. Kudłoń is the fourth-highest summit in the Gorce and the most prominent mountain in Gorce National Park.

Location and name

Kudłoń lies north-east of Turbacz, on the ridge that links the highest peak of the Gorce with Przysłop Pass and on to the Beskid Wyspowy. Several ridges branch off it: a ridge of about 4 km with Kopa runs north-west, and the Kiełbaśna ridge, about 6.5 km long, runs north. The watershed between the Dunajec and Raba river basins crosses the mountain, so streams from the southern slopes flow into Kamienicki Potok while those from the north feed the Mszanka and Konina. The name probably comes from the surname Kudeł or Kudła.

What to see

• Sandstone outcrops near the summit: three groups, some up to 20 m high, the most numerous and best known in the Gorce.
• Kudłoński Baca on the northern slopes, the most famous of these rocks.
• The Kudłoń meadow with a wide view over the Podskały meadow and the peaks of the Beskid Wyspowy.
• Other meadows: Pustak, Cyrla Hanulowa, Pyrzówka, Kopa, Figurki and Stawieniec, grazed by highland shepherds for centuries.
• The summit with a survey marker post and a trail junction just below it.

Interesting facts

The meadows on Kudłoń were grazed for several hundred years, with pastoral farming peaking before the Second World War. Since grazing stopped they have gradually been overgrown by bilberry and forest, so the views from some of them change from year to year. When the summit was still bare, it held the only stand of dwarf mountain pine in the Gorce, probably planted by people; it died out once the top became forested. The massif also has small caves: the Kudłoń Crevice by the Kopa meadow and the Kudłońska Koleba shelter in the Za Palaczem stream valley.

Trails

Three main approaches lead to the top:

• From Konina via Cyrla Hanulowa, Kopa and the Figurki meadows: about 4.5 km, 610 m of ascent, about 2 hours.
• From Lubomierz-Rzeki via the Trusiówka, Papieżówka and Stawieniec meadows to Gorc Troszacki: about 7.9 km, about 3 hours.
• Along the ridge from Przysłop Pass via Podskały and Gorc Troszacki to Kudłoń and on to Turbacz: about 11.4 km, about 3.5 hours.

Tripto tip

Don't aim just for the summit; plan a route over the Kudłoń and Pustak meadows, where the views are. Gorce National Park was established on 1 January 1981 and covers about 70 km²; it charges entry fees at selected points, and as in every Polish national park you may only walk on marked trails. The closest starting point in Lubomierz is the hamlet of Rzeki, and a loop taking in the rocks and meadows needs 5–6 hours. After rain the paths among the rocks can be slippery, and there is no hut on the summit, so bring food; the nearest mountain hut is on Turbacz.