Leskowiec

Leskowiec is one of the best viewpoints in the Beskid Mały (Little Beskids): from the meadow on its summit you can see Babia Góra, Pilsko and, on a clear day, the Western Tatras. As a schoolboy Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope John Paul II, climbed it many times, and a few hundred metres below stands a mountain hut reached by trails from several valleys. The walk up from Targoszów is a relaxed few-hour outing suitable for families.

The summit and its surroundings

Older sources give Leskowiec a height of 922 m (newer maps say 918 m). It lies in the eastern part of the Beskid Mały, in the Łamana Skała range. A shallow pass, Przełęcz Midowicza, separates it from neighbouring Groń Jana Pawła II, while the Beskidek pass (805 m) divides it from Góra Potrójna. The Gancarz ridge runs south towards Targoszów, and the northern slopes drop to the village of Rzyki. The boundary between the two villages, and between two districts, runs right across the summit.

The mountain is almost entirely wooded. Only the top is a large open meadow – a remnant of old sheep farming. Large flocks still grazed here in the late 1980s. Along the path from the hut you will pass stunted, twisted beeches, typical of Leskowiec's upper slopes.

Interesting facts

• A name from Moravia. Leskowiec sounds Polish, but the name is of Slovak-Czech origin and unique in the Polish mountains. In the Jeseníky range in the Czech Republic there is a peak called Leskovec, 9 km from the town of Jindřichov – exactly the distance between the Polish Leskowiec and Andrychów. Tradition says Andrychów was founded by settlers from Bohemia or Moravia, who may have brought the mountain names with them.
• The first trail around Leskowiec was marked in 1927 by Władysław Midowicz – hence the name of the pass below the summit.
• The Pope's mountain. Leskowiec was one of John Paul II's favourite peaks, and the neighbouring summit, formerly called Jaworzyna, now bears his name.

Trails and views

Two trails meet at the top: the red Little Beskid Trail (Bielsko-Biała – Luboń Wielki) and the yellow trail from Targoszów Wieczorki to Czartak. The meadow looks out over the Żywiec Beskids with Babia Góra and Pilsko, the Polica and Jałowiec ranges and the Makowski Beskids; on clear days you can also make out the Gorce, the Western Tatras and Veľký Choč in Slovakia. Between Leskowiec and Groń Jana Pawła II stands the PTTK Leskowiec mountain hut, the main trail junction of the Beskid Mały.

Tripto tip

The easiest start is Targoszów Wieczorki, where there is a forest car park by the road on the edge of the Beskid Mały Landscape Park. Route planners estimate about 2 hours to the hut, depending on the variant. Another popular option is a loop from Rzyki Jagódki on the black trail via Przełęcz Midowicza and the hut – just over 6 km and up to 3 hours, steep in places. The summit is open all year and free. In winter two ski runs operate nearby, so some slopes can be busy. There is no shelter from the wind on the meadow, so bring a warm layer even in summer.