Viewpoints

Makowska Góra Hill above Maków Podhalański

Above Maków Podhalański, on the northern side of the Skawa valley, rises Makowska Góra (580 m above sea level) — a wooded hill in the Koskowa Góra range turned into a viewpoint and walking spot. An asphalt road leads up from the market square of Maków, past the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Maków, so even families with small children need just a few minutes to reach the top.

Stations of the Cross below the summit

The slopes are covered with a dense network of chapels — Stations of the Cross stand here every 200 metres or so, and the largest of them marks the best viewpoint on the Makowska Góra housing estate. It opens a panorama to the east over Bryndzówka and to the south, towards the Policy range and Babia Góra; in exceptionally clear weather the Tatras appear in the distance. Next to one of the shortcuts stands a historic chapel with a figure of Christ Falling under the Cross, and a little further into the forest benches and a table invite you to rest.

In practice

Two marked trails — green and blue — skirt the hill, shortening the walking routes through the forest. The summit can be reached by car all year round, along serpentine roads from the centre of Maków; access is free and the area is open around the clock. It is worth combining the walk with sightseeing in the town: the first mention of Maków comes from 1378, and before the partitions it was the most important pilgrimage site in the Polish Carpathians. The castle in Sucha Beskidzka is about 6 km away, Babia Góra 22 km.