Snail Viewing Platform in Wola Krogulecka

The spiral viewing platform on top of Dzielnica hill (539 m) in Wola Krogulecka has a shape that gave it its popular name — the "Snail" (Ślimak). The walkway curves upward above the slope, and from the top you look down on the Poprad valley, which separates the two largest ranges of the Beskid Sądecki: the Radziejowa range and the Jaworzyna Krynicka range. An asphalt road leads to the platform, so it draws plenty of visitors, especially at sunrise and sunset.

What you can see from the Snail

To the south lies the Poprad valley with the village of Rytro and the ruins of Rytro Castle. Beyond rises the Radziejowa range with its highest peak, Radziejowa (1,266 m), where in good visibility you can make out the observation tower. To the north-west you can see the Beskid Wyspowy and the nearby town of Stary Sącz, and according to VisitMałopolska also the Sącz Basin and the Gorce mountains. Behind you rises Makowica (948 m) in the Jaworzyna Krynicka range.

The "Het na hore bez skole" path

The platform is the second stop on a nature trail with a dialect name, "Het na hore bez skole" — roughly "somewhere uphill over the stones". The trail starts at the office of the Lesser Poland Landscape Parks Authority in Wola Krogulecka, follows the blue trail from Barcice towards Makowica and ends at the Głęboki Jar natural monument. At eight stops, including a sessile oak and a stretch of Carpathian beech forest, QR codes on boulders provide information on the nature of the Poprad Landscape Park — the largest in Lesser Poland.

Tripto tip

From Nowy Sącz take road 87 towards Piwniczna-Zdrój, turn left in the centre of Barcice and follow the signs to the viewing terrace. There are two free car parks: a small one right by the platform and another a little further back. On site you will find a roofed fire pit and a toilet, so it is a good place for a longer family stop. Thirty minutes are enough for the views; if you want to walk the nature trail all the way to Głęboki Jar, add time for a few kilometres on hilly ground.