Włosienica Clearing

Włosienica is a small clearing on the floor of the Rybi Potok Valley at around 1,315 m above sea level, right beside the Oswald Balzer Road. For hikers heading to Morskie Oko it is the last stop before the lake: only about 1.5 km of walking remain, and the walls of the Mięguszowieckie Peaks rise above the trees.

History: a car park that is gone

The clearing is said to be named after the grass that grows here, which highlanders called włosienica or włósienica. In 1969–1972 a car park and a turning loop at the end of the road were built here, and for years you could drive or take a bus all the way to Włosienica. Until the 1980s the car park was open to all visitors; today only vehicles with a Tatra National Park permit may come up, while private cars must stop at Palenica Białczańska. In 2003 the paving stones were lifted from the car park and reused for the square by the Morskie Oko mountain hut. South of the clearing stands a restaurant pavilion with 180 seats, built in 1967–1971, and further up, on the Szałasiska clearing, is the summer climbing camp of the Polish Mountaineering Association (PZA).

Horses, buses and the 2026 change

For decades Włosienica was the terminus of the fasiągi, the horse-drawn wagons that climb about 6.9 km from Palenica Białczańska. Since 1 September 2026 the national park has been piloting a new system: the horses now end their run at Wodogrzmoty Mickiewicza after about 2.9 km, and the steepest stretch up to Włosienica is to be served by electric vehicles. For now the park has four 19-seat e-buses running from Zakopane and from Palenica to Włosienica; from the start of 2026 to the end of July they carried 15,818 passengers. In July more than 95 per cent of seats on most runs were taken, and tickets for the most popular departures had to be booked up to two weeks in advance.

Tripto tips

• The red trail from Toporowa Cyrhla via Rówień Waksmundzka to Morskie Oko, and on past Czarny Staw to Rysy, crosses the clearing. From Wodogrzmoty Mickiewicza it takes about 1 h 10 min to get here, and from Włosienica to the Morskie Oko hut about 25 minutes.
• The whole walk from Palenica Białczańska to Włosienica takes about 1 h 55 min uphill and about 1 h 35 min down. A Tatra National Park entry ticket is required.
• If you want to ride an e-bus at the height of the season, book ahead and check the pilot scheme's current rules on the park's website before you set off – the transport system is still changing.
• In the summer holidays and around the May bank holidays the road is crowded. It is quieter early in the morning, and in winter the clearing becomes a wide snowy meadow facing the Mięguszowieckie Peaks.