Poprad Landscape Park

Poprad Landscape Park (POH-prahd) is one of the largest protected landscape areas in Poland, covering most of the Beskid Sądecki mountains near the Slovak border. It takes in the forested Radziejowa and Jaworzyna Krynicka ranges, the gorge-like valley of the Poprad River and the Polish slopes of the Čergov hills. Expect quiet ridges, mountain meadows, former Lemko villages and historic spa towns such as Krynica-Zdrój and Muszyna, a calmer alternative to the crowded Tatras.

Where it is and how to get there

The gateway town is Nowy Sącz; from there roads follow the Poprad to Rytro, Piwniczna-Zdrój and Muszyna. Krynica-Zdrój, on the park's eastern edge, is about 2.5 hours by car from Kraków. Kraków Airport is the nearest international airport. A scenic railway runs from Nowy Sącz along the Poprad through Rytro, Piwniczna-Zdrój and Muszyna, handy for one-way hikes.

Key facts

The park was established on September 11, 1987, making it one of the oldest landscape parks in the Polish Carpathians. It covers about 53,400 hectares (about 206 sq mi; some publications give about 54,400 ha), plus a buffer zone of about 25,000 ha, stretching from Krynica and Tylicz in the east to Krościenko on the Dunajec in the west and south to the Slovak border. The highest point is Radziejowa (1,266 m). It is managed by the regional landscape parks authority of Lesser Poland. Entry is free and trails are open year-round (as of October 2026).

Wildlife and nature

Forests cover about 80% of the park, and roughly 1,000 flowering plant species, about half of Poland's total, grow here, including the bird's-eye primrose at its only Polish site. Wolves, lynx and deer roam the woods, while wildcats and brown bears appear occasionally. About 160 bird species have been recorded, including the golden eagle and the black stork, and beavers and otters live along the streams. The mountains are built of Carpathian flysch, alternating layers of sandstone and shale. There are 13 nature reserves inside the park, around 130 natural monuments and Poland's largest mofette, a natural vent of carbon dioxide, near the village of Jastrzębik.

Spas and mineral water

The rocks beneath the park hold about 20% of Poland's mineral water reserves. That is why spa towns such as Krynica-Zdrój, Muszyna, Żegiestów and Piwniczna-Zdrój grew up here, and why a hike can end with a glass of mineral water in a historic pump room.

Things to do

• Hiking: the red-marked Main Beskid Trail crosses Przehyba, Radziejowa and Wielki Rogacz on its way to Rytro; Jaworzyna Krynicka (1,114 m) is another favorite, with a gondola from Krynica running since 1997.
• Cycling on trails through valleys and along ridges.
• Rafting on the Poprad, offered for example in Piwniczna-Zdrój.
• Culture: wooden Lemko churches recall the Eastern Slavic highlanders who were forcibly resettled in 1947 during Operation Vistula.
• Skiing at Jaworzyna Krynicka, Słotwiny and Wierchomla, usually from the second half of December, snow permitting.

Stay on marked trails inside nature reserves, and remember that prices for huts, lifts and rafting are in Polish złoty (PLN).