Rachowiec

The summit of Rachowiec is not covered by forest, and that is why this modest mountain above Zwardoń has some of the widest views in the area. Wielka Racza and Rycerzowa rise to the east, Slovakia's Malá Fatra range to the south and the Barania Góra massif to the north. People come in summer for the panorama and in winter for skiing.

Location

Rachowiec (954 m) belongs to the Wielka Racza group, on a side ridge that runs east from Gomułka on the Slovak border via Mały Rachowiec (841 m). Officially it lies within Rycerka Górna, but for visitors it is Zwardoń's home mountain. The wooded northern slope contains the Butorza nature reserve with an old spruce forest.

What to see

• The summit panorama – Wielka Racza, Rycerzowa, Będoszka, Muńczoł and the ranges of the Malá Fatra in Slovakia.
• A wooden viewing platform with information boards on the eastern slope, near Kosarzyska.
• The view of Barania Góra and the Soła valley to the north.
• The "Duży Rachowiec" T-bar lift – 1,200 metres, the longest in the area. Skiers took to this mountain as early as the interwar years.

On the trail

A waymarked trail leads from Zwardoń over Rachowiec to the railway station in Sól, and three trails – red, green and yellow – cross Mały Rachowiec. From Zwardoń the path crosses meadows and follows the forest edge, and the top station of the T-bar lift stands right on the summit. Mały Rachowiec has a hamlet with farm-stay accommodation.

Tripto tip

Choose a clear autumn day, when the Malá Fatra stands out sharply on the horizon. In winter the slopes are used for skiing, so walkers should keep to the waymarked trails and stay off groomed pistes. The walk combines well with Zwardoń itself (the railway station is on the pass) and with the Lovers' Bench on Kikula just across the Slovak border.