Radziejowa

Radziejowa (rah-jeh-YOH-vah) is the highest peak of the Beskid Sądecki range in southern Poland, at 1,266 m (many maps say 1,262 m), and one of the summits of the Crown of Polish Mountains, a popular peak-bagging list. The forested dome rises above the spa towns of Piwniczna-Zdrój and Szczawnica, and its star attraction is a wooden lookout tower: on a clear day you can see the Tatra Mountains, the Pieniny and most of the Beskids. Reaching it makes a full but technically easy day hike.

Where it is and how to get there

The summit sits in the Poprad Landscape Park, roughly 2 to 2.5 hours by car from Kraków; Kraków Airport is the nearest international gateway. The classic start is the village of Rytro, which has a train station on the line from Nowy Sącz through the Poprad valley. Other trailheads are in Piwniczna-Zdrój and in Jaworki near Szczawnica.

Hiking routes

• From Rytro: the red-marked Main Beskid Trail via Wielki Rogacz, about 4 h 10 min up and 3 h 20 min down.
• From Przehyba: about 1 h 30 min on the red trail from the mountain hut (schronisko) on Przehyba, a good overnight base.
• From Piwniczna-Zdrój: yellow trail to Niemcowa, then red via Wielki Rogacz; hiking portals give about 10.5 km and 4 to 4.5 hours.
• From Jaworki or Obidza: via the Gromadzka and Żłobki passes.

Plan 6 to 7 hours for a round trip. Times are approximate, so carry an up-to-date map.

The lookout tower

The summit is wooded, so the views come from the tower. The first wooden tower (about 20 m) opened in 2006 and was closed on November 15, 2017, because the timber had rotted. The State Forests district in Piwniczna built a new 23-meter tower in 2019, opened to hikers in 2020, with a steel frame inside the wooden structure and gentler stairs. Rules posted by the forest district:

• free of charge and unstaffed;
• no more than 10 people at a time;
• no climbing during storms, strong wind, thick fog, heavy rain or when the stairs are icy;
• children under 12 only with an adult; no animals on the tower.

Nature and history

The northern slopes hold the Baniska nature reserve with the Bania cave and a small landslide lake. A meadow at about 800 m is the only known site in Poland of the bird's-eye primrose, discovered in 1959. In fall 1943, Polish Home Army resistance fighters destroyed German surveying equipment installed on the summit's triangulation tower. A monument marking Poland's millennium also stands on the top. Radziejowa's prominence is an impressive 537 m, and near Żłobki pass a seasonal spring is known locally as the Dragon's Throat.

When to go and winter tips

Late spring and fall offer the clearest views of the Tatras. Trails are free and open year-round. In winter the routes are long and snowy and the days short: bring microspikes, poles and a headlamp, and start early. The tower may be closed when icy. Prices for huts and transport are in Polish złoty (PLN).