Sokolica in the Pieniny Mountains

At the edge of Sokolica's rocky ridge (747 m) grows a pine that has become one of the icons of the Pieniny, and its neighbours are among the oldest pines in Poland — a study of three trees in 1995–1996 found them to be about 550 years old at the time. The summit lies in Pieniny National Park, within the boundaries of Krościenko nad Dunajcem, and its southern walls drop in steps almost vertically into a 310-metre abyss above the Dunajec gorge. Together with Trzy Korony, it is the most popular hiking destination in the Pieniny.

Walls above the Dunajec

The highest step below the summit forms a nearly vertical wall 100 metres high, and below it rises a pointed rock called the Sugarloaf (Głowa Cukru) — best seen from the Pieniny Road (Droga Pienińska). Sokolica is built of weather-resistant cherty limestone of the Pieniny Klippen Belt. Rare plants grow on its walls, including pale yellow corydalis and Styrian meadow-grass, and wallcreepers and kestrels nest on the cliffs. The mountain takes its name from the falcons (sokół in Polish) that once nested here.

The pine and a history of ascents

The most famous pine, growing on the ridge above the drop, was damaged in 2018 by a helicopter during a rescue operation. Sokolica has long attracted tourists and artists: as early as 1867 Franciszek Wyspiański made its first photographic album, and ten years earlier Józef Szalay painted it. The south face was first climbed on 23 July 1960 by Kraków climbers Roman Łazarski and Jerzy Potocki — an extremely difficult route, largely aid-climbed, that took them 8 hours.

The view from the top

From the summit you can see the Dunajec gorge, the Central Pieniny, the Small Pieniny, the Spiš Magura and the Belianske and High Tatras. A side path secured with metal railings leads to the top itself — about 7 minutes and 40 metres of ascent from the trail.

Tripto tip

• From Szczawnica: the blue trail via the boat crossing over the Dunajec and the Falcon's Path (Sokola Perć) — about 1 hour 15 minutes. The crossing does not operate from 1 November to 14 April.
• From Krościenko: the green trail via Zawiesy and Kras to Sosnów Pass, then on to Sokolica — about 1 hour 40 minutes; this route also works when the crossing is closed.
• Tickets: entry to the Sokolica viewing gallery is charged from 20 April to 15 November, and the ticket also covers Trzy Korony on the same day.
• The ridge links Sokolica with Czertezik and Trzy Korony (about 2 hours 35 minutes from Trzy Korony), so a loop over the whole Pieninki ridge is easy to plan. The summit can get crowded — early morning gives the best conditions for photographing the pine.