Jurassic Valleys Trail

The yellow-marked trail from Chrzanów to Pieskowa Skała strings together the small valleys north-west of Kraków – limestone gorges with rocks up to 100 m high. The Jurassic Valleys Trail, named after John Paul II, is about 90 km long and combines nature with heritage along the way: the castle ruins at Rudno, the monastery at Czerna, the open-air museum at Wygiełzów and the castle at Pieskowa Skała. It is one of the longer hiking routes in the southern part of the Kraków-Częstochowa Jura.

Route and numbers

The trail crosses three geographical regions: the Krzeszowice Graben, the Tenczyn Ridge and the Olkusz Upland. Its length is given as about 89.5 or 90 km. Over the whole route you climb about 2,155 m and descend 2,037 m, with an estimated walking time of around 26 hours – three to four days of hiking. Most sections follow forest and field tracks, with some asphalt. Waymarking is mostly good, but it is worth carrying a GPS track.

What to see

• the Będkowska valley – the trail descends the gorge through Będkowice to the Kobylańska valley; the section from Bolechowice to Będkowice is about 5.3 km,
• the Szklarka valley – at the Przecówka gorge, where the yellow and blue markers run together, the trail turns left into this valley,
• the ruins of Tenczyn Castle at Rudno,
• the monastery at Czerna,
• the open-air museum at Wygiełzów,
• Pieskowa Skała Castle at the northern end of the route.

Good to know

Signposts call it the Jurassic Valleys Trail, but it is also known as the Chrzanów Land Trail. The valleys it follows are limestone gorges with distinctive rock towers – the highest walls reach around 100 m.

Tripto tip

The route is easy to split into day sections, as local roads cross the valleys – the Bolechowice – Będkowice stretch, for example, takes under two hours. Larger villages have shops, but there are few places to buy supplies in the gorges themselves, so carry enough water. Spring and autumn are the most pleasant seasons: cooler than summer, and the rocks are not hidden by leaves. After rain the valley floors and forest paths can be muddy and slippery.