Wielka Rawka

From the top of Wielka Rawka you can see Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine at once – and on a very clear day even peaks more than 140 km away. This 1,307-metre summit is the highest point of the border ridge in the Western Bieszczady and offers one of the best panoramas in the range, with fewer crowds than the famous Caryńska and Wetlińska meadows.

A mountain with a meadow on top

Wielka Rawka (some sources give 1,304 m) has a flat summit ridge about 700 metres long, running north-west to south-east. The highest point is a sandstone outcrop, and a few dozen metres away stands a concrete pillar, a former survey marker. The border with Ukraine runs along the southern slope; until 1945 this was the border with the Kingdom of Hungary. The southern slopes drain via the Bystry stream into the Uzh and on to the Black Sea, while water from the western slopes flows into the Górna Solinka and eventually the Baltic.

The summit is covered by a połonina, the high mountain meadow typical of the Bieszczady, whose lower edge lies unusually high – from about 1,200 to over 1,260 m. The steep slopes were never grazed, so the forest reaches higher here than on neighbouring meadows. Avalanches sometimes come down the north-eastern slopes. Rawka is the most prominent mountain in the Western Bieszczady, with 523 m of prominence.

What to see

• The panorama – the meadow ridges, the border ridge, the Eastern Bieszczady with Polonyna Rivna, and Slovak mountains including the Vihorlat.
• Krzemieniec – the neighbouring peak (1,221 m), whose western top (1,208 m) holds the tripoint of Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine, marked by a granite obelisk. It is under an hour's walk from Wielka Rawka.
• Mała Rawka – the lower northern summit, 20 minutes from the main top.
• Nature – the slopes lie within Bieszczady National Park; plants rare in Poland such as rock cherry and Carpathian false asphodel grow here, and patches of near-primeval forest survive on the Rawka slopes.

Interesting facts

Wielka Rawka holds the Polish record for long-distance viewing into Ukraine: the peak of Tempa (1,634 m) in the Svydovets range, 141.6 km away, has been seen from here.

Tripto tip

The most popular ascent follows the yellow trail from the Wyżniańska Pass via Mała Rawka; from Ustrzyki Górne the blue trail takes about 3.5 hours up. Returning via Krzemieniec makes a good loop. Entry to Bieszczady National Park is paid – buy tickets at kiosks by the trails or online. There is no shelter from the wind on top, so pack a warm layer even in summer. In winter the climb requires experience and a check of avalanche conditions. Allow 5–7 hours for the whole hike.