Dzikowiec Observation Towers

Dzikowiec Wielki (836 m) in the Stone Mountains (Góry Kamienne) now has two observation towers, and the difference between them shows how viewpoints have changed. The older wooden one from 2014 resembles a hunter's high seat. The new one, opened on 15 February 2025, is 38.5 m tall and has a spiral ramp instead of stairs, so you walk up to the deck as if along a coiled spring. Both are free and open all year round.

A volcanic mountain

Dzikowiec lies about 3.4 km south of the centre of Boguszów-Gorce, within the Wałbrzych Sudetes Landscape Park. Its volcanic origin gives it the shape of a steep dome without a flat summit. It is made of Permian igneous rocks – melaphyre and porphyry with a typical red colour. On its slopes there is a ski area with a chairlift, downhill bike trails and a paragliding launch site.

Two towers

• The old tower (2014) – wooden, on an 8 × 8 m square plan, stands at the upper chairlift station, about 500 m from the summit. It opened on 30 April 2014 and cost almost PLN 700,000 to build. Stairs lead to the top.
• The new tower (2025) – a timber-and-steel structure shaped like an inverted cone, 38.5 m high, with a viewing deck at 32.5 m. It cost PLN 6.7 million, and the investor was the Wałbrzych district authority. Cameras for fire monitoring are mounted at the top.

The towers stand at opposite ends of the wooded summit, about 500 m apart. The walk between them takes 10–15 minutes.

The view

The new tower offers a 360-degree panorama: Boguszów-Gorce, Wałbrzych, the Wałbrzych Mountains with Chełmiec, the Karkonosze (Giant Mountains) with Śnieżka and the Table Mountains. In very clear weather you can even pick out the Sky Tower in Wrocław. From the old tower the view stretches from Śnieżka across Szczeliniec to Ślęża.

How to get up

The shortest routes start at the lower chairlift station:

• green path and blue trail – about 2 km one way to the new tower; the blue trail is steep and zigzags,
• yellow trail and red path – about 3 km one way,
• a loop combining both – about 5 km.

When the chairlift is running (usually at weekends), you can ride it up to the old tower and walk to the new one on the yellow trail. It is sometimes closed for maintenance, so be ready to walk up.

Tripto tip

By car, take road 367 from Wałbrzych and then Sportowa Street; there are two car parks – about 500 m before the lower chairlift station and right next to it (the second has no tarmac access). From Wrocław you can take the train to Boguszów-Gorce, from where it is 3–4 km on foot to the summit. The new tower's ramp sways slightly in the wind and can be slippery in winter and after rain – take off microspikes before going up and do not use trekking poles, as they damage the surface. Allow 2–3 hours for the climb and both towers.