Beginning of the trail: Myślenice Zarabie

End of the trail: Myślenice Zarabie

Total length of the trail: 16.0 km

Difficulty: easy

Trail colour: red

The loop around Myślenice is a must for MTB/gravel bikes if you want to ride up the Chełm Mountain. At the top you’ll find a lookout tower, a private astronomical observatory and the upper station of the ski lift with a working restaurant (www.sportarenamyslenice.pl). Chełm Mountain used to be a mecca for downhill cycling, with well-prepared downhill trails now awaiting reactivation. We suggest to go out and descend on your own on the longest loop possible here, without the aid of the lift. The trail is fairly well marked, but we suggest following the GPX trail as a couple of signposts at forks in the trail are missing. We suggest riding counter-clockwise, due to simpler ascents in terms of surface (the ascent coincides in part with the Carpathian Bicycle Route). We start in the Zarabie district of Myślenice, where, in addition to car parks, the riverside area by the Raba River has been transformed in recent years into a well-equipped leisure park with numerous foot and bike paths. It can be considered as basically one of the finished sections of the VeloRaba route. We leave the flat banks of the river in the vicinity of the stadium and head up to the section where you climb up to Talagówka along forest roads (mostly on a good gravel surface and on asphalt). Alternatively, you can take the green trail through Czarne Błota. After a rest on the summit, we enter a rather steep and rocky descent to Stróże, where we return to the flat banks of the Raba River. The section from here to Zarabie can get quite muddy (used dirt roads in the riverside areas), so until there is a real VeloRaba route here, we will still suggest thick tyres. Once the loop is closed, we recommend resting on the beach or at one of the numerous rest stops.

Maximum elevation: 642 m a.s.l.

The lowest point on the route is at elevation: 207 m a.s.l.

63% of the route runs through forested areas.

Tourist attractions:

Linden tree from 1830 (Myślenice), viewing tower on Chełm Mountain, rest park Zarabie Myślenice, cableway to the Chełm Mountain, earth bumptrack, private astronomical observatory

Natural attractions: Zamczysko nad Rabą Nature Reserve, ‘Młaka źródliskowa’ ecological site