Name of the trail: Enclave of Active Leisure in the Heart of the Gorce Mountains

The trails presented here represent a total length of: 36.2 km

Difficulty: easy

Enclave of Active Leisure in the Heart of the Gorce Mountains is a project implemented in 2014 by the municipality of Ochotnica Dolna. As part of the project, a network of hiking, cycling and skiing trails was laid out in the Gorce and Beskid Sądecki massif (part on the eastern bank of the Dunajec river). Four observation towers were built on the peaks of Magurki (Ochotnica Górna), Gorc and Lubań (Ochotnica Dolna) and Koziarz (Tylmanowa), and some of the trails were widened. Several lookout point gazebos have also been built here to be used as a rest stops when the weather breaks. We present here only two sections of the entire trail network as an incentive; you can find the complete map at www.ochotnica.pl

1. The Knurowska Pass – Tylmanowa section, i.e., the so-called Knurowska Road, is currently a fully-asphalted shortcut between Lake Czorsztyn and Tylmanowa, where the VeloDunajec section is currently being built. The road itself was built at the beginning of the 20th century atop a medieval trail, which allowed the route from Stary Sącz to the Podhale region to be shortened. There is now a municipal road running along it, which is also one of the most famous of the classic Polish road cycling routes. We recommend that it be biked as a loop combined with, for example, the VeloDunajec or the new route along Lake Czorsztyn, and also suggest that you ride up from Tylmanowa towards the pass and then down to Knurów (the most scenic variant).

2. The section Ochotnica Dolna – Gorc – Ochotnica Górna is dedicated to the more advanced mountain bikers, because it includes both a solid asphalt climb to the Wierch Młynne pass and an exhausting additional climb along a rocky-ground road towards the viewing tower on the Gorc peak. The views, however, are worth even pushing the bike up! Descending to Ochotnica Górna is possible along one of numerous options.

Other trails we recommend are:

3. Knurowska Pass – Marszałek with a tower on Lubań and a possible descent towards Kluszokowiec (together with the Spiš Loop it can be used as an option for mountain bikers to ride around Lake Czorsztyn).

4. Tylmanowa – Krościenko with a branch to the observation tower on Koziar (for someone who seeks an alternative to the ‘flat’ course of VeloDunajec and wants to take a look from above at the valley of the Dunajec River and the surrounding mountains).

Maximum elevation: 1178 m a.s.l.

The lowest point on the route is at elevation: 386 m a.s.l. The route runs through the following protected areas: Natura 2000: Ostoja Gorczańska and the Środkowy Dunajec with its tributaries
 

20% of the route runs through the forest.

Tourist attractions: Studzionki Open-air Museum (Ochotnica Dolna). Natural attractions: Natura 2000 – Ochotnica, Natura 2000 – Ostoja Gorczańska, Natura 2000 – the Środkowy Dunajec with its tributaries, Gorce National Park

19% of the trail runs on roads free of motor vehicle traffic.