Hiking trail: On the trails around Wysowa Zdrój
Practical information
Wysowa, car park on the left side of the road by the Dziurnówka inn.
Access: 24 kilometres along a local road from the exit from national road no. 28 in Ropa.
The proposed route can be combined with the car trip In the Footsteps of the Lemkos.
Approximately 5 hours 15 minutes; signs in the field tend to overestimate the walking time.
A rather easy trail. Apart from the ascent to Kozie Żebro (about 1.5 hour) and the last part before the Hutniańska Pass (about 15 minutes), the route is rather strolling, half of it running on comfortable, level roads. For the latter reason, we advise against tackling it in hot weather, as the hike can be very tedious.
To Kozie Żebro
Wysowa Zdrój is a very cosy health resort with a lovely park located in Beskid Niski. Before we set off on the trail, let’s get to know the village itself a little. To begin with, let’s walk about 600 metres further along the road we came on to the Orthodox Church of St Michael the Archangel with a complete Baroque iconostasis. From the temple, follow the green trail signs to the north-east, but abandon them after a while, veering left into the health resort park. A few minutes spent looking at the wooden pump house, the old Spa House and tasting the local waters won’t cause any significant delay.
There are 14 mineral water intakes in Wysowa; these are hydrogen-carbonate-chloride-soda and carbonate-soda-lime brine used, inter alia, to produce the excellent mineral water Wysowianka. The health resort treats diseases of the respiratory, digestive and urinary systems. The treatment is based on the healing waters from five springs: Henryk, Józef, Franciszek, Słone and Anna. The pump room is open from early morning until evening.
After visiting the health resort facilities, head uphill to turn right after leaving the park and then left where you’ll meet the signs of the green trail. We wander along the street, passing more health resort buildings. After half an hour of walking, the trail turns right into the forest. Initially gentle and then increasingly steep, we ascend strenuously for another 30 minutes. At a certain point, the trail clearly turns left and climbs not too steeply to Kozie Żebro. According to the signs, we should reach here after 2 hours, but in practice, it takes slightly less time to reach this highest point of the trek.
Note: about 50 metres before the summit, and also from the summit itself, from autumn to spring, when there are no leaves on the trees, with a bit of luck, you can see the peaks of Tatry Bielskie and several peaks of Tatry Wysokie.
Possible surprise on the road to Hańczowa
Kozie Żebro is the place of intersection with the Main Beskid Trail – the red trail leading from Wołosate in Bieszczady to Ustroń in Beskid Śląski (looking in the direction in which we’re going to follow it). These signs will take us to Hańczowa. It’s important to remember that after about 15 minutes of descent, we don’t follow the green signs towards Smerekowiec but instead turn left.
The red trail leads gently down the traverse of the slope at one time and then suddenly descends steeply towards the valley. The situation repeats itself several times until, after about 40 minutes, we turn right from Kozie Żebro and emerge onto a wide forest road. However, the hope of reaching Hańczowa comfortably along this is faint. After about 10 minutes, after a long straight section, when the curve to the right and the ascent begins, we have to turn left into a narrow path winding through the scrub along Markowski Potok. For most of the year, it’s a section for enthusiasts of true challenges. Several times we descend to the stream to cross it, then ascend a steep escarpment, and at one point, the trail even follows the stream.
Note: If, on the first descent into the stream, you find that the water level is high, that it’s difficult to go with the flow of the stream, it’s better to retreat and not to wade further. The stream gets gradually wider, and so crossing it may not be possible. The alternative is to make a detour of a few hundred metres and extend the hike by several minutes by going to Hańczowa along the road which we left.
The hike from Kozie Żebro to Hańczowa takes about 1 hour 15 minutes. After reaching the road from Ropa to Wysowa, we keep to the red trail, turn right and, after about 50 metres, turn left.
Through Ropki to Wysowa
The next intermediate point on our route is the village of Ropki, once populous, now inhabited permanently by only a few dozen people. After about 25 minutes, the blue signs join the route, and it’s with them that we’ll hike on our way back to Wysowa. After a few minutes, both trails leave the tarmac road and head left along a local path towards the buildings visible in the distance. We walk through the village, passing loosely scattered houses and a sign informing us about the distances to Ustroń and Wołosate (red trail), as well as Rzeszów and Grybów (blue trail). The route leads over exposed terrain. Between trees and an hour after leaving Hańczowa, we then reach the next trail junction.
If you feel up to it, the weather is good and it’s early, then, instead of returning directly to Wysowa, you can head straight ahead to ascend Stożek and Ostry Wierch (along the yellow trail) and then follow the border through Cigielka (red signs) to the green trail, which will lead you to the centre of Wysowa.
This option is 3 hours 15 minutes, compared to approximately 1 hour 45 minutes for the basic route.
Taking the ‘straight’ road to Wysowa, we keep to the blue trail and turn left. After a few dozen metres, on the right, are the remains of a cemetery, near which an Orthodox church used to stand, and a little further on (on the left) are old wooden buildings documenting the pre-war splendour of the village. For about 45 minutes, we laboriously climb to the Hutniańska Pass. Benches and a table are waiting for us there. It’s worth resting here after the hardships of the ascent and looking at the beautiful panorama. From here, the trail only goes downhill. After 1.5 hours from setting off from Ropki, we arrive at the wooden Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Assumption in Wysowa. Its architecture draws on the traditional religious buildings of the region. It was built in the 1930s, with the increasing number of health resort patients coming to Wysowa in mind.
Looking to the right, we’ll see the car park from which we began our trek. We can think of a tasty meal to replenish the calories burned. In order to do so, we suggest looking into one of the inns (right next to the car park, opposite each other) serving, among other things, regional dishes.
After a rest, we suggest another leisurely stroll through the health resort park, another tasting of Wysowa mineral waters and quiet relaxation.
