Babia Góra - the queen of the Beskids. Trails to Diablak

Babia Góra, or Diablak, with an altitude of 1725 m above sea level, is the highest peak of the Żywiec Beskidsand the entire Polish Beskids. That is why she is often called the Queen of the Beskids. After the Tatras, it is the highest peak in Poland and, of course, it belongs to the Crown of Polish Mountains! It clearly stands out among the surrounding elevations, because it is the most outstanding peak in Poland after Śnieżka!

The uniqueness of Babia Góra is determined, among others, by the alpine landscape, not found elsewhere in the Beskids. With rhizomes and pigeons. You can see it very well and nicely by following the easiest and shortest red trail from Krowiarka Pass, from Sokolica, through Kępa and Gówniak. Here you will meet the richness of nature unique in Poland. And when the weather hits, the views will spread you over the shoulders. The view of the Tatras compensates for the effort that must be put into getting it. In addition, Diablak is a wonderful place for sunrises - the space is breathtaking!

Trails to Babia Góra

• Green trail from Zawoja Markowa to the PTTK Markowe Szczawiny shelter, about 1.5 hours, then along the yellow or red trail
• Red Main Beskid Trail from Markowe Szczawiny (PTTK shelter) to the top of Babia Góra, through the Brona Pass (1408 m above sea level), about 2 hours (including Zawoja Markowa is 3.5 hours to Babia Góra)
• Yellow trail from Markowe Szczawiny (PTTK hostel) - the so-called Perć Akademików na Diablak - the most difficult trail, but also the most interesting, for experienced tourists, it is recommended to move only up, and return by another selected route
• Red trail from the Krowiarki Pass to Diablak through Sokolica (1367 m above sea level), Kępa (1521 m above sea level) and Gówniak (1617 m above sea level). The fastest trail, quite laborious to Sokolica, but then pleasant and scenic. Recommended for families with children, because the shortest and easiest
• The blue trail from the Krowiarki Pass and further on, either the green trail Perć Przyrodników to the red trail (slightly above Sokolica), or the yellow trail Perć Akademików to Babia, or the red trail through Markowe Szczawiny and to Babia, this route is longer but easier.

Our route to Babia Góra along the red trail from Krowiarki

We climbed to Babia Góra by the shortest and easiest red trail from the Krowiarka Pass (PLN 20 parking lot, PLN 7 National Park entrance ticket). The trail to Sokolica is quite tedious, quite steep and not very scenic. Above, it is already beautiful and flattened. Babia Góra showed us her royal capriciousness in all its glory. The weather was changing like in a kaleidoscope. We have not admired such a rushing fog for a long time. Despite not the best weather, some tourists passed through the peak, but there were also moments that we were almost alone 🙂 The whole famous Babia Góra for us!
We were going back down the same trail, because it was the fastest, and they announced rainfall. Therefore, we did not want to unnecessarily extend the route.

There are no restaurants, hostels, bars or toilets on this route. Only at the Krowiarki Pass there is a ticket office with Tourist Information. Before it, you can buy, for example, a magnet or a souvenir in the season. So it is worth taking a roller and water with you, because the route is not quite short.

Route to Diablak from Krowiarek in numbers

- in total we covered over 9 km
- we walked the entire route in just over 3 hours (1.45 to the top, although according to the signs it was 2.30)
- we took 16,000 steps
- parking costs PLN 20 for the whole day
- entrance ticket to the National Park PLN 7, only later we learned that we bought unnecessarily, because there are no fees with the Large Family Card

Check out our trekking to Snowdon - the highest peak in Wales.
Check out our trekking on Scafell Pike - England's highest peak

Route to Babia Góra from Krowiarek marked on the map

Below we have shown you our route on a map - the red trail from Krowiarek to Babia Góra and back.

Legends about Babia Góra

I will tell you where the name Babia Góra came from. One of the legends tells of the mistress of a local robber, who petrified at the news of the death of her beloved. Another says that it was a giant woman who once poured stones near her hut. Or maybe it is necessary to believe that in the nearby caves the robbers hid their gates.

Have you heard of another name for this summit? Sounds Diablak, because apparently the devil himself once built a castle for one farmer here on top. The deal was that if he finished it before crowing the rooster, the landlord would give him his soul. When the building was almost completed, the clever farmer squeezed the rooster so tightly that it crowed loudly into the sky. The furious devil turned the unfinished castle into rubble in one swing, burying the clever highlander.

Night expedition and sunrise on Babia Góra

It is the summer of 2000, or more precisely, Corpus Christi. We are practicing in Zawoja, at the foot of the Żywiec Beskids and its highest, famous peak, Babia (1725 m above sea level). The best will come at night, but let's start from the beginning.

In the morning, as usual on every holiday, we go to church. We get up early and leave without breakfast so as not to lose a beautiful day. For me, this does not turn out to be the best solution, because in the church I fall like a log on a marble floor. I bounced around a bit, like when I fainted, but the whole day spent sunbathing on a crisp mountain stream restored my strength.

In the evening, we light a fire, but somehow the party does not stick. After a day of lazing around, you'd like to do something more than just sit around the campfire. Well, around 11.30 pm, I find that nothing will happen today and I go to the shower with my friend (of course separately).

Suddenly, Marcin walks into a large girls' bathroom and asks: is Ania here? Shouting the general hum and panic of other ladies, I call out that I am here. In response, I hear: there is a plan - we are going to Babia. And yet, finally! Only Marcin could come up with it, and that's good. As he has already been to the famous Diablak, I do not feel worried. We quickly jump out of the shower and go get ready. So we pack a flashlight in our backpack, something to drink and get going.

We leave around 1.00 am. First we go in a loose group through Zawoja Widły, then we turn along the green trail towards Zawoja Markowa. When the buildings run out, we grab flashlights and enter the natural world of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, which now seems even more wild and inaccessible. Already on the first attempt, the loose group transforms into a string, whose beads move further and further away from each other over time and height.

Marcin is driving, and right behind him I follow, not seeing anything else but them. This is how it stays until the end and in this composition, without stops, we reach the shelter in Markowe Szczawiny. Well, unfortunately, we are not able to see much in this darkness, so we move on, this time along the red trail through the Harrow Pass (1408 m above sea level) to Diablak itself.

At a lethal pace, overcoming a steep approach, a little after 3.00 am, we stand at the top of Babia Góra (1725 m above sea level). A wonderful experience, we enjoy this feeling and the only thing we lack for happiness is a beautiful panorama, which is usually visible here, but not this time. Well, we, on the other hand, see a view that others will not experience on Babia. Lying on the grass and waiting for the rest, we admire the incredibly starry sky.

Once everyone has come and enjoyed the moment, we move down, this time the impressive and difficult at the same time yellow Percja Akademików to the hostel, and then again along the green trail. Just below the top, we come across a Chapel with a statue of Our Lady of Fatima. Already on Babia, we are in the dawn, and on the way back, the sunrise appears. It's a really amazing feeling. What a pity that I did not have a digital camera yet and I only took a few uninteresting photos. On the other hand, the memories of this unusual adventure will remain forever. We arrive at the resort in full sunlight, at the moment when the world was waking up, but we went for a short, though really deserved rest.

See our text Mountains in Poland. The most beautiful peaks

Capricious Babia Góra

Babia Góra is quite a difficult peak. The trails here are steep (the easiest is the red one from the Krowiarka Pass), and it is worth protecting yourself from the cold and rain and getting the right shoes. And this is because Babia Góra is capricious, known for the extraordinary chimerical weather! It can change in a moment. And this is diametrically speaking, what is worth being prepared for. Despite this, Babia Góra, or Devil's Peak, is very popular among tourists. This is one of the most visited peaks in Małopolska!

Babia Góra National Park and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

Due to the valuable nature and the uniqueness of the entire Babia Góra massif, since 1955 this massif has been protected by the Babia Góra National Park (paid entrance). In addition, in 1977 this area gained the status of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Video from the foggy expedition to Babia Góra

When we reached the peak in the summer of 2022, the weather was not very kind and it gave us wide panoramas. Nevertheless, the expedition was very successful, because the surrounding and boiling clouds created an unusual atmosphere. Anyway, see for yourself!

Accommodation

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Practical information

All year round 24/7
tickets: admission to the Babia Góra National Park - PLN 7
with the Large Family Card free of charge

Babia Góra
Zawoja

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What's worth seeing in the area?

You don't have to travel far to find more interesting places. Within a radius of 100 kilometers, there are many attractions waiting for you that will certainly enrich your stay Your trip with additional memories.

• Castle in Żywiec, distance: 27  km
• Kapias Gardens in Goczałkowice Zdrój, distance: 58.8  km
• Rysy, distance: 59.6  km
• Wawel Castle in Kraków, distance: 61  km
• Kazimierz in Kraków, distance: 61.2  km
• Krakowskie valleys, distance: 68.4  km
• Ojców National Park, distance: 72.7  km
• Gródek Park in Jaworzno, distance: 74.2  km
• Błędowska Desert, distance: 84.8  km
• Eagle's Nest Trail, distance: 97.9  km