Queen of the Beskids
Babia Góra is a short, isolated ridge, only about 10 km long, between the Skawica valley in Poland and the Orava region of Slovakia. From the north it looks like a wall of scree gullies, landslide hollows and dwarf pine, with slopes of up to 70°; from the south it is a broad, gentle dome. The highest point, Diablak, sits on the main crest, which carries the European watershed: rain on the northern slopes reaches the Baltic through the Vistula, rain on the southern slopes the Black Sea through the Orava and the Danube. The border follows the crest from the west as far as Diablak; the eastern arm, with Gówniak (1,617 m), Kępa (1,521 m) and Sokolica (1,367 m), lies entirely in Poland.
The 1,723 m on our card is the rounded survey figure of 1,722.9 m; many maps print 1,725 m, and recent Polish and Slovak laser scans give 1,723.6–1,723.8 m. With a prominence of about 1,075 m, Babia Góra is the second most prominent mountain in Poland after Śnieżka. The name "Queen of the Beskids" dates from the 19th century; hikers also know it as the Mother of Bad Weather and Kapryśnica, and people in Orava have lately begun to call it their Holy Mountain.
Where it is and how to get there
The northern slopes belong to Zawoja, at about 18 km the longest village in Poland; the national park headquarters and exhibition are in Zawoja Markowa. Kraków is the nearest large city and international airport. Regional road 957 runs through Zawoja and over Krowiarki pass (about 1,000 m) to Zubrzyca Górna and Jabłonka in Polish Orava. It is the highest road pass in the Western Beskids and the busiest trailhead, with a ticket point, a buffet and a paid car park.
Other trailheads are the park car park in Zawoja Markowa (since 1 September 2025: 15 zł for the first hour, 5 zł for each further hour, 30 zł for over 5 hours) and Stańcowa near Przywarówka in Lipnica Wielka on the southern side. In Slovakia the climb starts from Oravská Polhora, the country's northernmost village, and the old spa of Slaná Voda (about 750 m).
Routes to the summit
Apart from the Perć Akademików, no route involves scrambling, but the upper sections cross open, rocky ground exposed to wind.
- From Krowiarki (red, Main Beskid Trail). The shortest and busiest way: 4.6 km and about 700 m of ascent, roughly 2 h 30 min up and 1 h 15–30 min down. A steep climb through forest leads to Sokolica, the first big viewpoint; the route then follows the bare crest over Kępa and Gówniak to the summit.
- From Zawoja Markowa via Markowe Szczawiny. The green trail climbs 3.6 km to the hut at 1,180 m in about 1 h 20 min; the red trail then goes up through the Przełęcz Brona saddle (1,408 m) to the summit, 3.1 km, about 1 h 30 min.
- Perć Akademików (yellow). The hardest trail in the Western Beskids, marked in 1925. It leaves the Górny Płaj path near the hut and climbs the steep northern face: about 3 km and 1 h 30 min from the hut. Chains and iron rungs protect the rock steps; the crux, Czarny Dziób, is an 8 m vertical step at about 1,540 m. The trail is ascent only, and its upper part is closed in winter by park order, depending on conditions.
- From the south (green, from Stańcowa). 4.5 km, about 2 h 30 min up and 1 h 15 min down, past the grave of four skiers who died in 1935, the ruins of the 1905 summit hut (now a viewing platform) and the Głodna Woda spring. Quieter than the northern routes; in thick fog the section above the ruins is hard to follow.
- From Slovakia. The yellow trail from Slaná Voda is just under 9 km with more than 1,000 m of ascent, about 3 h 30 min up. The red trail over Malá Babia hora (1,515 m) and the Brona saddle is about 1.5 km longer but gentler and more shaded.
A favourite loop links Krowiarki, Sokolica, Diablak, Przełęcz Brona, Markowe Szczawiny and the Górny Płaj back to Krowiarki: about 5–6 hours. Górny Płaj is a 19th-century Habsburg hunting path across the whole northern side that gains only 180 m. Its 6.3 km section from Krowiarki to the hut (about 2 h) was adapted for wheelchair users in 2025, with roofed shelters roughly every 2 km.
Huts and shelters
There is no hut on the summit. The PTTK hut Markowe Szczawiny (1,180 m), about 1 h 30 min below Diablak, is the only staffed hut on the Polish side. The first hut here, opened in 1906 on the initiative of the botanist Hugo Zapałowicz, was the first Polish hut in the Western Beskids; the present building dates from 2009. Beds range from a 21-bed attic dormitory (about 70–80 zł on the current price list) to doubles with bathroom (130–150 zł per person). The buffet is open 8:00–20:00, a self-catering kitchen offers free boiling water around the clock, and crampons, snowshoes and avalanche kits can be hired. Next door are a GOPR rescue station and a small museum of mountain tourism.
Higher up there are only roofed shelters and, on Diablak, a stone wall that gives some protection from the wind. The old summit hut at about 1,616 m, built by the German Beskidenverein in 1905, burned down in 1949. On the Slovak side the Chata Slaná voda lodge (about 750 m) stands at the start of the trails. Camping is forbidden in the park except at a designated campsite in Zawoja Policzne.
Tickets and park rules (as of 2026)
Since 2022 every visitor to Babia Góra National Park needs a ticket, whichever trail they take. Under the 2026 park regulations a one-day ticket costs 10 zł, or 5 zł for pupils, students, pensioners, people with disabilities and serving soldiers; children under 7 enter free. Tickets are sold online, via QR codes at the trail entrances and at the information points at Krowiarki, Zawoja Markowa and Przywarówka, and are valid for the day of purchase.
Walking is allowed only on marked trails. Dogs are banned (assistance dogs excepted), drones need the director's permission, and organised groups must be led by a park-licensed guide, at most 30 people per guide. The Slovak slopes lie outside the national park, in the Horná Orava Protected Landscape Area, where the summit zone is strictly protected and you must also stay on the trails.
When to go and weather
Babia Góra stands on the northern edge of the Carpathian arc and is the first to catch damp Atlantic winds. The result is fog, frequent rain and sudden changes of weather. The mean annual temperature on the summit is around 0 °C, and snow can lie for more than 200 days a year. Inversions are common: on clear mornings a sea of fog fills the Orava basin, with the Tatras rising above it, and sunrises from Diablak are famous, especially in July.
The hiking season runs from late spring to autumn. Summer brings the most visitors and afternoon thunderstorms, so start early. In autumn the Perć Akademików stays open until the weather makes it dangerous. In winter the summit is a serious objective, with blizzards, ice on the crest and avalanche danger on some slopes. When there is enough snow, the park opens marked ski-touring routes, announced in advance.
Water
The only reliable source above the hut is Głodna Woda, the highest permanent spring in the massif, about 100 m below the summit beside the green trail from the south. It flows all year at 2–3 °C. On the northern side you can buy drinks at Markowe Szczawiny and at the Krowiarki buffet; the crest route from Krowiarki has no water. Carry 1–1.5 litres, more in summer, and treat spring water before drinking.
Mobile coverage and emergency numbers
On the open crest and the summit there is usually a signal, though near the border your phone may switch to a Slovak network; in the forest on the northern slopes it can drop out. In Poland the mountain rescue service GOPR answers on 985 or 601 100 300, and its free Ratunek app sends your position with the call. The general emergency number is 112. On the Slovak side, call the Mountain Rescue Service (HZS) on 18 300.
Dangers and safety
Babia Góra is not technically hard, but its weather has caused many accidents, some fatal. On the night of 14–15 February 1935 four skiers lost their way in a blizzard during a ski rally and froze to death near the summit hut. In May 2016 a hiker was killed by lightning while descending ahead of a storm. Turn back before the weather breaks, tell someone your route, and carry warm clothes and a headlamp even on a sunny day. The GOPR station at Markowe Szczawiny is staffed day and night all year.
History and legends of the name
The chronicler Jan Długosz described "Baba góra, very high, rich in various herbs" around 1468. Legends explain the name in different ways: a giant old woman (baba) emptied a heap of stones in front of her cottage, or a robber's lover turned to stone with grief at his death. Scholars have also linked it to a Slavic mother goddess, or simply to the squat outline of a seated woman. Diablak, the name of the summit, comes from the tale of a devil who built a castle here for a robber. The castle collapsed at cock-crow and buried the robber, whose axe can supposedly still be heard ringing under the boulders during storms.
Stanisław Staszic climbed from Orava in 1804, and in 1806 the Palatine of Hungary, Archduke Joseph, visited the summit; the Hungarian obelisk that marks his visit dates from 1876. In 1894 the Beskidenverein marked the first trail, from Polhora on the then-Hungarian side, and on 6 January 1906 its members made the first known ski ascent. Lenin visited in 1912. In 1938 the student Karol Wojtyła, later Pope John Paul II, worked on the road to Krowiarki, and he came back to the Babia Góra trails many times.
Nature: a biosphere reserve
The first reserve on the mountain was created in 1933 and Babia Góra National Park in 1954; in 1976 it became one of the first UNESCO biosphere reserves in the world. Its pride is a complete sequence of mountain vegetation belts: mixed forest up to about 1,150 m, spruce to about 1,350 m, dwarf pine to about 1,650 m and, above that, the only natural alpine belt in the Beskids. About 650 species of vascular plants grow here, among them the alpine mouse-ear, which in Poland grows only on Babia Góra. Brown bears, wolves and lynx live in the forests, and the park is the only place in Poland where the garden dormouse occurs.
Interesting facts
- On a very clear day you can see Kraków from Diablak, and occasionally even the Jasna Góra monastery in Częstochowa.
- Diabla Koleba, a 4 m cave at 1,710 m in the summit dome, is the highest cave in the Western Beskids.
FAQ
How high is Babia Góra? 1,723 m (1,722.9 m in the older survey; many maps give 1,725 m). It is the highest peak of the Western Beskids and the highest in Poland outside the Tatras.
How long does it take to climb Babia Góra? About 2 h 30 min up and 1 h 30 min down from Krowiarki pass. A loop via Markowe Szczawiny takes 5–6 hours; the climb from Slovakia takes about 3 h 30 min up.
How difficult is it? From Krowiarki it is a steep but non-technical hike with about 700 m of ascent. The Perć Akademików has chains, iron rungs and an 8 m rock step and is for ascent only.
Do I need a ticket? Yes, on the Polish side: as of 2026 a one-day park ticket costs 10 zł (5 zł reduced, free under 7), sold online, via QR codes at the trail entrances and at the information points.
Are there huts on Babia Góra? Not on the summit. The PTTK hut Markowe Szczawiny (1,180 m), about 1 h 30 min below Diablak, has beds, meals and free boiling water. On the Slovak side, Chata Slaná voda (about 750 m) stands at the trailhead.
Is there water on the way? Only at the Głodna Woda spring below the summit on the southern side, and at the hut and Krowiarki buffet. Carry 1–1.5 litres.
Is there mobile phone coverage? Usually on the crest and summit, sometimes via a Slovak network. GOPR rescue: 985 or 601 100 300; Slovak HZS: 18 300; emergency: 112.
When is the best time to climb Babia Góra? From late spring to autumn, starting early to avoid afternoon storms. In winter the summit is exposed to blizzards and avalanches.