Gąsienicowe Ponds: Długi, Kurtkowiec, Dwoisty

The Gąsienicowe Ponds (Gąsienicowe Stawy) are the largest group of lakes in a single valley of the Polish Tatras. They are scattered across Dolina Gąsienicowa in the High Tatras, in the Tatra National Park (TPN) above Zakopane. The biggest ones already have their own pages — Czarny Staw Gąsienicowy and Zielony Staw Gąsienicowy; this page covers the smaller lakes of the western part, Dolina Zielona Gąsienicowa, which walkers see from the trails to Świnica and Kościelec. Guidebooks usually speak of 21 ponds, but these figures come from pre-war surveys: newer aerial images show that some ponds have dried up and others have shrunk.

All the ponds are of glacial origin and mostly lie in glacial cirques; some fill hollows between ridges of boulders and scree. The most important are:

• Długi Staw Gąsienicowy — 1,783 m, below the western slopes of Kościelec; according to W. H. Paryski's guide 1.58 ha (254 × 100 m) and 10.6 m deep, the third largest and deepest in the valley. Highlanders called it Kuklaty Staw.
• Kurtkowiec — 1,686 m, 1.56 ha including its islet, 4.8 m deep. The 0.067 ha islet, covered with dwarf mountain pine, lies at 1,689 m — the highest island in Poland.
• Dwoisty Staw — 1,657 m, two neighbouring ponds (1.41 and 0.9 ha). Their water level varies by more than 8 m: in winter the water drains away under the ice, and in dry spells the ponds split into several smaller ones.
• Litworowy Staw — 1,618 m, a shallow (1.1 m) pond with a boggy bed that is slowly being overgrown by sedge; the name comes from the garden angelica (litwor) growing nearby.
• Czerwone Stawki — two tiny shallow ponds at about 1,694 m next to Kurtkowiec.

The Tatra ponds were naturally fishless. In the 1950s and 1960s they were stocked with trout, with harmful results: in 1882 the rare Arctic fairy shrimp Branchinecta paludosa was found in Dwoisty Staw — its only site in Poland — but TPN surveys in 1995–1996 showed it had disappeared, probably because of the trout. Lachenal's sedge, which in Poland grows only in the Tatras, occurs on the shores of Długi Staw, Kurtkowiec, Litworowy Staw and Czerwone Stawki; common frogs breed in Litworowy Staw and alpine newts live there.

What to see and do

• Kurtkowiec and its islet — the most photogenic spot of the group: the trail to Świnica runs along the moraine right between it and Zielony Staw.
• The view from above — on the climb to Świnicka Przełęcz and to the Karb pass you can see a dozen lakes glittering among dwarf pine and boulder fields; Dwoisty Staw is best seen from below the western slopes of Mały Kościelec.
• Autumn colours — in September the grass around the ponds turns russet and the water looks especially dark.

How to get there

The walk starts at Kuźnice in Zakopane: take the blue trail via Boczań or the yellow trail through the Jaworzynka valley to the PTTK Murowaniec hut on Hala Gąsienicowa — about 2 h up by the signposts. From Murowaniec follow the yellow trail towards Kasprowy Wierch and then the black trail Hala Gąsienicowa – Świnicka Przełęcz: 1 h (50 min down) to the junction of the blue and black trails by Kurtkowiec and Czerwone Stawki. The blue trail between Kurtkowiec and Czerwone Stawki climbs to the Karb pass (30 min) past Długi Staw, while the black trail continues past Litworowy Staw to Świnicka Przełęcz (55 min from the junction). You can also come down from Kasprowy Wierch on the route Kasprowy Wierch – Murowaniec Hut. This is a full-day mountain hike on rocky paths, not suitable for prams. There is no marked trail to Dwoisty Staw: it lies in a strict reserve and can only be viewed from a distance.

Season and safety

A TPN entry ticket is required: 11 zł, reduced 5.50 zł, 7-day 55 zł (as of October 2026; sold at park entrances, online at tpn.gov.pl and via QR codes). From 1 March to 30 November walking on TPN trails between dusk and dawn is prohibited. Swimming in the ponds is not allowed, dogs are not admitted to this part of the park, and drones and camping are banned. The best time is June to October. As of 30 October 2026 TPN warns of snow and ice above the tree line and avalanche danger — check the bulletin at lawiny.topr.pl. TOPR rescue: 985 or 601 100 300.

Nearby

• Zielony Staw Gąsienicowy — the largest lake of Dolina Zielona, behind the moraine from Kurtkowiec.
• Czarny Staw Gąsienicowy — the deepest (51 m) lake of the valley, beyond the Kościelec ridge.
• Świnica — the highest summit above the valley.
• Zmarzły Staw Gąsienicowy — a high mountain tarn below Kozia Przełęcz.

Official website: tpn.gov.pl

Photos: Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Rafał Kozubek, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Krzysztof Dudzik-Górnicki (User:ToSter), CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.