Macelak

Macelak is an 857 m summit, the second highest in the Czorsztyn Pieniny after Nowa Góra. It lies on the main ridge of the Pieniny Proper, in the Pieniny National Park, about 3 km west of Trzy Korony. The Dunajec gorge lies to the south-east and the Krośnica valley to the north; Macelak rises roughly 400 m above the Dunajec valley. The nearest villages are Hałuszowa (about 1.7 km) and Sromowce Wyżne (about 2 km); Czorsztyn is about 4.4 km away.

Administratively the mountain belongs to the former village of Tylka, now part of Krościenko nad Dunajcem (Nowy Targ County, Lesser Poland).

How to get there / routes

The blue Main Pieniny Trail follows the ridge of the Czorsztyn Pieniny: from Czorsztyn via the Osice pass, the slopes of Macelak, the Trzy Kopce pass and the Szopka pass to Trzy Korony, and on via Zamkowa Góra, Czerteż and Sokolica to Szczawnica. Note that the trail does not reach the summit itself but skirts it on the south side. Another marked path climbs from the raft harbour at Kąty (Sromowce Wyżne) to the Trzy Kopce pass, about 370 m from the summit.

Sources give no official walking time to Macelak itself; it combines best with a hike to Trzy Korony from Czorsztyn or Sromowce.

What you can see from the summit

The summit is now completely forested, so it offers no panorama. The ridge of the Czorsztyn Pieniny, however, is partly covered with meadows, and open spots give views of the Tatras, the Gorce, the Beskid Wyspowy, the Sądecki Beskid and Babia Góra. From the meadows around Macelak you also see neighbouring Nowa Góra and the Trzy Korony massif.

Nature and history

The name Macelak is old – it already appears on maps from 1822. In 1881 Bronisław Gustawicz described the summit as grassy, sparsely grown with spruce and hazel, dropping steeply to the south and surrounded by beautiful glades to the west, north and east. Forest has since taken over the top, but many glades remain lower down.

These meadows were created by people – by mowing and grazing – yet they are the key element of the landscape and flora of the massif. Their species composition is very rich: up to 50 species of vascular plants per square metre. Typical are common bent, alpine meadow-grass, yellow oat-grass and the burnt orchid. Oxlip flowers in early spring and autumn crocus in autumn. Rarities for Poland include woolly thistle, fly orchid, Carduus collinus and dyer's woodruff, and in 2016 the protected rare moss Abietinella abietina was found here. Warmth-loving insects live on the open sunny slopes.

A legend links Macelak with treasure supposedly hidden in a sinkhole called the “Golden Well”.

Safety, season and rules

Macelak lies in the Pieniny National Park. Entry to the park is free (fees are charged only for the viewing platforms on Trzy Korony and Sokolica), but the rules are strict: walk only on marked trails, do not step onto meadows or rocks, stay in the park only in daytime – from an hour before sunrise to an hour after sunset – and do not bring dogs, fly drones, camp or light fires. The southern slopes of the ridge are steep and rocky and the path is slippery after rain. Do not linger on open meadows in a thunderstorm.

The Pieniny are covered by the Podhale group of the mountain rescue service GOPR (stations in Szczawnica and Krościenko): call 985 or +48 601 100 300, or 112; installing the «Ratunek» app is recommended.

Interesting facts

• The marked trail skirts Macelak's summit on the south, so the forested top is best admired from the glades.
• The meadows of Macelak are among the most species-rich in the Pieniny – up to 50 plant species per square metre.

Photos: Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 3.0; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons.