Mały Staw Polski

Mały Staw Polski, or simply Mały Staw, is a small glacial lake in the Valley of the Five Polish Ponds (Dolina Pięciu Stawów Polskich) in the High Tatras, in the Tatra National Park (TPN). It is called "Polish" to distinguish it from the Mały Staw on the Slovak side. The lake lies at 1,668 m below the slopes of Wyżnia Kopa, between Przedni Staw Polski and Wielki Staw Polski, literally a five-minute walk from the PTTK hut.

It is the smallest of the permanent lakes of the valley: according to the 1935 survey of the Military Geographical Institute, about 0.18 ha and 2.1 m deep. Its size, however, changes quickly with rainfall, and the depth varies from a few to a dozen or so centimetres. The bed is covered with a layer of dark silt. An intermittent stream flows through the lake, carrying surplus water from Przedni Staw to Wielki Staw. There are even smaller pools to the south, and in winter Mały Staw freezes to the bottom. The whole valley is a sickle-shaped glacial trough whose six lakes cover about 61 ha together.

Despite its modest size, Mały Staw is home to the alpine newt — the highest site of this amphibian in Poland. The wet meadows around it hold lush clumps of roseroot, bellflowers, monkshood and huge specimens of garden angelica.

Mały Staw is the cradle of tourism in the valley. In 1876 the Tatra Society built the first shelter on its shore, named after Ludwik Zejszner — a single stone room without bunks or a stove. In 1898 a second, wooden shelter moved from Czerwone Brzeżki was put up next to it. In 1924–1927 a larger hut named after Leopold Świerz was built on the moraine north-west of the lake (other sources say it opened in 1932); it burned down in May 1945. In 1946–1947 a small wooden hut was put up near the ruins; today it serves as a TPN ranger station, while the present hut of 1948–1953 stands by Przedni Staw.

What to see and do

• A quiet pool with a view of Wielki Staw — from the shore of Mały Staw you see the deepest lake of the Tatras with the massif of Kozi Wierch above it.
• The TPN ranger hut — a wooden cabin on the shore, the successor of the valley's first shelters.
• Flowering meadows — in July and August tall-herb communities bloom around the lake.
• The view from above — on the climb to Świstówka Roztocka you can see Mały Staw lying between its two big neighbours.

How to get there

The most popular start is the car park at Palenica Białczańska on the road to Morskie Oko; spaces at the TPN car parks in this area are booked online, and it is best to arrive before 8 a.m. Then walk along the road to Wodogrzmoty Mickiewicza, follow the green trail up the Roztoka valley past Wielka Siklawa Waterfall to Wielki Staw, and from there the blue trail past Mały and Przedni Staw to the hut. According to TPN, the loop Palenica – Five Ponds Valley – Świstówka – Morskie Oko – Palenica is 20 km long. From Wodogrzmoty Mickiewicza to Wielki Staw it takes 2 h 05 min (1 h 40 min down). You can also come from Morskie Oko via Świstówka on the route Hut in the Valley of Five Lakes – Hut at Morskie Oko: 2 h to the hut (1 h 40 min back). From Hala Gąsienicowa a trail leads here over the Zawrat pass — Przełęcz między Kopami – Zawrat – Five Polish Ponds Valley Hut (1 h 40 min from the hut up to Zawrat). This is a full-day mountain hike with more than 650 m of ascent; not suitable for prams.

Season and safety

A TPN entry ticket is required: 11 zł, reduced 5.50 zł, 7-day 55 zł (as of October 2026; at park entrances, online at tpn.gov.pl or via QR codes). From 1 March to 30 November walking on trails between dusk and dawn is prohibited. Swimming in Tatra lakes is not allowed, dogs are not admitted to this part of the park, and drones and camping are banned. In winter the green trail below Wielka Siklawa is closed because of avalanches, and avalanches also come down the gullies below Świstówka; as of 30 October 2026 TPN warns of snow, ice and avalanche danger above the tree line — check lawiny.topr.pl. TOPR rescue: 985 or 601 100 300.

Nearby

• Przedni Staw Polski — the lake with the PTTK hut, 200 m away.
• Wielki Staw Polski — the deepest lake of the Tatras (79.3 m).
• Wielka Siklawa Waterfall — the highest waterfall of the Polish Tatras, at the valley's mouth.
• Czarny Staw Polski — a lake higher up the valley, below Kozia Przełęcz.

Official website: tpn.gov.pl

Photos: Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Cybularny, CC0, Wikimedia Commons; Rafał Kozubek, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Krzysztof Dudzik-Górnicki (User:ToSter), CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.