Polana Strążyska

Polana Strążyska is a forest glade in the Strążyska Valley of the Western Tatras, about 2 km from the valley entrance on the edge of Zakopane, at 1,000–1,060 m. It lies on the flat valley floor where side gullies meet and is entirely within the Tatra National Park (TPN). Above the glade rises the north face of Giewont — one of the largest rock walls in this part of the Tatras, about 600 m high; the summit of Giewont with its metal cross of 1901 stands 860 m above the glade.

The glade was once mown and grazed: together with Hala Białe and Kalatówki it formed the joint Hala Giewont. Grazing was carried on from the 17th century by people from Szaflary, in the 18th century by farmers from Poronin, Maruszyna, Zubsuche, Olcza and Zakopane, and in the 20th century from Biały Dunajec and Leśnica. The pastoral past is recalled by listed shepherds' huts (the group is in the heritage register) and by patches of nettle and alpine dock which spread on the once-manured soil. Without grazing and mowing the glade is quickly overgrowing: in 1955 it covered about 4 ha, by 2004 it had shrunk by roughly 43%. Next to the huts lies a large limestone boulder nicknamed the Sphinx as early as the 19th century.

The Strążyska Valley is one of the most popular in the TPN, visited by about 300,000 people a year. The way to the glade leads through natural Carpathian beech forest in a strict protection zone, with beech, fir, spruce and sycamore. On the way you pass the Młyniska glade with a TPN forester's lodge, where sick birds and wild animals are sometimes treated, and a small pond where amphibians breed: on a rainy summer day you may spot a fire salamander here, and brown trout in the stream.

What to see and do

• The face of Giewont right above the glade — the best view is from the huts.
• The listed shepherds' huts and the Sphinx rock.
• Siklawica Waterfall — 300 m along the yellow path from the glade (15 minutes): the water falls in two cascades about 20 m high in total, freezes in winter and almost disappears in a dry autumn.
• A rest — the glade has a tourist buffet, benches with tables and a TOPR rescue point.

How to get there

The valley entrance (904 m) is at the end of Strążyska street in Zakopane; the "Droga pod Reglami" path also comes here. From the entrance the red trail Strążyska Valley – Przełęcz w Grzybowcu reaches the glade in 40 min (35 min back), and from the centre of Zakopane it takes about 1 h 30 min. The road is wide and surfaced with a gentle climb, so this is one of the easiest Tatra walks, suitable for children. From the glade you can continue: the black trail Przełęcz w Grzybowcu – Polana Strążyska – Hala Białe climbs 250 m to Czerwona Przełęcz (1,301 m) and Sarnia Skała (1,377 m) with a view of Giewont's north faces, then descends the Białego Valley to the Wielka Krokiew Ski Jump — the whole loop is 8.2 km, about 2 h up and 1 h 30 min down according to the TPN. The red trail also leads to Giewont — 2 h 35 min from the glade.

Season and safety

Entry to the TPN is paid: as of October 2026 a ticket costs 11 zł, reduced 5.50 zł, and children under 7 enter free; there is a ticket booth at the valley entrance. From 1 March to 30 November walking the trails between dusk and dawn is forbidden, and dogs are not allowed in the TPN. In winter the TPN closes, for nature protection, the section of the red trail to Giewont from Przełęcz w Grzybowcu to Wyżnia Kondracka Przełęcz (in the 2025/26 season from 1 December to 15 May); the glade itself can be visited all year. The TOPR rescue number is 601 100 300 or 985.

Nearby

Above the glade rises Giewont, and via Czerwona Przełęcz and Hala Białe you can walk to Kalatówki Glade and on to Hala Kondratowa.

Official website: tpn.gov.pl

Photos: Aneta Pawska, CC BY-SA 3.0 pl, Wikimedia Commons; Cybularny, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Andrzej Otrębski, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Adrian Tync, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.