Skrajna Turnia

Skrajna Turnia (Slovak Krajná kopa, German Randturm, «Edge Tower») is a 2097 m summit, the first from the west on the ridge of the High Tatras. It lies between the Liliowe pass, which separates the High Tatras from the Western Tatras, and the Skrajna Przełęcz; further east follow Pośrednia Turnia and Świnica. The Polish–Slovak border runs over the top. The upper station of the Kasprowy Wierch cable car is about 1.5 km away, Zakopane almost 9 km in a straight line.

The mountain is built of granitoids; as early as 1850 Ludwik Zejszner wrote that it «lies in the middle of the Tatra range and forms the petrographic boundary of the granite». On the Polish side it drops in walls up to 270 m high towards Zielony Staw Gąsienicowy, while on the Slovak side it descends by a relatively gentle grassy slope, where two spurs separate the Walentkowa valley from the main Tichá valley.

How to get there / trails

The red trail from the Kościeliska valley over the Czerwone Wierchy, Kasprowy Wierch, Liliowe and Świnicka Przełęcz to Świnica and on towards the Orla Perć follows the main ridge. It does not cross the summit itself but traverses its southern slopes on the Slovak side; the highest point is about 25 m from the path. From Kasprowy Wierch to Świnica takes about 1 h 40 min (1 h 20 min back). Thanks to the Kasprowy cable car this section is very busy. Note that since 2021 the Zawrat – Świnica section has been one-way (towards Świnica only), so hikers return from Świnica via Świnicka Przełęcz past Skrajna Turnia.

The view from the top

From around the summit you look south to Walentkowy Wierch, the Hrubý ridge and Kriváň, north into the Gąsienicowa valley with its lakes and west to the Western Tatras. The summit itself, together with Pośrednia Turnia, is well seen from Hala Gąsienicowa, the Murowaniec hut and Kościelec.

Nature and history

Highlanders climbed the summit long ago. Stanisław Staszic probably reached it around 1805, and Eugeniusz Janota and companions certainly did on 16 July 1867. The first recorded winter ascent was by Mychajło Bojczuk and Mariusz Zaruski in 1904. Rare plants found here include the spring pasque flower, Agrostis alpina, Erigeron hungaricus and Carpathian everlasting.

Safety, season and rules

This is genuine high-mountain terrain: thunderstorms on the open ridge are dangerous, and from autumn to spring there is snow, ice and avalanche risk. In both national parks — TPN and TANAP — walking is allowed on marked trails only; on the Slovak side TANAP high-mountain trails are closed from 1 November to 31 May, so check the parks' current notices before setting out. Entry to the Polish park is paid. Rescue: in Poland TOPR (985 or +48 601 100 300), in Slovakia HZS (18 300 or +421 18 300); emergency number 112.

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