Wodospad Magurski (Magura Waterfall)

Wodospad Magurski (Magura Waterfall) is a rock step about 7 m high in the forest above the village of Folusz, on the edge of Magura National Park in the Low Beskids (Beskid Niski). Polish Wikipedia calls it the largest waterfall of the Low Beskids. It lies at about 510 m in the Dębowiec commune of Jasło County, by the point where the green trail enters the park, and it is the fourth stop of the Folusz nature trail.

The Magura National Park guidebook explains how it formed. A nameless stream rising from a spring higher up the slope spent years washing out soft layers of shale and cutting itself a bed. The bed deepened downstream, and this erosion slowly crept upward towards the spring until the water exposed hard Magura sandstones that it could not destroy. Below them it kept removing softer rock — and so a tall rock step appeared. Below the waterfall the stream has carved a deep V-shaped valley with steep sides, and a little further on the bed bends — here you can see the water undercutting softer ground sideways.

The character of the waterfall depends on the season. Most of the time the water only trickles quietly down the steep wall, while at high water, most often in spring, it falls in a strong jet into the valley several metres deep. In a drought little more than a wet rock may remain — the park's guidebook even shows a photo of it "during a drought".

What to see and do

• The sandstone rock step above a deep forest valley — most impressive in spring when the snow melts and after long rain.
• The Folusz nature trail: 4 km with 12 stops about the Carpathian beech forest, fir, a spring zone, dead wood, the Magura Wątkowska strict reserve and local history; the lowest point is 399 m, the highest 570 m, and the park suggests about 2 hours for the whole route.
• The Diabli Kamień ("Devil's Stone") rocks at the end of the trail — six blocks of coarse Magura sandstone up to 15 m high; a local legend says devils were carrying the boulder to crush the church in Cieklin but dropped it when the cock crowed.
• The remains of a water-powered sawmill on the Kłopotnica stream: built in the early 20th century to a design by Władysław Szaynok, with an overshot wheel 5.8 m in diameter; it worked until the 1950s.

How to get there

Folusz lies by regional road 993 Gorlice – Dukla. A green trail leads from the village to the waterfall — a short forest walk, about 20 minutes according to Polish Wikipedia, so it suits families with children (the path is not meant for prams). The waterfall is the start of the Folusz nature trail, and the Filipovske Sedlo – Folusz trail from the Slovak side of the border ends in the village. The park has a car park by the campfire and day-rest sites in Folusz; tickets are sold by agents at the trail entrance in Folusz, online or at the park's centre in Krempna.

Season and safety

From 1 May to 31 October entry to Magura National Park is paid: as of October 2026 a ticket costs 10 zł, reduced 5 zł (reductions for pupils, students under 26, pensioners and residents of the surrounding communes). In winter entry is free. Dogs may not be brought into the park (assistance dogs excepted). Walk only on marked trails, do not litter, pick plants or disturb animals. The stones by the water and the clay slopes of the valley are slippery, especially in spring; the park advises against walking in the forest during storms and strong wind. GOPR mountain rescue: 985 or 601 100 300.

Nearby

A few kilometres away, in Bartne, stands the Church Museum of Saints Cosmas and Damian. Other well-known waterfalls of the Polish Beskids are Sopotnia Wielka Falls and the waterfall on the Mosorny Potok below Babia Góra.

Official website: mpn.gov.pl

Photos: Korona b, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Magurski Park Narodowy (fot. Sławomir Basista), official website.