Zielony Staw Gąsienicowy

Zielony Staw Gąsienicowy, or simply Zielony Staw (the Green Tarn), is a glacial lake in the High Tatras at 1,672 m. It lies in a glacial cirque below Skrajna Turnia, in Dolina Zielona Gąsienicowa — the western part of Dolina Gąsienicowa in the Tatra National Park (TPN), not far from Zakopane. It is the largest lake of this valley and the eighth largest in the Polish Tatras: 3.84 ha (275 × 238 m) according to Witold Henryk Paryski's guidebook, 3.76 ha on a 2004 satellite image; it is 15.1 m deep.

The lake owes its name to its colour: with very little plankton, the water is light green and exceptionally clear — you can see down to about 10 m. It was once called Suczy Staw (the Bitch's Tarn): according to local tradition, a vicious dog that maimed sheep was drowned here. Zielony Staw belongs to the Gąsienicowe Stawy, the most numerous group of lakes in the Polish Tatras: 19 of the 21 lakes of Dolina Gąsienicowa lie in the Green Valley, with smaller ones higher up — Długi Staw, Kurtkowiec with its islet, Dwoisty Staw. The Sucha Woda stream flows out of Zielony Staw; along much of its course its water disappears under the boulders. The lake freezes in October–November and thaws in May–June.

Zielony Staw has its own history. In 1896 the Tatra Society built a wooden shelter for tourists on the northern shore, but snow destroyed it in 1907. The lake was stocked with fish as early as 1909, and young brook trout were released again in 1949; once the fish had eaten up the plankton, most of them died. Today the rare (in the Carpathians) Lachenal's sedge grows on its shores.

What to see and do

• The lake against the main ridge — Kasprowy Wierch and Świnica rise above the water, with the sharp Kościelec to the east.
• The view from above — from Kasprowy Wierch and the slopes above the lake you can see how Zielony Staw and the smaller tarns are scattered among the dwarf pine.
• A walk through the valley — from the Murowaniec hut the path across Roztoka Stawiańska passes the lake; you can continue to Świnicka Przełęcz.

How to get there

The starting point is Kuźnice in Zakopane. Take the blue trail via Boczań and Skupniów Upłaz, or the yellow trail through the Jaworzynka valley, to the PTTK Murowaniec hut on Hala Gąsienicowa (1,500 m) — about 2 h up and 1 h 35 min down by the signposts. Alternatively, take the black trail up the Sucha Woda valley from Brzeziny on the road to Morskie Oko: about 2 hours according to TPN. From Murowaniec follow the yellow trail towards Kasprowy Wierch, and at the junction the black trail Hala Gąsienicowa – Świnicka Przełęcz, which runs right by the shore. By the official times the junction is roughly half an hour from the hut. You can also come down from Kasprowy Wierch on the Kasprowy Wierch – Murowaniec Hut trail (1 h 05 min to the hut). This is a proper mountain hike of 5–6 hours there and back on rocky paths with more than 650 m of ascent: fine for experienced school-age children, not for prams.

Season and safety

The lake is in the Tatra National Park, so you need a TPN entry ticket: 11 zł, reduced 5.50 zł, 7-day 55 zł, children under 7 free (as of October 2026; sold at the entry points, online at tpn.gov.pl or via QR codes at the entrances). From 1 March to 30 November walking on the trails between dusk and dawn is prohibited. Swimming, washing or rinsing dishes in Tatra lakes is not allowed — they supply drinking water to the huts and are home to rare animals. Dogs are not allowed in TPN (except on Droga pod Reglami and in Dolina Chochołowska), drones are banned and camping is forbidden. The best time is June to October. As of 26 October 2026 TPN warns of fresh snow above the tree line; in winter Dolina Gąsienicowa is avalanche terrain — check the TOPR avalanche bulletin. TOPR mountain rescue: 985 or 601 100 300.

Nearby

• Czarny Staw Gąsienicowy — the largest and deepest (51 m) lake of the valley, behind the Kościelec ridge.
• Kasprowy Wierch — the summit with a weather station above the valley.
• Zmarzły Staw Gąsienicowy — a small high tarn below Kozia Przełęcz.
• Świnica — the highest summit above the valley, 2,302 m.

Official website: tpn.gov.pl

Photos: Faxe, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Opioła Jerzy, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Raki_Man, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Rafik k, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Michał Rafał Stefański, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.