Zmarzły Staw Gąsienicowy

Zmarzły Staw Gąsienicowy (the Frozen Tarn), sometimes called Zmarzły Staw pod Zawratem, is a small tarn in the High Tatras at 1,788 m. It lies in a rocky cirque below the wall of Mały Kozi Wierch, at the mouth of Dolinka Kozia, in the eastern part of Dolina Gąsienicowa (Tatra National Park, Poland). Together with Czarny Staw Gąsienicowy lower down, it forms the eastern group of the Gąsienicowe Stawy.

The tarn is small: 0.28 ha (77 × 50 m) and 3.7 m deep. Its name is honest, though: it is frozen for most of the year — the ice usually melts in June–July and the tarn freezes again as early as September–October, freezing to the bottom in winter. Its water drains in a small stream down to Czarny Staw.

The harsh landscape — scree, steep walls and snowfields even in summer — has long impressed travellers. In 1865 the writer Michał Bałucki called this spot perhaps the wildest corner of the Tatras, where all life had died away. The tarn was painted by Wojciech Gerson and Stanisław Witkiewicz and celebrated by the poets Franciszek Henryk Nowicki and Felicjan Faleński. Above the tarn, near the path to Kozia Przełęcz, there is a small spring and several koleby — rock shelters; in 1880 the Tatra Society enlarged one of them to serve as a temporary shelter for tourists. In the 19th century people passed the tarn on their way to Zawrat, then one of the hardest crossings in the Tatras: in 1869 Walery Eljasz's sister became the first woman to cross Zawrat, climbing up from Zmarzły Staw. Two plants rare in Poland grow near the tarn: Saussurea macrophylla and the firm sedge (Carex firma).

What to see and do

• The stone cirque — Kozi Wierch, Zawrat and Żółta Turnia rise above the tarn; on a clear day the walls are reflected in the water.
• The view from above — from Orla Perć and from Kościelec the tarn looks like a dark eye among the scree and snow.
• Late summer — the best time to see open water; even in June there is often snow here.

How to get there

From the Murowaniec hut on Hala Gąsienicowa (about 2 h by the signposts from Kuźnice) the blue trail reaches Czarny Staw Gąsienicowy in 30 min. Then the blue trail Przełęcz między Kopami – Zawrat – Five Polish Ponds Valley Hut climbs along the eastern shore of Czarny Staw and passes within a few dozen metres of Zmarzły Staw; from Czarny Staw to Zawrat itself it is 1 h 50 min. From the junction above Czarny Staw the yellow trail Zmarzły Staw – Kozia Przełęcz – Szpiglasowa Przełęcz – Pod Mnichem also passes the tarn (about 1 h to Kozia Przełęcz). The approach to the tarn itself is a rocky path without technical difficulties, but higher up, to Zawrat and Kozia Przełęcz, there are chains, clamps and steep gullies suitable only for experienced hikers. For families it is wiser to stop at Czarny Staw.

Season and safety

A TPN entry ticket is required: 11 zł, reduced 5.50 zł, children under 7 free (as of October 2026). From 1 March to 30 November walking on the trails between dusk and dawn is prohibited. Swimming or washing in the lakes is not allowed; dogs, drones and camping are banned in TPN. As of 26 October 2026 TPN warns of fresh snow above the tree line. In winter the cirque below Zawrat is avalanche terrain, so check the TOPR avalanche bulletin. TOPR mountain rescue: 985 or 601 100 300.

Nearby

• Czarny Staw Gąsienicowy — the largest lake of the valley, 30 min from Murowaniec.
• Zielony Staw Gąsienicowy — a light-green lake on the other side of Kościelec.
• Kościelec and Świnica — summits with a good view of the tarn.

Official website: tpn.gov.pl

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