Sokolica

Shortest route

For a skilled hiker, Sokolica can be fun for two hours at most. This is why hikers often combine conquering this peak with the Three Crowns and Castle Mountain. In this report, we decided to show the route via the green trail, which can be completed in 40 minutes. We chose this shortest route because I found it to be the best way to admire sunsets and sunrises, avoiding the crowds.

Towards the Pieniny National Park

We start our tour at 5pm at the Krosno market square. We walk along St. Kinga Street until the asphalt ends. On the way, we pass attractions for lovers of architecture, folklore and history: beautiful highlander cottages, an old pharmacy or the 19th century Chapel of the Transfiguration. Soon we reach the sign announcing the entrance to the Pieniny National Park. It is worth remembering that if you plan to drive your car as close to the trail as possible, you can park on the gravel parking area near the sign.

Cave of History

Just 10 minutes after entering the park, we pass another gem of local culture: Saint Kinga's Chapel, commemorating the queen's escape from the Tatars in 1287 to the Pieniny Castle. The chapel was built in 1860 on the site of a miraculous imprint of Saint Kinga's foot in stone (it was later moved to a monastery in Stary Sącz). The place has been under veneration since medieval times!

Broken Bridge

A few hundred metres from the chapel, there is an information plaque about the overgrown ruins, which turn out to be the remains of a bridge. It was built thanks to the efforts of Jozef Szalay in 1871-72. The beautiful structure had a roof and for 6 decades connected Krościenko with Szczawnica. The bridge was destroyed in 1934 during the Great Flood (the biggest natural disaster in the Pieniny up to that time). The flooded water then carried away the so-called White House - a guesthouse - from the Szczawnica headland and hit it against the wooden structure of the bridge, which caused its destruction.

Under Ociemne

Thanks to another plaque, we learn that the chapel and the bridge, according to local legends, are located in a place called "Under Ociemne". In the old tradition, this was a "magic section of fear", where drowned men, goddesses and phantoms were seen, and it was absolutely forbidden to appear here late in the evening or at night. There is also a metal cross on a rock here, probably commemorating the plague epidemic of 1709-1710.There is much to fear!

The wooden structure

Happily, we manage to get through the "scare section" in one piece and come to a fork that starts the actual part of the trail. We turn off the gravel road into the karst, onto a steep path marked with the green trail. After a while, the road turns into a staircase, and it remains so all the way to the summit. As we climb the steps, we think about how much work it took to prepare, carry and put together the wood into steps and railings!

Places to rest

The journey is tiring but enjoyable. Exposure to the sun is almost nil - all the time we are hiking in the Pieniny mixed forest. From time to time you pass wooden benches where you can rest, there are 3 such stops on the whole route.

Fees

There is a charge before entering the terrace during the summer. It is worth remembering that there is no terminal at the top, so in case you are short of cash, you will have to run downstairs to the ATM or rely on the mercy of other tourists.

How to climb Sokolica for free?

Of course, you can also take advantage of the time when there is no Pieniny National Park employee and climb to the top for free. The ticket office is open from June to November. Unfortunately, there are no specific working hours given. From our observations, an employee goes up around 8:00 am and comes down before sunset.

Safety first

After passing through the ticket office (at 7pm, fortunately, no one was there and we entered without paying), we climb the last steps of the stony staircase and ascend the main terrace of Sokolica. Down below, the Danube River hums, to the south the panorama of the majestic Tatra Mountains stretches It's the middle of golden hour - conditions are almost perfect! We cautiously walk closer to the barriers and begin to admire the views. The only protection on the summit are metal railings that prevent us from falling from over 100 metres into the Dunajec valley. Being there, we have to be particularly careful where we step, as the ground is rocky and slippery.

Amazing views

There is no sign at the top explaining the views, although recognising most of the peaks is easy, as the most popular peaks of the Pieniny can be seen from Sokolica! The terrace is open to the west, south and east, with a forest stretching from the north, obscuring Krościenko along with the Beskid Sądecki. Looking towards the Dunajec river, from the left you can see: Pieniny Małe, Slovenské Lesnica, Slovenské Pieniny proper, the Dunajec Gorge together with the Pieniny Road, the Tatra Mountains, the Three Crowns and Zamkowa Mountain.

Relic pines

It is impossible to talk about Sokolica without mentioning the famous "pines". Small pine groves grow on the rocky peaks of the Pieniny, which are remnants of the ancient forests that covered the Pieniny during the last glaciation. The trees have bizarrely twisted branches and the age of some specimens is estimated to be around 550 years!

Return

After an hour of admiring the beauties of this world, we decide to descend. We head back to the ticket office and are confronted with a choice: return along the same trail to Kroscienko, choose a longer route, i.e. the blue trail, to later go through the rafting harbour in Szczawnica and Kras back to Kroscienko. In the end we decide to return along the same route and just 30 minutes later we finish our excursion at St Kinga Street.