Góra Pięciu Kopców is a fascinating spot in the Żywiec-Orava Beskids – not the highest peak around, but for decades it marked the farthest point Polish hikers were allowed to reach. Today it's a welcoming trail junction and viewpoint offering a different panorama than the neighboring Pilsko.

The summit forms a broad plateau, partly covered with dwarf mountain pine and partly with alpine meadows and rock debris. It sits on the ridge that carries the Polish-Slovak border and the Great European Watershed, separating the Baltic Sea basin from the Black Sea basin – remarkably, the main watershed bypasses Pilsko's true summit and instead crosses this lower flattened section. Views differ from those on Pilsko: better to the north, weaker to the south. In summer the meadows offer greenery and quiet, while winter brings a harsher, windswept character typical of the higher Beskids.

How to reach the summit

• Korbielów – PTTK hut at Hala Miziowa – Góra Pięciu Kopców, about 2:50 h up, 2 h down, moderate difficulty
• PTTK hut at Hala Miziowa – Hala Słowikowa – Góra Pięciu Kopców, about 45 min up, 25 min down, easy route
• From Góra Pięciu Kopców you can continue to Pilsko and onward to Wesołé in Slovakia

Practical information

• Until relatively recently, crossing from Góra Pięciu Kopców to Pilsko meant crossing the state border and was strictly forbidden – today it's completely unrestricted
• Nearby, at 1550 m between Góra Pięciu Kopców and Pilsko, lies one of the highest-situated springs in the Żywiec-Orava Beskids – step about 20 m off the trail through dwarf pine to find it
• At the foot of the northern slopes stands the PTTK mountain hut at Hala Miziowa, along with three pastoral meadows: Miziowa, Cebulowa and Słowikowa

It's a place where history and geography intertwine – an unassuming flat stretch once decided how far an ordinary tourist could go, and today it's simply a pleasant stop on the way to Pilsko's higher slopes.