Kocierz (879 m a.s.l.) is a quiet, forested summit in the main ridge of the Beskid Mały range in southern Poland — a place that rewards those who take their time on the trail. Part of the so-called Beskid Andrychowski section, it forms a broad, elongated ridge separating the Kocierzanka valley from the Wielka Puszcza valley, and its character is more about peaceful woodland walking than dramatic panoramas.
The summit itself is mostly tree-covered, with a small, gradually shrinking clearing at the very top. The best views along this section open up from the unnamed western peak (871,5 m) and along the connecting ridge between that point and the main summit — so take your time on this stretch rather than rushing straight to the top. In autumn, the beech and mixed forests turn a deep gold and amber, making the walk along the Mały Szlak Beskidzki (Little Beskid Trail) especially pleasant. The summit ridge also marks the administrative boundary between the villages of Kocierz Rychwałdzki to the south and Porąbka to the north.
How to reach the summitThe name 'Kocierz' has a surprisingly turbulent history: the peak was historically called 'Szeroka' (Broad), then incorrectly labelled 'Uptas' on late 19th-century Austrian maps, and the correct name was only officially restored in 1983. Interestingly, back in 1835 the Kraków poet Edmund Wasilewski dedicated a poem to Kocierz — quite a distinction for a modest Beskid summit.