Lipowski Wierch (1,326 m a.s.l.) is one of the highest peaks in the Żywiec Beskids — a forested, atmospheric summit that rewards hikers with the beautiful Lipowska Clearing, a wide open alpine meadow with sweeping views. The summit itself is modest and largely hidden by trees, but the journey there and the surrounding landscape more than make up for it.
The peak is almost entirely covered in upper-montane spruce forest, with peat bogs and wetlands stretching along the ridge, protected within the Lipowska nature reserve. The real highlight is the Lipowska Clearing on the south-eastern slopes — a spacious meadow with panoramic views, a mountain hut, and a ski lift that operates in winter. The massif separates the Żabniczanka valley to the north from the Bystra valley to the south, giving it a distinctive ridge character.
How to reach the summitThe Wallachian shepherds who once grazed their sheep here created the Lipowska Clearing centuries ago by burning and clearing the forest — a pastoral tradition that shaped the landscape you see today.