Trzy Kopce (1,213 m a.s.l.) is a rewarding summit in the Pilsko Group of the Żywiec-Orava Beskids — a place where the Polish-Slovak border meets the Great European Watershed, deep in a forest-covered ridge. It may not offer sweeping panoramas, but its wild, borderland atmosphere makes it genuinely special.
The summit is entirely forested, giving it a peaceful and slightly mysterious feel. It sits on the main ridge between Rysianka and Palenica, and the walk along this ridge takes you through shady beech and spruce forests that transform dramatically with the seasons. Autumn brings a blaze of colour to the canopy, while winter turns the trail into a silent, snow-covered escape. Nearby, the 'Pod Rysianką' nature reserve adds to the sense of pristine wilderness. This is a place for those who love the quieter side of mountain hiking.
How to reach the summitThe name 'Trzy Kopce' — meaning 'Three Cairns' — recalls the old tradition of marking points where three mountain ridges and three village boundaries met with stone cairns, a custom that shaped the landscape of the Polish Carpathians.