Niżni Czerwony Stawek is a tiny, tranquil tarn tucked away in the western part of the Gąsienicowa Valley in the Polish Tatra Mountains — easy to overlook on a map, yet impossible to forget once you have stood beside it. Together with its slightly larger neighbour, Wyżni Czerwony Stawek, it forms a quietly beautiful pair of alpine ponds that reward those who take a moment to pause.

Sitting at 1,693.2 m above sea level, the lake covers just around 0.15 ha and reaches a maximum depth of only 1 m, making it one of the shallowest tarns in the Tatras. A terminal moraine shields it from the north, while rocky hollows dotted with dwarf pine frame the scene above. In autumn and early spring the still water mirrors the surrounding peaks with striking clarity; in summer the valley buzzes with hikers heading towards Kasprowy Wierch and Świnica.

• Murowaniec mountain hut (PTTK) — yellow trail towards Kasprowy Wierch, then branch path at Czerwone Stawki; approx. 1 h up, 50 min down; difficulty: easy to moderate
• From the black trail near Kurtkowiec — path through Czerwone Stawki to Karb Pass; approx. 30 min up, 20 min down

• The area lies within Tatra National Park — please stay on marked trails at all times.
• Lachenaelia sedge ('Carex lachenalii'), a rare protected plant found in Poland only in the Tatras, has been recorded growing near these ponds.

Keep an eye out for Lachenaelia sedge growing at the water's edge — this inconspicuous plant is so rare that the Tatras are one of only a handful of places in all of Poland where you can see it.