The Gully of Thirteen Steps is one of the wildest and most inaccessible corners of the Western Tatras - a steep, rocky ravine in the upper part of the famous Kraków Gorge in Kościeliska Valley. This is a place for imagination rather than casual hiking - the gorge is closed to regular tourist traffic, and its rock steps hide secrets of ancient waters and deep caves.

The gully flows from the Zadnie Kamienne basin and descends south-west down to Płaśń między Progi, cutting deeply between the steep walls of Wysoki Grzbiet ridge and the Niska and Wysoka Turnia peaks. Despite its name, cavers and climbers actually counted 14 rock steps - yet the traditional name stuck. Today the gully is dry, with water appearing only after heavy rainfall, mostly flowing deep underground due to karst processes. The smoothness of the rock steps, however, reveals that a stream once ran through here. The surroundings impress with their raw, alpine character - steep walls, rocky ground, and a silence rarely found in more frequented corners of the Tatras.

• The upper part of Kraków Gorge is not open to regular tourists - reaching it requires mountaineering experience and proper climbing equipment
• The starting point for exploring the area is Kościeliska Valley, accessible from Kiry via a marked tourist trail

• The area is not developed for tourism - access requires permits and mountaineering skills
• Some steps can only be overcome using climbing equipment
• Nearby, on the left side of the gorge, are entrances to the Wysoka - Za Siedmiu Progami Cave, one of Poland's largest cave systems

The first recorded crossing of the gully took place in October 1944, made by N. and A. Czartoryski, Jerzy Mitkiewicz, Jadwiga Pierzchalanka, and A. and A. Potocki, forever marking this place in the history of Tatra mountaineering.