Frozen, remote and utterly breathtaking — Zmarzły Staw pod Polskim Grzebieniem is one of the most dramatic alpine lakes in the High Tatras. Sitting at 2,047 m above sea level, this small tarn is locked inside a glacial cirque, ringed by scree slopes and towering rock faces, and it lives up to its name: ice can persist on the surface throughout the entire summer.

The lake fills a rocky glacial bowl known as the 'Kocioł pod Polskim Grzebieniem', shared between the upper reaches of the Świstowa and Litworowa valleys on the Slovak side of the Tatras. Looming above the water are the peaks of Dzika Turnia, Mała Wysoka and Wielicki Szczyt, with the Polski Grzebień ridge giving the lake its name. The scenery is uncompromisingly alpine — raw, moody and wildly beautiful in every season. The lake covers 1.11 ha and reaches a depth of around 12.5 m. Its water is very cold (surface temperature recorded at just 1.7°C in midsummer) and slightly milky due to snow sediment, with visibility of about 9.5 m. Notably, the lake has no surface outflow — a stream shown on some maps leading to a neighbouring tarn does not actually exist.

• Łysa Polana (border parking area) — blue trail via Biała Woda Valley and Litworowa Valley, passing the lake to the junction below Polski Grzebień: approx. 4 h 55 min up, moderate to demanding
• From the junction, continue to Rohatka pass (45 min), then descend to Zbójnická chata hut in Staroleśna Valley (55 min)

• The lake lies in the Slovak part of the High Tatras and falls under TANAP national park regulations
• Snow and ice can remain on the lake well into summer — conditions can be serious even in July and August

The lake has been noted in written sources since 1772, and it inspired Polish poet Franciszek Nowicki to write a sonnet in its honour — a testament to just how powerfully this place captures the imagination.