Żywiecki Landscape Park is a vast protected area of nearly 36,000 hectares in the southern part of the Silesian Voivodeship, covering the highest and most rugged ridges of the Żywiec Beskids right on the Slovak border. With dense forests, open alpine meadows, bears, wolves and lynxes roaming freely, this is one of the wildest and most rewarding corners of the Polish Carpathians — and surprisingly easy to reach from Kraków, Katowice or Bielsko-Biała.

The heart of the park is the Pilsko massif, whose upper zone features true alpine terrain with dwarf pine scrub — unique in this part of the Beskids. To the west, the ridges of Lipowski Wierch and Romanka offer sweeping views and centuries-old spruce forests. The southern section is dominated by the Wielka Racza group, with peaks like Wielka Racza, Wielka Rycerzowa and Muńcuł. The park shelters over 1,000 species of vascular plants and 106 breeding bird species, including the rare eagle owl. In winter, the slopes around Korbielów and Pilsko transform into a popular ski destination, while summer and autumn bring hikers seeking the Główny Szlak Beskidzki — the Main Beskid Trail — which runs right through the park.

• Korbielów (car park near ski lifts) — red trail to Pilsko summit, moderate difficulty
• Zwardoń — PTTK mountain hut, starting point for Wielka Racza, moderate difficulty
• Sopotnia Wielka — easy walk to the tallest waterfall in the Beskids (10 m), approx. 30–40 min
• Przegibek / Hala Miziowa — PTTK huts available, good base for ridge walks

• Landscape park — free entry; standard nature protection rules apply
• Several strict nature reserves within the park (Pilsko, Romanka, Oszast and others) — stay on marked trails
• Ski season at Korbielów and Pilsko typically runs December to March
• The Main Beskid Trail (red waymarks) crosses the entire park

Hidden in the Sopotnia Wielka valley, the park's longest cave — Jaskinia w Sopotni Wielkiej (101 m) — sits just a short walk from the Beskids' highest waterfall, making this quiet valley a surprisingly rich destination for a single day trip.