Chochołowska Valley
Length: Route through the Chochołowska Valley from the parking lot at Siwa Polana to the PTTK Shelter – there and back to almost 14.9 km
Time approx .: 4 h 20 min
Trail: green
Elevation: 345 m
For who: for everyone
The Chochołowska Valley delights with its beauty at any time of the year!
The Chochołowska Valley is the largest and longest valley on the Polish side of the Tatra Mountains. It is 10 kilometers long. A walk through the Valley is especially recommended for family walks. Both small tourists and the elderly will be able to handle it boldly. The first 3.5 km of the valley is covered with aswalt. This stage can be easily traveled by a wheelchair. It can still be tough. There is only a gravel road leading to the shelter in the further part of the valley.
You can also take your dog for a walk along the Chochołowska Valley. It is one of the few places in the Tatras that is friendly to four-legged pets.
Chochołowska Valley – how to get there?
Access to the Chochołowska Valley from the center of Zakopane takes approx. 20 minutes. It is best to head towards Witów / Chochołów.
Chochołowska Valley parking lot
There is enough space for everyone. These are the few places in the Tatras with so many parking spaces.
If you travel by public transport, you will find the timetable here
Rakoń cable car
In the season, the Rakoń Tourist Railway runs to Polana Huciska. It is an internal combustion tractor stylized as a choo-choo train. Two wagons are attached to the rear. They take up to 50 people on tour.
You can cover almost half of the valley by cable car, as much as 3.5 km. This saves you about 55 minutes. You can catch the first course at 8 in the morning. The queue to start must have at least 8 people willing. The asphalt ends just past the end of the cable car. The trail becomes wilder. It leads only on gravel and stone surfaces.
However, there is another option to travel this path. From the queue, you can change to a highlander carriage. With the help of a horse-drawn carriage, you can get almost to the entrance to the shelter.
Of course, we encourage you to cover these sections on foot. But if the forces drop, in our opinion the queue may turn out to be a good alternative. Especially during the return, when fatigue is taking its toll. Its route runs along the least scenic section of the Valley and along quite monotonous asphalt.
At the beginning of the Chochołowska Valley, near the parking lot, you will also find plenty of bicycle rentals. This is probably the fastest and still active way to complete its route.
Chochołowska Valley interesting facts
The Chochołowska Valley is located in the territory of the Tatra National Park, but it is not owned by the National Park. It belongs to the Ciche, Czarny Dunajec, Chochołów, Dzianisz, Koniówka, Podczerwone, Witów and Wróblówka villages. The community has permission to conduct forest management. Therefore, under the control of the Tatra National Park, shepherds can graze their sheep there. Once upon a time the Chochołowska Valley was the largest shepherd’s center in the Tatra Mountains.
Chochołowska Valley peaks
It is a great starting point for peaks such as Rakoń, Grześ, Wołowiec or Jarząbczy Wierch.
Chochołowska Valley in winter
Get warm clothes, comfortable winter boots, something to eat and … Go! The Chochołowska Valley is considered a relatively safe place in winter. The avalanche risk practically does not occur there or is minimal even after heavy snowfall. This is a great alternative to a trip on days with most of the trails covered or in bad weather. When this trip to the higher parts of the mountains will be associated with a greater risk.
We recommend the Chochołowska Valley route to people who are just starting their adventure with the Tatras. And others, more advanced? Well, they probably already know the Chochołowska Valley very well. It’s hard to hike in the Tatras and never be in this place. We highly recommend it!