Gąsienicowa Valley

The Gąsienicowa Valley is the upper tier of the Sucha Woda Gąsienicowa Valley in the Polish Tatras. It separates from the lower part at an altitude of 1,425 m, where the Czarny Potok stream flows into the Sucha Woda Gąsienicowa. It used to be called the Valley of the Gąsienicowe Ponds, and on 19th-century maps the name Valley of the Seven Ponds appears.

What parts the valley consists of

The valley has two branches separated by the Grań Kościelców ridge: the eastern Czarna Gąsienicowa Valley and the western Zielona Gąsienicowa Valley. Both contain lakes known as the Gąsienicowe Ponds, and their list exceeds sixteen bodies of water.

The Gąsienicowe Ponds

The largest is Czarny Staw Gąsienicowy, with an area of about 17.9 ha, lying in the black branch. In the Zielona Gąsienicowa Valley lie, among others, Zielony Staw (3.76 ha), Długi Staw (1.56 ha) and Kurtkowiec (1.54 ha), and next to them smaller pools. Czarny Staw has its own entry: Czarny Staw Gąsienicowy. According to the portal's data it lies about 1.6 km from the centre of the valley.

Origin of the name and how the valley was used

The name comes from the Gąsienica family, the former owners of this land. The valley was part of Hala Gąsienicowa, where sheep had long been grazed intensively. Grazing here is documented in 1653. Today natural succession is under way on the former pastures: the land is being overgrown with forest and dwarf pine. Water from the valley also flows underground, to the Goryczkowa Valley (the Goryczkowe resurgence) and to the Kasprowa Valley (Kasprowa Niżnia Cave).

Huts and buildings in the valley

The trail junction is the Murowaniec hut, built in 1921-1925 and described in the entry for the PTTK Mountain Hut Murowaniec. The valley also holds the Betlejemka mountaineering training centre, the Tatra National Park ranger station Księżówka, a meteorological station of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the Gawra building and shepherds' huts.

Trails and destinations

According to Wikipedia, the walk from Kuźnice to Murowaniec takes about two hours. According to Wikipedia, trails lead from the valley to Kasprowy Wierch (about 1 hour 5 minutes), Zawrat, Wierchporoniec and the Krzyżne Pass. There are also peaks in the area, among them Kozi Wierch and Wielki Kopieniec. The neighbouring valley with lakes is described in the entry for the Valley of the Five Polish Ponds. Ski lifts operate in the valley, and the area is also a base for climbing and skiing.

Practical information

• Location: the Polish Tatras, within the Tatra National Park, above Zakopane.
• Access: on foot from Kuźnice, and according to Wikipedia also along trails from Kasprowy Wierch, Zawrat and Krzyżne.
• The walking times given above come from the Wikipedia entry and depend on fitness and weather. Check the rules of entry and current notices on the Tatra National Park website.