Not every viewing tower requires an expedition into the high mountains. In the foothills and the Low Beskids there are towers on hills 400-700 m above sea level, often reached by car or on foot in half an hour. The views can be surprisingly extensive: from several of them, in good air clarity, the Tatras can be seen. Towers of the Island Beskids and neighbouring high ranges are described in a separate text.

Ciężkowice Foothills: Brzanka and Wiatrówki

The viewing tower on Brzanka stands on the eastern slope of Brzanka hill (534 m) in Jodłówka Tuchowska. It was opened in 2006. It is a steel lattice tapering upwards, complemented with timber, 23 m high, with four viewing terraces and a hipped roof. On the highest level, about 18 m above the ground, a photographic panorama was placed, labelling the visible hills. One can see the Ciężkowice and Rożnów Foothills, and to the south the Tatras.

The Wiatrówki viewing tower in Moszczenica near Gorlice is much younger. It was built in 2023 just below the summit of the hill. It consists of two parts: a lower, wide terrace where one can have a picnic, and the tower proper with a platform. According to the Trasa dla Bobasa website, the stairs and platform are covered with netting, so the climb should be manageable for people with a fear of heights as well. The tower can be reached by car, and from the small car park it is another 50 metres or so on foot. From the platform one can see the Ciężkowice and Rożnów Foothills, the Sącz Beskids, the Low Beskids and Gorce, and in good visibility the Tatras and the distant Bieszczady.

Low Beskids: Ferdel and Łysula

The viewing tower on Ferdel was opened in 2019 in the spa village of Wapienne. It stands just below the summit of Ferdel (648 m), because the protected lesser spotted eagle, a symbol of Magura National Park, nests on the very top. It is a wooden structure 25 m high, tapering upwards. Ten flights of stairs, 11 steps each, lead to the highest platform. It was originally to be accompanied by a treetop walkway, but this was abandoned because of the cost. The tower is reached by trails from Wapienne, Rozdziele, Bartne and Foluszu.

The viewing tower on Łysula in Dominikowice, on a summit 551 m high, is a newer and more elaborate structure from 2024. It is 32 m high, the platform is at 28 m, and a 54-metre slide leads down from the landing below. The tower can hold 50 people at a time. From here one can see the Low Beskids, the Gorlice Depression, the Ciężkowice Foothills, and on clear days the Tatras. A green trail leads from the car park to the summit, which according to Wikipedia takes about 20 minutes.

Rożnów and Wiśnicz Foothills: Bruśnik, Szpilówka, Jadowniki

The viewing tower in Bruśnik stands on the Styrki hill (420 m) in the Rożnów Foothills. It was opened on 19 July 2013. It is 23 m high, with a steel lattice structure filled with timber and five viewing terraces, the highest of which lies at 18 m. Wikipedia lists what is visible from here: the Ciężkowice Foothills, the Brzanka Range, the Low Beskids, the Sącz Beskids, the Tatras and the Island Beskids.

The Szpilówka Iwkowa viewing tower is a steel structure 30 m high, erected according to Wikipedia in September 2018 by the municipality of Iwkowa. Szpilówka is a completely forested hill in a 20-kilometre ridge, and its height depends on the map: Geoportal gives 512.5 m, the Compass tourist map 516 m. A nature trail leads from Iwkowa to the tower, and a green trail from Rajbrot to Czchów crosses the whole ridge. According to the same entry, in the 1960s a secret Soviet army post operated in the forest on Szpilówka, closed down in 1970. This is information from a single source.

The viewing tower in Jadowniki, also called the tower on Bocheniec, stands on a treeless summit (394 m) in the Wiśnicz Foothills. It was built in 2023. It is 25 m high, with a metal structure, a board with a labelled panorama and a telescope. According to Wikipedia the best views from here are of the Wiśnicz Foothills with the Szpilówka Range, the Sącz Beskids and the Island Beskids, and in good visibility also the Tatras, the Holy Cross Mountains and Kraków. The tower stands on the site of the former stronghold mound on Bocheniec, with the church of St Anne beside it.

Around Tarnów, Bochnia and Oświęcim

The viewing tower in Dąbrówka Szczepanowska stands on a hill called Golgota (395 m) and was built in 2018. The wooden structure is about 16 m high and has five storeys with terraces. The ground floor is equipped with a ramp for wheelchair users. The views run mainly north and north-east: towards Tarnów, Wojnicz and the Dunajec valley, and in the distance towards the hills of the Island Beskids and the Tatras. In 2019 the tower won an award in the Tourist Treasures of Lesser Poland competition, in the category of unique tourist attraction.

The viewing tower in Drwinia is not the goal of a mountain trip, but part of a recreation park in Drwinia municipality, close to the Niepołomice Forest. According to the municipal cultural centre, the park was created under the project Recreational and Tourist Raba Valley and is a Cyclist Service Point. There are a playground, an outdoor gym, benches, a place for a campfire and wooden jetties over the water. The source does not give the tower's height.

The Captain Witold Pilecki viewing tower stands on the hill Skała in Chełmek, a few kilometres from Oświęcim, and is 36 m high. According to the municipality and local media it forms part of a project to commemorate the route of Captain Pilecki's escape from the German Nazi Auschwitz concentration camp. Access is suggested from Słowackiego Street, because the road along Na Skałce Street is narrow and steep.

Malnik: a view from a grassy ridge

The viewing tower on Malnik stands on a summit 726 m high in the western part of the Leluchów Mountains, within the boundaries of Muszyna. Malnik has an open, grassy ridge, which sets it apart from most hills of this range and gives wide panoramas. A yellow trail from Muszyna runs along the ridge. Wikipedia calls the tower a major tourist attraction, but we did not find its height or the rules of entry in the available sources.

Before you go

Rules of entry, hours and access change more often than the hills themselves, so it is best to check them with the municipality or the tower's manager. This applies especially to new structures, such as Łysula with its slide or the tower in Chełmek, where announcements by the municipality and media gave different hours. In strong wind and icing it is better to skip the higher platforms.