Chocholowska Valley

Chocholowska is the longest valley in the Polish Tatras, about ten kilometres from Siwa Polana to the refuge and the ridge beyond, with a wide track along the floor that is one of the few places in the park where bicycles are allowed - which makes it the easiest deep valley to get into. What it is known for is the crocus. In late March and early April, as the snow leaves the meadows at Polana Chocholowska, Crocus scepusiensis comes up in numbers that turn several hectares of grass purple, and for about two weeks the valley receives very large numbers of visitors; the park manages it with one-way walking and warnings not to step off the path, because the bulbs are damaged by trampling and the display has visibly suffered in years of heavy footfall. Outside that fortnight it is a quiet long valley with a refuge, shepherding and access to the Western Tatra ridge.

What you actually see

• The longest Tatra valley - about ten kilometres to the refuge, with bicycles permitted.
• Crocus in late March - hectares of purple across the meadows for roughly two weeks.
• Managed crowds - one-way walking and off-path warnings during the bloom.
• A working meadow - shepherding and a refuge at the valley head.

When to go

Late March to April for the crocus; May to October for quiet. A day.

Honest expectations

The crocus fortnight brings very heavy crowds and the display has been damaged by trampling - stay on the path. Bloom timing shifts with the snowmelt by a couple of weeks. The valley is long and the return is the same way. Winter access depends on conditions.

Nearby

Koscieliska valley is east; Zakopane is beyond it.