Piska Forest

Puszcza Piska covers around a thousand square kilometres south and east of the Masurian lakes and is the largest forest complex in the region - pine on sandy outwash with spruce and some broadleaf, wrapped around lakes and cut by the Krutynia and other rivers, which is why it is walked, cycled and paddled rather than driven. Its recent history is a single event: on 4 July 2002 a derecho, a straight-line windstorm, crossed the forest and flattened something in the order of thirty to forty thousand hectares of trees in a few hours, one of the largest windthrow events recorded in Poland. The salvage and replanting took years and the effect is still legible - even-aged young stands over large areas where mature forest stood. Within the forest are the Krutynia route, Lake Nidzkie, the Wojnowo Old Believers' monastery and a number of reserves. Wolves have returned.

What you actually see

• A thousand square kilometres - the largest forest complex in the Masurian lakeland.
• The 2002 windthrow - thirty to forty thousand hectares flattened in a few hours.
• Even-aged young stands - the replanting still obvious where mature forest stood.
• Water through it - the Krutynia, Lake Nidzkie and the lakes the forest wraps around.

When to go

May to September. Two days.

Honest expectations

Large areas are young replanted stands rather than old forest. Ticks are a serious problem from spring to autumn. Forest tracks are easy to get lost on; take a map. Services inside the forest are minimal.

Nearby

Ruciane-Nida and Lake Nidzkie are north-west; Pisz is east.