Sokolica Peak

Sokolica is a limestone crag at 747 metres standing directly over a bend of the Dunajec, and what everyone photographs is one tree: a relict Scots pine growing out of the rock at the summit edge, shaped by wind and shallow soil into a low spreading crown, which has been the emblem of the Pieniny for a century and appears on everything from postcards to the park logo. It is old - estimates run to several hundred years - and it has been fenced, cabled and treated repeatedly, because visitors climbing on and around it were killing it, and the current arrangement keeps people at a distance. The platform beside it looks down about 500 metres to the river, with the raft trip passing below and the Three Crowns along the ridge to the west. The walk up from Szczawnica takes about an hour, mostly through beech, and it queues in summer.

What you actually see

• The relict pine - one wind-shaped tree on the summit rock, the emblem of the range.
• A protected tree - fenced and cabled after visitors damaged it.
• A 500-metre drop - the Dunajec directly below with rafts passing on it.
• The ridge to Trzy Korony - the Three Crowns visible west along the crest.

When to go

May to October; early to avoid the queue. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The summit is small and queues in summer. Do not climb on or around the pine - it is why the fencing exists. The drop is unfenced in places beyond the platform. The walk up is an hour with steady ascent.

Nearby

Trzy Korony is west along the ridge; the Dunajec raft trip runs below.