Trzy Korony Peak

The Three Crowns is the emblem of the Pieniny - a block of Jurassic limestone that rises abruptly out of forested slopes and breaks into five separate crags, of which the highest, Okraglica at 982 metres, carries a small railed platform reached by a stair cut into the rock. The drop to the Dunajec below is around 520 metres and the river makes a series of loops directly beneath, so the view is straight down onto the gorge with the Tatras on the horizon on a clear day - it is one of the best-known views in Poland and it earns it. Access to the platform is limited to a set number of people at a time and there is a queue in summer; the walk up from either side is about ninety minutes through beech and fir. The Pieniny massif here is a separate geological block from the Tatras and its flora includes several endemics.

What you actually see

• Five crags in one massif - limestone breaking out of forested slopes.
• A platform at 982 metres - railed, reached by a stair cut into the rock.
• The Dunajec 520 metres below - the river looping directly beneath the drop.
• The Tatras on the horizon - visible from the summit on a clear day.

When to go

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

Honest expectations

Platform access is capped and queues in summer. The walk up is ninety minutes with steady ascent. The stair and platform are exposed and unsuitable for anyone uneasy with heights. The park closes trails in bad conditions.

Nearby

Sokolica is east along the ridge; the Dunajec raft trip runs below.