Skalnik

Skalnik is the highest peak of the Rudawy Janowickie, a range in the Western Sudetes in south-western Poland. It reaches a height of 945 metres above sea level, although some maps give values of 944 or 940 metres, depending on the reference point used for the measurement.

A massif with two summits

Skalnik has a twin-summit structure. The lower, northern summit conceals the remains of a former viewing tower, no longer in use today. The higher, south-western part of the massif ends in distinctive rock formations known as Ostra Mała. It is here that the hiking trails lead, and by which the peak is most often climbed.

Granite rocks and boulder fields

The massif is built of Karkonosze granite, the same rock that forms the neighbouring Karkonosze. On the slopes there are rock debris fields, known as boulder fields (gołoborza), and granite outcrops rising above the tree line. This kind of terrain is typical of the highest parts of the Rudawy Janowickie and sets them apart from the gentler, lower hills of the range.

Viewpoint on the rocks

From the rocks at the top of Ostra Mała there is a panorama of the Karkonosze and the surrounding ranges of the Rudawy Janowickie. For those planning to climb Skalnik, this is a natural destination for the walk, worth visiting in good weather, when visibility extends well beyond the nearest hills.

Rudawy Landscape Park

Skalnik lies within the boundaries of the Rudawy Landscape Park, which covers the entire Rudawy Janowickie range. The landscape protection of this area covers both the terrain, including the boulder fields and rock formations, and the forests covering the slopes of the massif. As a result, the views from the summit and the character of the paths leading to Skalnik remain little changed over the decades.

Practical information

• The peak lies near the village of Gruszków, in Karkonosze County, within the buffer zone of the protected landscape of the Rudawy Janowickie.
• Right next to the summit, less than half a kilometre away, is Ostra Mała with the viewpoint mentioned above.
• In the area it is also worth planning a climb of Wielka Kopa and a visit to Bolczów Castle and the Karpniki Castle, which lie in the same part of the Rudawy Janowickie.
• It is worth taking good trekking shoes for the climb, as the trails run through rock debris fields.