THE CARPATHIAN TRAIL FROM RZESZÓW TO GRYBÓW IN POLAND

The Carpathian Trail is Poland’s third-longest hiking route, ranking just behind the Main Beskid Trail and the Main Sudetes Trail. Marked in blue, the route stretches for 430 km between two Polish cities, Rzeszów and Grybów, winding through the Dynów Foothills, the Przemyśl Foothills, the Sanok-Turka Mountains, the Bieszczady Mountains, and the Low Beskids. In October 2024, I made a solo attempt to complete the Carpathian Trail in 14 days, and here is everything you need to know to do the same. Let’s get right into it!

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO HIKE THE CARPATHIAN TRAIL?

The Carpathian Trail is just over 430 km long, with a total elevation gain of 13 455 m and a total elevation loss of 13 355 m. The standard completion time is 16 days, although very fit hikers can finish it in 10 days. In my case, that was 14 days on the trail, hiking anywhere from 18 km to 42 km per day. My detailed day-by-day itinerary with resupply points and accommodation can be found in a separate post: The Carpathian Trail in Poland: 14-day itinerary. This is the third longest hiking trail in Poland, often called the “blue trail” because of its blue markings or the “border trail” since it runs close to the borders of Ukraine and Slovakia.

Carpathian Trail – map

HOW HARD IS THE CARPATHIAN TRAIL?

There’s a common belief that the Carpathian Trail is the wildest long-distance trail in Poland. You will really feel this between Ustrzyki Górne and Wysowa-Zdrój as this 160 km stretch has only two resupply points (Balnica station and the village of Barwinek). With that being said, this makes the Carpathian Trail a great opportunity to test your logistics skills and learn how to carefully manage food and water. There are no technical sections, but daily elevation gain can reach up to 1500 m. Solid navigation skills are essential as trail markings can be inconsistent. Also be aware of bears, you’ll be walking through areas where they live.

WHAT TERRAIN SHOULD YOU EXPECT?

The Carpathian Trail passes through several mountain regions, the Dynów Foothills, Przemyśl Foothills, Sanok-Turka Mountains, Bieszczady Mountains, and Low Beskids, offering a huge variety of landscapes. Some days are incredibly scenic, especially in the Bieszczady Mountains, while others involve walking through forests or even on asphalt. Sections near Rzeszów can be slightly overgrown. What’s more, at one point, the trail crosses private land clearly marked with a “no entry” sign. The exact location is as follows 49.4949269N, 22.5713869E. I took the risk and walked through, but I can’t guarantee if it’s always possible.

WHERE TO START THE CARPATHIAN TRAIL?

You can hike the Carpathian Trail in either direction. I walked from Rzeszów to Grybów, but if I were to do it again, I would go the opposite way. The reason is simple. Getting food and water in the Low Beskids can be challenging. Starting from Rzeszów, I carried freeze-dried meals for most of the trail and ate them only at the very end. From a pack-weight perspective, starting in Grybów makes more sense. That way, you will use your food supplies early on and then between Ustrzyki Górne and Rzeszów, you can rely on shops and restaurants. Getting to the trail is easy from both ends as Rzeszów and Grybów are both accessible by train.

HOW TO GET TO AND FROM THE TRAIL?

As mentioned earlier, both Rzeszów and Grybów are accessible by train. In Grybów, the trail starts or ends (depending on the direction you choose) right next to the railway station, so there’s no need to use public transport. In Rzeszów, the trail begins or ends (again, depending on the direction you choose) in the Biała district. You can get there from the Rzeszów city centre by taking bus number 37. The closest stop to the trailhead is Sikorskiego/Rodzinna. Important note! It’s a request stop, so be sure to signal the driver. Not far from the bus stop, right by the road, you will see a sign that says “Grybów 16 days away” in Polish of course.

WHEN TO HIKE THE CARPATHIAN TRAIL?

Every season has its pros and cons. I ended up choosing October, which is early autumn in Poland, and got to see the mountains covered in deep reds, vibrant golds, and fiery oranges. The downside of that season is the short days. Covering 40 km takes pretty much the entire window from dawn to dusk, so if you don’t want to walk in the dark, you have to keep breaks to a minimum. Another downside of choosing autumn is mud in the forests. Even though I got lucky with the weather, the trails were still pretty muddy. Lastly, temperature in the night. It can drop to 0°C, which is quite low, especially if you are planning to go camping.

WHERE TO STAY OVERNIGHT?

There are guesthouses, homestays, mountain huts, shelters along the Carpathian Trail. Wild camping is also possible, but be sure to check the local regulations beforehand. For example, camping is not allowed in Bieszczady National Park and Magura National Park. Because of the season, I spent most of the nights in standard accommodation, with one exception in the Low Beskids, where I had to stay overnight in a basic shelter as there were no other options close to the trail. More detailed information about my accommodation can be found in a separate post. On a final note, it’s wise to have reservations in place.

IS THE CARPATHIAN TRAIL WELL-MARKED?

The Carpathian Trail is marked with blue signs. The signage isn’t perfect though, it can be inconsistent in some places, especially between Rzeszów and Dybawka. That said, navigation shouldn’t be a problem if you have the mapy.com app on your phone. The route lines up perfectly in the app, so I recommend using it wherever the markers are missing. Be sure to download the maps to your phone beforehand, so that they can be used offline. In addition to that, between Przemyśl and Rabia Skała, it’s a good idea to turn off mobile data to avoid connecting to a Ukrainian network and ending up with unexpected roaming charges.

WHAT DID I EAT ON THE CARPATHIAN TRAIL?

I carried eight freeze-dried meals and used all of them in the Low Beskids. From Rzeszów to Ustrzyki Górne, getting food and water is not an issue, but be sure to carefully plan your resupplies at least one day ahead. I stocked up at small village stores, ate at local restaurants, and had meals at guesthouses whenever I could. What can be quite surprising, mountain huts in the Low Beskids don’t serve food, so be sure to factor that into your planning as this is not a common thing in Poland. More detailed information about resupply points along the trail can be found in a separate post, The Carpathian Trail in Poland: 14-day itinerary.

HOW TO GET WATER ON THE CARPATHIAN TRAIL?

Water access turned out to be a real challenge, quite unexpectedly to be honest. Even though I carried purification tablets, I didn’t feel comfortable drinking from natural sources. Instead, I relied on bottled water from shops or filled up my hydration bladder with tap water at the guesthouses in the mornings. Unfortunately, my stomach doesn’t handle tap water very well, and a few times I felt pretty unwell after drinking it. There are stretches of the Carpathian Trail where reliable water sources are hard to find, so from Ustrzyki Górne onwards, I made sure to start each day with at least three liters of water in my pack.

WHERE TO GET THE STAMP BOOK?

Just like on Malerweg and Kom–Emine, you can collect stamps along the Carpathian Trail. All you need is a standard GOT PTTK booklet, which can be purchased at a local PTTK branch or ordered online. After completing the trail, you can exchange it for a badge at a PTTK office. There are no official, dedicated stamps along the route, so you collect whatever you can. I usually asked for a stamp in village shops and guesthouses. One stamp per day is enough. In case of troubles getting any from a certain day, it’s possible to include a photo as proof that you completed that section. After verifying my booklet, I got seven badges.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO HIKE THE CARPATHIAN TRAIL?

My total spending on hiking the Carpathian Trail was 535€ and here’s a detailed breakdown. Accommodation was 305€, and I expected it to be much higher. Trains and public transport to get to and from the trail was 29€. Next, let’s add up food. I spent 94€ on grocery shopping and 100€ on dining in restaurants. Lastly, permits to enter the national parks. It was 7€. On a final note, it’s worth saying that the total amount of 535€ does not include the cost of dehydrated food and my hiking gear. That’s all for now! I hope this blog post will help you plan your trip through beautiful Polish mountains. Have fun and stay safe!

That’s all you need to know about hiking the Carpathian Trail from Rzeszów to Grybów in Poland. When are you going to walk it? Let me know in the comments!

Hey, it’s Karolina, the author of this blog. If you find my content valuable and helpful, I would be more than grateful, if you could support my work, and buy me a coffee. I do love writing my blog, and creating content for you guys. Thank you!