Granaty

The Granaty are three summits above Czarny Staw Gąsienicowy: Skrajny (2,225 m), Pośredni (2,234 m) and Zadni (2,240 m a.s.l.). The red across them is a section of Orla Perć. People take this loop because there is no Kozia ladder — and they confuse that with “easy Orla”.

💡 In a nutshell – Granaty:

1. For whom: After Kościelec and Zawrat, with a helmet, without fear of height.
2. Direction: Yellow to Skrajny, red to Zadni, down Żleb Kulczyńskiego. The gully sheds rock onto people coming the other way.
3. Difficulties: Chains, loose rock, exposure. There is no “Orla for beginners” here.
4. Start: Kuźnice. The tiles count the full loop, not the ridge alone.

Trail description: Yellow up, gully down

Stage 1: Kuźnice – Czarny Staw

Boczań or Jaworzynka, Murowaniec, blue to Czarny Staw Gąsienicowy. That is 2 h 50 min before the ridge starts.

Stage 2: Yellow to Skrajny Granat

From the tarn yellow climbs steeply. Chains, slabs, exposure. On the summit you are on Orla. Turning around here is legal and sensible.

Stage 3: Red across Pośredni to Zadni

Short, loose, over empty air. Between Skrajny and Pośredni Granat you cross the famous rock cleft secured by chains (a step over the drop). Zadni Granat is the highest (2,240 m a.s.l.). The view takes in Kościelec, Świnica and the Five Lakes.

Stage 4: Żleb Kulczyńskiego

Descent on the black trail down the steep, rocky chute of Żleb Kulczyńskiego. Chains, loose stones, people above you. The helmet is not decoration. Then via Kozia Dolinka, Zmarzły Staw, Czarny Staw, and Kuźnice.

Logistics and warnings

• One-way rules: On Orla toward Kozi you walk from Zawrat. On the Granaty, yellow and the gully are two-way — which is why they jam.
• Weather: A storm on the ridge = you descend the gully or yellow. You do not wait on Skrajny.
• Winter: That is mountaineering, not a card with tiles.
• The whole Orla: Zawrat – Krzyżne has its own card. The Granaty are not a “same-day add-on”.

Who is this absolutely NOT for?

Not after Hala Gąsienicowa as your only experience. Not without a helmet. Not with someone who held the grass on Kościelec. If you want the chute from below, take the Żleb card. If you want the ladder — that is Kozia Przełęcz.