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Lubień – Zimna Dziura (Ice Cave) – Szczebel – Luboń Wielki – Rabka-Zdrój

From Luboń to Szczebel

Approach from the Luboń side is admittedly steep and arduous, but on the way you pass by an interesting cave called a "Cold Hole" (or Ice Cave).
The route begins at the bus station in Luboń. Walking on the road along the black trail, on the left you can enjoy the beaoutiful landscapes of the Raba Valley. After marching about 2 km, the panorama expands - you can see the interesting silhouette of the Lubogoszcz, and the steep slope of the Szczebel on the right. On the way, you pass by summer cottages, and not far from there, the trail turns right, into a forest path. After some time, a steep ascend up the slope of Szczebel begins. Somewhere on the way appear the first outcrops of sandstone. Fortunately, the trail gives the possibility to catch a breath, that is, where the area is levelled at the mouth of the Cold Hole cave. Further on, the approach is steep and tiring, but ultimately leads to the top of Szczebel, but, unfortunately, the views from the mountain are blocked out by high trees.

From Szczebel to Luboń Wielki
This route connects the two main peaks of the western part of the Beskid Wyspowy. They are both adjacent to a relatively low Glisne pass. On the slopes of the two peaks, the trail leads through the forest, while in the pass it  goes through an open area.
From the summit of Szczebel the green trail leads south and descends significantly. Finally, the path brings you to the complex of summer cottages. When you pass them, you see the menacing Luboń massif, with a very characteristic silhouette of a TV transmitter and a steep face of the forest. The trail follows the path down to the asphalt road from Tenczyn to Mszana Dolna, to the Glisne pass, where you come across the red signs leading from Mszana Dolna.
The route to the summit of Luboń runs exactly along the red trail. You need to ascend a steep slope, after which the Luboń ridge is reached - east of the summit. Then, the terrain is flatter, and on the left you can see the yellow signs of the trail from Rabka Zaryte. On the left, the trail leads past by the building of the television relay service station, and just as you pass by it you come to the very characteristic building of the shelter.

From Luboń Wielki to Rabka it is best to follow the green trail, or the blue one. The yellow trail is quite difficult and can be dangerous for an unskilled tourist or in worse weather.


Some information:

The Cold Hole (also known as the Ice Cave) - a cave in the Beskid Wyspowy, on the northern slope of Szczebel. It is a landslide cave in the Magura Sandstone. It is located on the tourist trail from Luboń to Kasinka Mała and is easily accessible to tourists. It is situated at the altitude of 655 m above sea level and the entrance hole's size is 3 × 4 m. The sloping entrance leads to the main chamber - 6 m in length and 3 m in width. The bottom of the chamber is located at a depth of approximately 5 m. There are 3 narrow side crevices in the chamber. The length of the corridors (mainly with no easy access) amounts to approximately 25 meters.
The temperature in the cave is a dozen or so degrees lower from the outside temperature. Sometimes, the ice stays in the cave during the summer. The low temperature in the cave is caused by its shaping. No draught and the shape of the cave (sloping from the entrance towards the end of the cave) enable the stagnation of cold air. Air exchange with the surrounding environment takes place (on a larger scale) when it is colder outside than in the cave. Then, the cold air sinks into the cave, cooling it.

Luboń Wielki (1022 m a.s.l.) – the most prominent mountain peak in the Beskid Wyspowy, by the locals referred to as "Biernatka".
At the top of the mountain, there is a small PTTK hostel on Luboń Wielki, a radio and television broadcast station, and a meteorological reporting point. The hostel was built in 1931 and is the only mountain hostel across the Beskid Wyspowy. The visible from afar silhouette of the relay allows you to instantly identify the peak. The relay was built in 1961 in order to enable the transmission of the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup in Zakopane. Today, it fulfils many different functions in the transmission of commercial broadcasting. From the top of the mountain,you can see a panoramic view to the north and the west. On the south-eastern slope, the Luboń Wielki nature reserve was established to protect the only such a large stone run in the Beskid Wyspowy, the so-called "Dziurawe Turnie" rocks, and the caves.

Time required to cover the whole route: 5h 0m
Length of the entire route: 13,6km