Kampinos National Park Trail

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Kampinos National Park Trail: Warsaw’s Forest Through-Hike

Published 17 July 2025 Updated 5 June 2026

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Ranked #496 of 974

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HikeList Score

Kampinos National Park Trail scored 80/100 on HikeList's trail-quality metrics.

Very Good

See score breakdownHide breakdown

Ideal length 63
Balanced challenge 90
Scenery & wildness 85
Varied terrain 76
Accommodation 66
Food & support 88
Path quality 98
Season flexibility 100

Computed from length, challenge, scenery & wildness, terrain variety, accommodation, food & support, path quality and season flexibility.

The Kampinos National Park Trail is the 55.8 km Glowny Szlak Puszczy Kampinoskiej, the main red-waymarked footpath across Kampinos National Park on the north-west edge of Warsaw, Poland. This is a moderate, 2-day point-to-point hike from Dziekanow Lesny to Brochow, suited to walkers who want flat but committing forest travel rather than a short city-edge loop. Expect pine woods, wetlands, inland sand dunes, limited resupply, and straightforward navigation on red Polish trail marks.

Route Overview

Most walkers go east to west, starting at Dziekanow Lesny, reachable by bus 150 from Warsaw, and finishing at Brochow on the river Bzura near Sochaczew. The route crosses the whole park through Uroczysko Szczukowek, Palmiry war cemetery, Wiersze, Roztoka, Lubiec, the medieval Zamczysko stronghold site, Gorki, Krzywa Gora, Famulki Krolewskie and Tulowice. It is a linear through-route, not a loop, and can be walked in either direction. For another Polish forest-focused walk, compare the Bialowieza Forest Trails; for a different national-park route, see the Drawa National Park Trail, or for a far longer Polish journey, the Green Velo Trail.

History of the Kampinos Forest

The Kampinos Forest, or Puszcza Kampinoska, is a remnant of ancient Vistula-valley wilderness north-west of Warsaw. It sheltered insurgents during the 1863 January Uprising and later hid Home Army partisans in the Second World War. At Palmiry, German forces used forest clearings for secret mass executions of Polish civilians and prisoners from 1939 to 1943. The area became Kampinos National Park in 1959 and a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 2000.

Notable highlights

Palmiry war cemetery: A forest cemetery, memorial and museum marking the secret Nazi German executions of Polish civilians and prisoners from Warsaw’s Pawiak prison between 1939 and 1943.
Fortified church at Brochow: The western trailhead stands beside the Renaissance defensive church of St John the Baptist on the Bzura, known for its bastioned walls and Chopin connections.
Inland sand dunes: Kampinos protects Europe’s largest expanse of inland dunes, now mostly pine-covered; the soft sand is the trail’s signature underfoot challenge.
Sierakow and Krzywa Gora old-growth reserves: Strictly protected ancient-forest areas give a sense of the older Kampinos Forest landscape, including Professor Kobendza’s Oak.
1863 Uprising Pine and Wiersze partisan cemetery: These sites mark the forest’s role as a refuge for insurgents and Second World War resistance fighters.
Marshes and elk habitat: Wet meadows and marshes between dune ridges support elk, beaver and rich birdlife.

Challenges to expect

The route is flat and non-technical, but it is not an easy day walk. The main difficulties are distance, tiring soft sand on the dune belts, few on-trail services, and limited accommodation. Carry food and water planning seriously, especially away from villages. Navigation is generally simple on red waymarks, but stay on marked paths inside the protected park.

496

Ranked #496 of 974

See the Top 100 →