Cycling trip through Suwalki Landscape Park 1

The starting point of our route is the village of Jeleniewo.

Before departure, it is worth visiting the wooden church from 1878. The church hosts the largest colony of the pond bat in Poland.

From the village, we head west along the road to the settlement of Kazimieróvka. There, we turn onto local gravel roads. At Lake Szurpily, it is impossible to resist the crystal-clear water. Right at the beginning, you will find several entrances to the lake where no reeds grow. The water is clear and transparent to a depth of several meters. Along the rest of the route, you will find several places where swimming in the lake is possible.

At the Jeglóvek homestead above the lake, we briefly join the nature trail around Castle Hill. This is one of the most interesting archaeological sites in Poland. A strongly fortified Jotvingian stronghold once stood here. The fortress ramparts are still visible on the slopes of the hill and at its summit.

We then continue along Lake Jeglóveczek. This part of the route is not ideal for cycling because a narrow path passes through occasionally muddy terrain, but it is only a short section. After the lake, we return to a wide gravel road.

In the village of Wodzilky stands a prayer house of Old Believers, who fled from the Russian Orthodox Church after the old rites and liturgies were declared heresy in 1663. They came to this region in the 17th century, and the prayer house is still in use.

From here, our route continues to the village of Bachanowo/Blaskowizna. In the local restaurant, you can try the local Kartacze and beer.

Worth a visit is the Glazowisko Bachanovo reserve less than a kilometer from the village. It features 4 terraces with stone fields above the Czarna Hańcza river. The stone fields are made of boulders with a circumference of 0.5 - 8 meters, estimated at about 10,000 pieces. The boulders were brought by the glacier from Scandinavia. When the glacier melted, water carried away the sand and small stones. Only the heaviest remained in place.

From the reserve, we follow the GreenVelo cycle route through the villages of Przelomka and Mierkinie to Stara Hancza. In Mierkinie, take a short detour to the viewpoint over Lake Hańcza.

Stara Hancza is the northernmost tip of Lake Hańcza. Once there was a homestead (a small castle and farm buildings), of which only ruins and some landscape features like water reservoirs and alleys remain. The farm buildings were destroyed during World War I when the area was a battlefield between the German and Russian armies. The small castle survived World War II but burned down under mysterious circumstances in 1946.

We continue towards Smolniki. About one kilometer after Stara Hancza, there is a cyclist bistro where you can refresh yourself. We recommend it!

Before Smolniki, one of the glacial ridges offers a beautiful view of the glacier-formed landscape with many lakes. Just get off your bike and climb to the viewpoint above the road. The place is well marked and has an information board with description and panorama.

In Smolniki, we turn to a tourist trail. The field and forest roads are sandy, which may cause difficulties for cyclists, so increased caution is recommended in this section.

On the route is a mill near the village of Udzielek. The mill is renovated, and near it is the starting point (kilometer 0.0) for kayaking down the Szeszupa river.

The last place on the route is Cisowa Góra (256 m above sea level). Cisowa Góra is one of the most beautiful viewpoints in Suvalki Landscape Park. Its name has changed many times, and it is even called Suwalska Fuji. Its shape resembles a volcanic crater, but it is a remnant of a glacier moraine front. The summit offers a beautiful view, with the obligatory cross and a memorial plaque commemorating the pilgrimage of John Paul II.

Back to Jeleniewo is 5 kilometers by road.