Tresna: Hiking and Boat Trips on Lake Żywieckie

Tresna lies on the northern and southern shores of Lake Żywieckie and on the slopes of Kościelec and Góra Przysłop. The water, ridges and dam provide different points of reference when choosing where to stay. During your stay, you can consider hiking trails, walks and boat trips as different focal points.

Lake and dam

The Lake Żywieckie reservoir was created in the 1960s by damming the Soła, whose valley was blocked off by a dam. The Soła is the river, the valley is the area that was blocked off, and the lake is the result of the damming. The Żywieckie Dam is in Tresna and is 310 m long and 39 m high above the valley floor. These figures refer to different measurements: 39 m is the height above the valley floor, while 635 m is the elevation of Solisko, the destination of the yellow hiking trail.

Hiking trails with different points of reference

The yellow-marked hiking trail leads from Tresna I (bus stop) to Solisko at an elevation of 635 m. The starting point, destination and elevation give this route description a clear local reference. The blue-marked hiking trail passes through Tresna and over the crest of the Żywieckie Dam. This section is part of the route from Bielsko-Biała Lipnik to Przełęcz Przysłop Cisowy. The route crosses the ridges of Czupla and Magurka Wilkowicka, crosses the Soła Valley at Tresna via the dam, and then climbs to the Cisowych Grap ridge, where it meets the red-marked Mały Szlak Beskidzki. For your choice, the routes differ in a specific way: the yellow trail names Solisko as its destination, while Tresna is a passage between the endpoints on the blue trail. Check current trail conditions before setting out.

Boat trips, walks and getting there

The departure area for boat trips on Lake Żywieckie is in Tresna, right next to the dam. If you are planning a trip, check the current timetable beforehand. If you have time to wait before departure, you can walk across the crest of the Tresna Dam to a viewpoint on Góra Żar. The dam crest therefore forms part of two different options: it is part of the blue hiking trail and also a section of the walk to the viewpoint. The latter can be planned for the wait before a boat trip.

A tourism description from 2022 mentions a walking path with benches on the right bank of Lake Żywieckie. A tourism information source from 2022 mentions parking at the departure area and access by public transport, including buses operated by MZK Żywiec. Check current connections for your travel date.

Local amenities

Tresna has restaurants and leisure centers. The activities differ in purpose and occasion: Solisko is the destination of the yellow route, the blue trail crosses the dam and continues over several ridges, and the walk to the viewpoint is an option while waiting for a boat trip. This makes a marked hike, a walk along the lakeshore and a boat trip on the lake different options for the day.

Discover more destinations: Nieledwia, Ślemień, Okrajnik, Sopotnia Wielka, Glinka, Lodygowice, Czernichów, Soblówka

Go to the main travel overview: Żywiec.