The end of night hiking in the Tatra Mountains? TPN is considering a year-long ban

The management of the Tatra National Park (TPN) is considering introducing a year-round ban on traveling on trails at night. This is the result of New Year's Eve incidents and the growing popularity of night outings in the Tatra Mountains.

– More and more people climb the mountains after dark. This increases the risk for tourists and at the same time affects nature, including the nocturnal activity of many animal species. Therefore, TPN is analyzing the possibility of introducing a year-round ban on traveling on trails at night – emphasized Szymon Ziobrowski, director of TPN, in an interview with PAP.

Currently, this ban applies only in the summer season. According to the TPN regulations, traveling on the trails after dusk until dawn is prohibited from the beginning of March to the end of November. This restriction is intended to protect animals, including those waking up after winter and starting the mating season. Restricting tourism at night also allows animals to move freely between feeding and resting places. Naturalists remind that hiking at night may be dangerous for tourists because wild animals are more active then.

Problems with night trips to the Tatra Mountains have been reported, among others: on New Year's Eve, when tourists went to the mountains in large numbers after dark. Two incidents related to the use of fireworks were recorded – on Sarnia Skałka and in the area of ​​the shelter at Morskie Oko – and a number of minor violations of the park's regulations. Some ended with fines, others with warnings. – The park area at night is not a space for a grand celebration of the New Year – Ziobrowski noted.

The ban on using flares, fireworks and making noise results from the Nature Protection Act, which prohibits, among others, using open flame light sources outside places designated by the park director. Fireworks may be fired only on the basis of an individual decision of the Minister of Climate and Environment. TPN reminds that the use of flares and fireworks is punishable by a fine of up to PLN 500, and for multiple offenses – up to PLN 1,000. PLN, and in the case of more serious violations or refusal to accept the fine, the case is referred to the court, which may impose a fine of up to PLN 5,000. zloty.

In the Polish Tatra Mountains, there are 275 km of marked hiking trails with varying degrees of difficulty – from very easy to very difficult, equipped with safety devices such as chains, clamps and ladders. The trails are marked with five colors: black, red, green, blue and yellow; the colors do not indicate the level of difficulty. (PAP)

szb/ aba/