Dolina Strążyska

The entrance to the valley is located at an altitude of 900 meters along the Road under the Tatra Firs, on the extension of Zakopane's Strążyska Street, and the valley itself extends all the way to the walls of the Giewont massif, which limits it from the southern side. The western border of the valley is formed by Grzybowiec and Łysanki with Samkowa Czuba, while the eastern side features a rocky pillar branching off from Juhaska Kopa in Długi Giewont, further continuing with a ridge from Wyżnia Sucha Przełęcz to Niżnia Sucha Przełęcz, Suchy Wierch, Sarnia Skała, and its Grześkówka ridge. The Styrżnik ridge divides the upper part of the Strążyska Valley into two smaller valleys, forming its upper floor: the eastern Dolina Wielka Równia and the western Mała Dolinka. The main part of the valley also has several side branches: Samkowy Żleb, Dolina Grzybowiecka, Koński Żleb, and Sarni Żleb.

The valley was formed as a result of a tectonic fault crossing the entire range from Żleb Kirkora. It has an area of approximately 4 km² and a length of 3 km. It is entirely composed of sedimentary rocks. The valley is covered with forests, but numerous rocky pinnacles can be seen on both of its steep slopes. The most prominent ones, each with its own name, are Kominy Strążyskie, Skała Jelinka, Kapelusze, Kiernia, and Czarna Turnia. The valley is traversed by the fast-flowing Strążyski Potok. Józef Ignacy Kraszewski wrote about the valley: "a land of silence and dreams, so beautiful." It has not lost any of its beauty today, but the land of silence is becoming increasingly rare, as it is one of the most visited valleys in the Tatra Mountains (about 6% of the total Tatra attendance).

Half a kilometer from the mouth of the valley is the Młyniska meadow, where the Tatra National Park ranger's lodge is located. In the upper part of the valley, there is a small meadow called Polana Strążyska, which is home to two mountain huts, a snack bar, and a large boulder named Sfinks by the old-time tourists. The meadow is a junction of hiking trails.

In the past, the valley was used for grazing and was part of the Hala Strążyska. The oldest found documents mentioning the valley date back to 1605, and the name Strążyska appeared in 1669. In 1961, the meadow was taken over by the Tatra National Park, and grazing was discontinued. The road through the valley was constructed by the Zakopane Manor and the Tatra Society between 1893 and 1896.

Dolina Strążyska is a very popular destination for tourists due to its great attractiveness and also because it serves as a route to Giewont. At the mouth of the valley, there is the "Roma" villa and a parking lot, and there are also minibusses that come here.

Despite its proximity to Zakopane and the mass tourist movement, the forests have remained in fairly good condition. There are still patches of primeval beech-fir forest on Samkowa Czuba and Grześkówki, and rare occurrences of yews. The northern walls of Giewont are covered with a rich flora of calciphilous plants. The presence of rare plants in Poland has been confirmed in the valley, such as: Sorbus aucuparia, Saxifraga caesia, Pinus mugo, Cypripedium calceolus, Sorbus torminalis, and Ranunculus auricomus.