Nature is changing, but so slowly that we do not have time to notice it. The Sunken Forest near Czołpino allows us to see these changes with our own eyes. After all, the tree trunks on the beach are the remains of a forest that grew here several thousand years ago! Sunk during a storm, it hid under the sand for thousands of years.

But how, you may ask… A forest doesn’t grow in the sea! In fact, it doesn’t grow, because what we see is the result of a storm, and probably many storms. The first storms buried this part of the former forest, and a few years ago another storm revealed what the Baltic Sea had once hidden. The eternal circle of life.

Where did the sunken forest come from?

So where did the sunken forest on the beach come from? The story begins about three thousand years ago, when a beech and oak forest grew where the beach is today. At least that is how old the trunks are, according to the scientists who, of course, set to work to verify this unusual coastal find. Then we enter the realm of speculation, because we don’t know how the trunks were created. It is possible that the former inhabitants of these areas began to clear and burn the forest. An alternative to this story is a „normal” forest fire that consumed part of the forest. Then there was a storm that brought a thick layer of sand on top of the remaining wood. The salt water preserved the trunks. It is possible that the wind then brought more layers of sand to the surface, as it does, for example, on the nearby Łąckie dune.

And the tree trunks patiently waited to be discovered during the next heavy storm.

A walk along the beach to the Sunken Forest

The Sunken Forest is located in the Słowiński National Park. Therefore, you have to take this into account when you want to get there. The only way to get there is by the beach and designated paths. You cannot walk on the dunes to avoid damaging them. Of course, one person walking on the dunes will not damage them, but if thousands of people think the same way, the unique ecosystem can be damaged.

But let’s get back to the point, because this famous sunken forest and the path to it are worth describing. One September morning I arrived at the parking lot of the military unit Czołpino, from where I first went to the nearby observation tower. Well, the view from there did not impress me, so take a look at the photo and decide for yourself if it is worth a visit. What is worth mentioning is the aviary that we see on the way. There are two eagles in the aviary. They had the misfortune to be injured and it is known that they will not be able to survive in the wild. That is why they found a place in the sanctuary, which is the aviary.

And then you just have to turn left and go, go, go… straight ahead. If you have a good eye, you might be able to find some amber. Because the sea is constantly washing up on the shore and throwing up lots of rocks and probably amber too. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to distinguish amber from stones, so I didn’t find any despite my best efforts. I also didn’t manage to see any seals or other marine mammals. The only thing I saw were jellyfish. Also beautiful

But the amount of iodine I inhaled and the sound of the waves I listened to is mine. It’s really beautiful here, and a walk along the shore calms the nerves. After the season there are hardly any people here, but I bet that even in the season there are no crowds. People only like to gather at the entrances to the main beaches. Hardly anyone bothers to take a walk a few kilometers away. It’s a shame, because when you walk along the beach, you walk along dunes, small cliffs and a forest. And there are also fallen tree trunks, living proof that the Baltic Sea is still eating away at the land, taking its toll during storms.

Sunken Forest on the Baltic Sea shore

The Sunken forest in Czołpino can be seen from afar. Dark spots can be seen from several hundred meters away. They are thousands of years old tree trunks. They are most impressive when you get close to them. You can see that some of them were well over a hundred years old when they were part of a living tree. Well, there were fewer people back then, and the anthropopressure was insignificant compared to the pressure humans put on nature today. What do I mean by that? Well, there used to be so many forests and so few people that even when people cut down or burned down forests, it was almost unnoticeable. Trees had time to grow.

And I have to admit that the trunks don’t look like they’re three thousand years old. They look like they are several decades old and have been cut down recently. Anyway, you can judge for yourself by looking at the photos.

When I went to the Sunken Forest on a weekday, there weren’t many people around. There was just a couple taking a picture in front of the old tree stumps. You can really relax here and just walk from one stump to the next. Although I advise you to be careful and look under your feet, because what you can see is one thing, but many of the stumps are still covered with sand and only a small part of them is sticking out. Most of them are still hidden in the depths of the sand.

Looking at these stumps, I wondered how big and difficult the task of clearing the forest used to be. Huge trees that had to be cut down without the use of power saws like today. Trees whose trunks could be over a meter in circumference, and sometimes much more.

And when someone (according to one theory) cleared a piece of forest, a powerful storm came and changed the coastline. The sea took away a significant part of the land, absorbing and covering with sand everything that was once land. It covered it to reveal it after several thousand years, which is today. Isn’t it fascinating?

How to get to the Sunken Forest

It is not possible to drive to the Sunken Forest, you can only walk there. The best place to start is the parking lot of the Czołpino Military Unit. Type it into Google Maps and it will take you there. The parking lot is basically three large parking lots, which are almost empty in the morning after the season. Only around noon do more cars appear. Then head towards the sea. Once there, turn left and after a 3.2 km walk you will reach the sunken forest. Important: The total distance from the parking lot to the logs is about 4.5 km on foot. Take this into account. And of course you have to walk the same distance in the other direction. The parking fee for the whole day is 20 PLN. It is not possible to buy an hourly ticket.

It is also worth considering that the parking lot and the flooded forest are not located on a busy road, and if you have a hotel in the tourist town of Łeba, for example, it will take you about an hour to get there, as it is almost 60 km away. However, if you live in Rowy, it is only 32 km away.

Theoretically, the map can guide you through the observation tower and then along the side paths. I would like to inform you that this passage does not officially exist and that walking along this route is illegal and takes place on the territory of the Słowiński National Park and through the area of a former military unit. There are no entry signs at the possible descents to these trails.

Dogs and other pets are also not allowed in Słowiński National Park. But I saw people with dogs on the beach. So, in practice, dogs were also brought in illegally. But it didn’t make any difference to the sea. I didn’t mind either, as long as they didn’t chase the animals around the dunes.If you came here by bike, you can leave it at one of the racks at the Red Shed, which is close to the beach. Although I have seen people riding their bikes on the beach, I do not know if it is comfortable or not. During the season there is a bar at the Red Shed, but it was already closed in the second half of September.