Green Velo

A short, 12.5 kilometre long bike trail, running around the beautiful Lake Wiżajny, lying in the "corner" of Poland, near the Polish-Lithuanian border. A typical recreational trail, running entirely on good asphalt roads, through extremely picturesque, scenic and hilly areas, typical for the Suwałki region. The beauty of the route is enhanced by numerous vantage points on Lake Wiżajny, encouraging tourists to rest on the shore of the lake. The route is suitable for family trips and recreational trips, and thanks to the good surface also for racing bicycle training. However, there are a lot of hills on it, so it requires being in good shape.

The general course of the trail is as follows: Wiżajny (0.0 km) - Wilkupie (3.1 km) - Stankuny (6.4 km) - Burniszki (9.4 km) - Wiżajny (12.4 km).

The route begins and ends in the locality of Wiżajny. It runs on the lake shore all the time, going past several small villages on the way. The area is very tranquil, and except for the locality of Wiżajny, almost not visited by tourists. There are practically no historic monuments on the route, its greatest advantages are the views of the lake and the surrounding area. In the locality of Burniszki there is an old Evangelical cemetery.

Lake Wiżajny is one of the largest lakes of the Suwałki region. It is the most northern of all. It occupies an area of 2.6 km2, and its length is 4.3 kilometres. In contrast to Lake Hańcza, for example, it is not a ribbon lake, but a kettle lake. Because of this it is much shallower, but it has a highly varied coastline and islands. It is quite shallow - its depth reaches only 5.3 meters. It is surrounded by open, agricultural areas, devoid of forests. Only avenues of alders and willows grow on the very shore of the lake. For this reason, the lake is sensitive to temperature changes; it quickly freezes in the winter season and warms up in the summertime. It is fertile and eutrophic. For this reason, it creates excellent conditions for the life of various fish species, which makes it a popular destination for angling trips. The banks are heavily overgrown with reeds, and the best conditions for swimming are in the tourist village of Wiżajny in the southern part of the lake.

Points of interest on the trail:

1. Wiżajny – the church
2. Lake Wiżajny
3. The Suwałki Landscape Park - views
4. Burniszki, a former Evangelical cemetery

The entire trail is suitable for bicycles with panniers/bike trailers. The trail runs only on roads without road traffic or on local roads with a low and very low traffic, without dangerous intersections. A recreational trail. Trail offering outstanding vistas.

Starting point:

Wiżajny

Finishing point:

Wiżajny