Twarda Kopa, Tatra National Park

Twarda Kopa - an unexplored hill in the northwestern ridge of Ciemniak separating the Kościeliska Valley from its spur, the Miętusiej Valley, in the Polish West Tatra Mountains.

It is located in the subpeak part of this ridge called the Hard Ridge and is its culmination. It is separated from the summit of the Ciemniak mountain by a shallow saddle called Szerookie Siodlo, located about 80 m from the Twarda Kopa peak. In the opposite, north-west direction the slope of the Twarda Kopa Mountain descends to the Chuda Switchback. Three perches descend from Twarda Kopa: in the east a perch undercut by steep walls above the Mudowa Valley - its extension is the northern moraine of the Mudowy Kotlo, in the north a very inconspicuous perch ending in Mietusia Kazalnica, in the west a barely distinguishable protuberance, lower passing into a distinct ridge ending in the Ice Tower.

In the past, the entire northeastern ridge of Ciemniak together with Hard Kopa was grazed and was part of the Hala Upłaz. Its grassy, eastern slope was called Hardy Upłaz by the mountaineers because it is covered by hard, granite rocks, while the whole ridge below is built of soft sedimentary rocks. On the granite there grows a plant group typical for this type of substrate - low grass with skucina, which already in mid-summer colors the slopes reddish. The whole slope of Twarda Kopa is grassy with the exception of the steep walls descending to the Ice Gully.

Twarda Kopa is the highest peak in the West Tatra Mountains located entirely in Poland, but it has very little prominence and therefore it is usually given that such a peak is Wielki Giewont.