*A visit to Boubín (1362m) in Šumava, the highest wooden lookout in the country: 9 km*
- Boubín is the fifth highest mountain in Šumava and the center of one of Central Europe’s most important primeval forest areas. The forest was created after the end of the last ice age, some 12000 years ago and today comprises a mix of spruce and beech trees, with some fir, elm and sycamore.
- On top of the peak, a wooden viewing tower was constructed in 2005 (and is now the highest such tower in the country). The tower offers superb views of the surrounding forest and in the far distance (on a clear day) the glacier-topped peaks of the Austrian Alps are visible. The tower is accessed year round via an electronic access gate.
- The peak is best accessed from the ski village of Kubova Huť, where there is a large (paid) parking area and bus connections to Vimperk, as well as a train station on the regional line starting at Strakonice.
- From the village it is an easy 4.5 km walk up a mountain road, with the final section to the tower on a long wooden walkway with steps. There is 370m of height to ascend/descend on the route. The paths are not steep or difficult.
- For refreshments, there are various good options in Kubova Huť including the stylish Hotel and restaurant Kristian.
Note: click ‘Show on Mapy.com’ to go to a full screen version of the route directly on the mapy.com site. This can be used for on line navigation, saved or exported as a GPX file.
Directions
- Starting in Kubova Huť, follow the signs to Boubín – most of the route is on the BLUE hiking trail
- Return back on the outbound route
