*A walk over Bukovec mountain to Jizerka village and the peat bog nature trail: 7 km*

• At 862m, Jizerka is the highest settlement in the Jizerské hory and one of the most visited spots in the mountain range. The village often is cut off during winter by drifting snow – temperatures as low as minus 40C have been recorded here – but it remains much visited by cross country skier. In the summer months the plateau area, which is crossed by the Jizerka stream, is very popular with hikers.
• The original village dates from the late Middle Ages, but only became regionally important in the early 19th century when a glassworks was established by the famous Bohemian-Austrian Riedel glassmaking family. Most of the current picturesque village architecture dates from this period.
• There are two particular highlights of a short walk in the area around Jizerka, in addition to the village architecture and history. The first is the unique conical mountain of Bukovec (1005m), just to the southeast of the village (directly beside the main car park). This is the only basalt lava intrusion in the mountain range and has some unique flora, including a rare beech tree copse.
• The second reason to take a short walk in the area is the nature trail that runs beside the Jizerka stream, to the northwest of the village. This short trail highlights the nature of the wetland area, including the important peat bogs. It has some very scenic stretches and is highly recommended.
• Jizerka village itself is not accessible by car (unless staying at one of the hotels in the village) so it is necessary to park at the large paid parking area below Bukovec mountain. There is a bus stop just beside the parking area, with connections to the regional Kořenov train station.
• The suggested route starts at the parking area/bus stop and includes the traverse of Bukovec and then the nature trail on the far side of Jizerka. It is just 7 km long, with 150m of height to ascend/descend, most of which is the climb up and down Bukovec. This climb-descent is actually quite steep and can be skipped if desired by taking the flatter route around the mountain.
• There are several options for refreshment in Jizerka and by the parking area, including the historical Pyramida and Panský dům buildings in the center of the village.

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

• From the trail signpost next to the parking area/bus stop, take the RED trail in the direction of Pralouka
• After 500m, reach the Pralouka junction and take the GREEN hiking trail to the left, which traverses the summit of Bukovec (note, if preferring to avoid the summit climb, take the YELLOW trail which leads around the mountain)
• From the summit of Bukovec continue down the opposite side of the mountain, still on the GREEN trail to reach the village center after 1.2 km
• In the village center, continue on the road following the RED trail. After 400m , the nature trail (green-white diagonal stripes) branches off the the left. Take this branch
• Follow the nature trail for 1.6 km beside the stream and then on a short section of wooden plank footpath to reach the peat bog
• Return back to the road on the wooden planking footpath and then follow the road for 3 km back through the village to return to the parking area/bus stop