A 9 km walk around Dalejské údolí – 500 million years of Prague’s geological history

• Five hundred million years ago, Bohemia was part of a large island, which had separated from the super-continent called Gondwana. The island was located in the southern ocean, slowly being pushed by tectonic plate movements northwards towards the equator. Around 490 million years ago a fault line on the island created a shallow basin in the area where Prague is located today. The sea flooded the basin.
• Rivers and streams on the hills surrounding the basin washed sand and gravel into the sea. Meanwhile, the remains of early marine creatures fell to the shallow sea bed and were encased in the sandy deposits. Rolling the clock forward nearly 500 million years, these remarkable early marine fossil specimens were then discovered by paleontologists in the 19th century in the approaches to the Dalejský valley, close to Řeporyje.
• The Dalejský valley, which runs from Řeporyje to meet the Prokopský valley near Hlubočepy, showcases this unique geological period in the Prague basin. For 100 million years, the remains of marine creatures were deposited on the bed of the generally deepening and increasingly tropical sea. Most became the foundation for deep layers of limestone rock, but some were fossilized, waiting to be uncovered by quarrying activities 400 million years later.
• The changes in sea level and climate, as well as significant underwater volcanic activity, are graphically illustrated in the limestone quarry walls along the valley. An informative nature trail has been created along the valley, with information boards (only in Czech) at key points. It is one of the best educational trails in the Prague area and in combination with the picturesque scenery makes this one of the nicest short walks in the Prague area.
• The village of Řeporyje is a good starting point for a walk in the Dalejský valley. There are regular buses to Řeporyje from Luka and Zličín metro stations. There are also some parking spots in the square next to the microbrewery, which is one option for refreshments after the walk. A good option for food and/or coffee in Řeporyje is the Bistro Na námesti, a Hejlík recommendation.
• The walk along the nature trail to the point where the Dalejský and Prokopský valleys meet is 4.5 km long. At this point it is possible to continue along the Prokopský valley to reach Hlubočepy (to catch a train back to Prague). This gives a total walk of 7.3 km, with 60m of ascent and 150m of descent. It is also possible to extend the tour around the Prokopský valley – see here for a recommended route.
• For those preferring to leave Prokopský valley for a different trip, a return back to Řeporyje is possible by either retracing the outbound route or by taking unmarked paths that follow the northern rim of the valley – these offer some good viewpoints and make a nicely varied walk circular walk. This is the route described below – giving a total walk of 9 km with 200m of height gained/lost. The path is generally easily, but does have a couple of steeper rocky or forest path sections which would be challenging with a stroller.

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

• Start the walk at Řeporyje bus stop (regular buses from Luka and Zličín metros). If driving, there are usually a few parking spots in Na Tržisti square, just behind the brewery
• Follow the GREEN hiking trail (which follows the route of the educational trail) in the direction of Hlubočepy, initially along the main street and then entering the valley
• After 600m pass the Placatá skála information board – the sloping rock on the left has some interesting fossil remains (note – there is a partial track diagonally up the rock face – this is worth scrambling up to view the warm rock loving plants, especially in spring – the header picture is taken from this path)
• Follow the trail along the valley – note that after 1.5 km (point 3 on the map) the marked trail leaves the quarry road for a section in the forest, while the cycle path stays on the road – both routes can be followed. The cycle route is shorter and less steep
• The trail passes various quarry sites with different geological features, which are highlighted in the information boards along the route.
• The junction with the Prokopský valley is reached 4.5 km after leaving Řeporyje. Here there are various options for continuing the walk including a longer tour in Prokopský valley. The shortest option, however, is to continue along Prokopský valley following the GREEN trail for 2.3 km to reach Hlubočepy station
• For those wanting to return to Řeporyje, either return on the outbound route, or for a more circular route, take the unmarked but wide forest path that ascends the ridge to the left, 50m before arriving at the Prokopský valley road (point 6 on the map)
• This path leads up the the rim of the valley and follows the edge on a good path with interesting views
• There are various unmarked trails in this area, and it is best to navigate this section using the mapy.cz application, broadly keeping on the path closest to the valley edge and then descending to the main trail through the Mušlovka quarry (map point 11)