A tour around and ascent of Jizera mountain (1122m) from Smědava: 6 km to 10 km
- Jizera mountain at 1122m is the second highest in the Czech Jizerské mountains and the most prominent of the ‘thousand meter’ peaks in the region. The peak is topped with a spectacular granite outcrop and there is a protected route (a couple of ladders and handrail) enabling hikers to reach the summit without substantial difficulty – it is however a light scramble and those ascending should be comfortable with some light exposure. The view from the top is magnificent.
- The closest public transport (or parking) options are at the trail junction of Smědava, situated on the mountain road that runs scenically from Desná to Hejnice (note that the southern section – from Desná – is not open in winter). Buses run to Smědava from Hejnice.
- The trail from Smědava to the summit of Jizera is 3 km long with just under 300m of height to ascend. Apart from the final rocky scramble it is an easy route. A nice way to complete the trip is to complete a full circle around the mountain by continuing on to the Na Knejpě junction, where there is the popular (some call it legendary) KNAJPA snack bar. The return to Smědava mostly follows an easy cycle path around the southern flank of the mountain. At Smědava there is a self service restaurant.
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 parking area at Smědava take the RED trail uphill in the direction of Pod Jizerou, which is reached in 2 km
- At the Pod Jizerou junction, turn left onto the YELLOW trail which leads to the summit of Jizera in 1 km
- The protected route up the granite rocks starts on the opposite side of the summit – take the footpath anticlockwise to reach the start of the ascent
- Return back to the Pod Jizerou and turn left along the RED in the direction of the Na Knejpě junction, which is reached in 2 km
- At the junction (after visiting the snack bar) take the cycle trail path ( note – it is not a marked hiking route) opposite the snack bar which heads southeast around the mountain
- After 3.5 km reach the U Studánky trail junction and here take the GREEN trail to return back to Smědava in 1.7 km
