A circuit around the Jedlové waterfalls from Josefův Důl: 5 km (extendable)
- The Jedlové falls are a popular Jizerské mountain destination, easily reached on a short hike up the valley from the ski village of Josefův Důl. The main waterfall (which is the last in the series of smaller cascades – so keep going to the end!) is a superb 5m vertical cascade of fast-flowing water.
- The trail beside the stream has a number of information boards (in Czech only) describing the nature of the valley. Rather than return back down the trail beside the stream (which can be slippery, especially downhill), the recommended return route follows a mountain road back down to the village, creating a nice 5.7 km circular tour, assuming a start at Josefův Důl train station (where there is also a paid parking area).
- If desired, various longer circular routes (up to around 20 km) can be created by continuing further up the valley to reach the saddle below the peak Čihadlo (967 m). From there, various marked trails circle back to Josefův Důl. However, the shorter route described below is a fine walk in itself. (Note for drivers – there is a small, sometimes busy, parking area 700m up the road towards the falls from the station – map point 2 below – which can shorten the walk to just over 4 km)
- For refreshments, there are various options in the village of Josefův Důl, including a small pub-kiosk directly outside the station.
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 junction next to the parking area close to the train station (Josefův Důl – sklárna junction), take the BLUE marked hiking trail up the road, in the direction of Jedlová
- After 750m, at the Josefův Důl – lesní brána junction, turn left heading up the footpath beside the stream staying on the BLUE trail (the education trail starts here). The top (main) waterfall is reached after 1.5 km from this point
- Continue on the BLUE trail past the final waterfall for 300m to reach the mountain road. The BLUE trail continues along the road to the left, but unless wanting a longer walk, turn right and head downhill following the road all the way back to the Josefův Důl – lesní brána junction
- From there it is 750m back along the BLUE trail to the station area
