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*The Jizerské hory section of the ‘Via Czechia’ northern trail: a 3 day walk (79 km)*

  • One of the most useful resources for planning a long multiday trek in the Czech Republic is the Via Czechia site. This project, which started in 2020, maps six different multiday routes between different border points. The six routes follow marked trails totalling over 10000 km.
  • The most challenging (but probably most rewarding) of the six routes is the northern trail, which traverses 1058 km of trails mostly in the mountainous border regions (involving around 50000m of height to ascend/descend over the entire route). The walk is divided into 47 stages with an average length of 20-25 km. The stages are planned with the idea that (roofed) accommodation is available at each start/end point.
  • It seems unlikely, however, that many people will tackle the route in a single journey. Some will divide the walk into segments to be tackled perhaps in a series of separate 2 to 5-day walks. Others will simply pick and choose the most appealing sections, possibly for day walks. Where appropriate, I have referenced elsewhere in the guide, day walks which incorporate substantial sections of Via Czechia routes.
  • One of my personal favorite segments from the northern trail is the 3-day route traversing the Jizerské hory mountain range between Chrastava and Harrachov (with nights spent in the pilgrimage town of Hejnice and the mountain village of Jizerka). This is the route described below. A few minor changes (based on personal experience with a slightly preferred trail) have been made to the mapy.cz route planning compared with the version in the Via Czechia site. The changes are mentioned below.
  • The Jizera mountain landscape is one of the most varied and attractive upland areas in the country. The mountains are partly forested (mostly with spruce but there are primeval UNESCO listed beech forests on the northern side). There are also many open meadows, mostly created when Jizerské became an important glassmaking area between the 15th and 19th centuries. The rounded peaks are often topped with dramatic granite outcrops. There are many small ponds, some attractive peat bogs and a couple of larger reservoirs in the area. The 3-day tour experiences all these highlights!
  • It is worth noting that while the suggested direction of travel for the Via Czechia northern trail is west to east (and that model is followed on this page), there is no reason why segments (or the whole walk) cannot be completed in the opposite direction. Indeed, for the Jizerské section, the route heading east to west would actually involve less uphill climbing (as Harrachov is higher than Chrastava).
  • Day 1 is quite challenging, at 26 km long with just under 1000m of height to ascend and 900m to descend. The route starts in Chrastava bus station (a change from the Via Czechia version) and finishes in the pilgrimage town of Hejnice, where are a number of accommodation options, but the former monastery offers very reasonable rooms, and is an atmospheric place to stay.
  • Day 2 is potentially the hardest of the three days, with up to 28 km and 1100 m of height to ascend, but this includes optional ascents of the 800m Ořešník peak (for a great view down over Hejnice) and Jizera (1122m, the second highest peak in the chain). Skipping the peaks saves 3 km and 150m of climbing. There is a further option to shorten the route by up to 7 km, which is noted in the directions below. The overnight stay is in Jizerka village, which has a number of good pension/hotels, including the stylish Jizerka 4 hotel.
  • Day 3 is marginally the easiest of the days with just under 26 km of walking, including an optional ascent of Hvězda, topped with a well-known viewing tower. The total ascent is around 750m. The suggested route deviates slightly from the Via Czechia version in making a detour towards the attractive reservoir of Souš (see picture below) following an interesting old trail through a wetland area. The Via Czechia route is more direct and follows the course of the Jizera river (mostly obscured by dense forest, sadly). If wanting a lighter final day, the Via Czechia direct route saves around 3 km. The finish point is Harrachov bus 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

  • DAY 1
  • Start at Chrastany bus station (regular buses from Liberec). Note: if needing to stay near Chrastany before starting the walk, the Hotel Farma Vysoká is highly recommended and is directly on the route (map point 3) – 2.4 km from the bus station
  • From the bus station, head into the center of town and in the main square, pick up the BLUE trail heading in the direction of Frýdlant
  • After 7.1 km reach the Pod Vysokým junction. Here, join the GREEN trail heading towards Albrechtice
  • After 4.8 km reach the Pod Oldřichov. Špičákem junction. Here there is a choice of route: either heading over the Špičák peak, following the YELLOW trail – this is the route shown in the map above and is the Via Czechia route – or taking the GREEN trail around the peak. Both are nice paths, but the YELLOW involves more climbing and has some steeper sections. Both paths arrive at the Hřebenový buk junction after about 1.6 km
  • At Hřebenový buk join the GREEN trail heading towards Oldřichovské sedlo, which is reached after 2.4 km (at the saddle there is a well-known pub Hausmanka U Kozy, which is worth a visit, but note it is usually only open at weekends)
  • From Oldřichovské sedlo, continue on the GREEN trail towards Poledník
  • After 4.3 km reach the junction of Bílá Kuchyně- Here turn left onto the BLUE trail heading towards Ferdinandov
  • The trail passes a series of waterfalls before reaching the Ferdinandov junction after 3 km
  • At the Ferdinandov junction, join the GREEN trail heading towards Hejnice. The centre of town is reached after 1.6 km
  • DAY 2
  • Starting at Hejnice Basilka, join the RED trail heading towards Ořešník
  • After 2.9 km reach the Ořešník junction. Here there is an option to divert to the right for 250m to climb the rocky peak. This is highly recommended, but note that the steps up the rocks are quite exposed
  • Continue on the RED trail for 1.5 km to reach Velký Štolpich waterfall and from there continue a further 800m on the RED trail to reach the U Tetřeví boudy junction (Note that from here the recommended route takes an indirect path over Holubník and Černá hora peaks. This is definitely the most scenic route, but if needing to shorten the day, it is possible to take the YELLOW path to Čihadla. This shortens the route by up to 7 km)
  • From the U Tetřeví boudy continue on the RED trail traversing Holubník peak, to reach the junction Holubník – sedlo after 5.7 km
  • At Holubník – sedlo, join the YELLOW trail and traverse the peak of Černá hora (there are two optional viewpoints that can be visited with short diversions following yellow markers. The viewpoints are now somewhat obscured with vegetation)
  • After 2.7 km reach the Rozmezí junction. Here, join the BLUE trail heading towards U Knejpy, which is reached after 1.7 km
  • At U Knejpy, join the RED trail heading towards Smědava
  • After 400m pass the popular mountain snackbar KNAJPA
  • Continue a further 900m on the RED trail to reach Pod Jizerou junction. Here there is the option to divert to the right following the YELLOW trail to reach Jizera peak. This is worthwhile, but note that this is a 150m climb to the top
  • Return back to Pod Jizerou junction and continue on the RED trail for 2 km to reach Smědava (here there is a well known self-service mountain restaurant)
  • At Smědava follow the signs towards Jizerka – the route is along the mountain road, not marked as a coloured hiking route, but is generally used by walkers and cyclists as the normal way to get from Smědava to Jizerka village
  • After 4.2 km reach the Borkoviště trail junction. At this point the nature trail through the peat bog area branches off the road. This trail is highly recommended and adds only around 400m compared with the direct route into Jiyerka along the mountain road
  • Follow the nature trail markers (green-white triangles all the way into the center of Jizerka village, where various accommodation can be found)
  • DAY 3
  • Starting in Jizerka village, head uphill along the main street along the GREEN trail heading towards Harrachov
  • Continue on the GREEN trail to the top of Bukovec hill reached after 1.2 km (the hill can be skipped if desired, but it is an interesting climb, with a good view from the top)
  • Descend on the the opposite side still following the GREEN trail until reaching the Pralouka junction after 650m
  • At Pralouka, join the RED trail heading towards the Pod Bukovcem junction, reached in 300m
  • At Pod Bukovcem, join the BLUE trail heading towards Pod Souší, reached after 4.3km
  • At Pod Souší, it is worth heading up the road to the right for 500mfor the review over the reservoir
  • Return back to the Pod Souší junction and take the RED trail towards Kořenov
  • The Kořenov train station is reached after 5.7 km
  • At the station, join the BLUE trail heading towards Pod Hvězdou junction, reached after 4.4 km
  • At the junction, join the GREEN trail heading towards Harrachov train station (note, there is 300m diversion to the top of the Štěpánka tower on Hvězda hill, which is well worth taking)
  • From Hvězda summit it is 5 km to Harrachov train station
  • Unless planning on taking the train, continue into Harrachov village and bus station, first along the RED trail for 1.5 km and then along the BLUE trail for 2.3 km to reach the bus station
Granite boulders in the UNESCO listed primeval beech forests near Oldřichovské saddle (day 1)
The Basilka at Hejnice (day 1)
View from the top of Jizera peak (day 2)
The meadows near Jizera village (day 2)
View over Souš reservoir (day 3)
The lookout tower on Hvězda peak (day 3)
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