Seeking the sources of the river Labe: a 13 km hike from Medvědín

• The Labe (or Elbe as it becomes in Germany) is the most important river in the Czech Republic. Its drainage basin (which includes those of the Labe’s major Czech tributaries) encompasses almost the entire territory of Bohemia. For millennia, the Labe – which is navigable from Prague to the North Sea – has been the most significant transport and trade route into and out of the country.
• The Labe begins its thousand kilometer journey to the North Sea on the slopes above the Krkonoše mountain village of Špindlerův Mlýn, the Czech Republic’s most famous ski resort. A series of streams and waterfalls, beginning close to the Czech/Polish border, cascade down the mountainside from an altitude of around 1400m, joining together above the village to form the fledgling river. Seeking out the sources of this major European waterway amongst the granite rocks of the high plateau is a highlight of any walking trip to the Krkonoše mountains.
• There are several ways to reach the high plateau area which feeds the Labe streams. Hiking/ski trails lead from Harrachov and Rokytnice nad Jizerou on the Czech side and Szklarska Poręba on the Polish side of the border. However, the fastest access route is to take advantage of the chairlift from Špindlerův Mlýn to the Medvědín summit (1235m) and then walk the final section of the Bucharova cesta (a 31 km historical marked trail which runs from Jilemnice town to the Labe spring, at an altitude of 1386m).
• The Medvědín chairlift runs in the summer/autumn season (as well as during the ski season). The bottom station is reached along a 1 km flat paved road from the village center, following the course of the Labe river. There is also a parking area directly at the Medvědín lift.
• From the top of Medvědín left, the route rises gradually to reach the Vrbatova Bouda mountain hut (which offers quite expensive refreshments, but is an excellent site) and then along the cliff edge, where there are superb views of the waterfalls cascading into the Labe valley. The route also passes the memorial to Bohumil Hanč, the Czech skier who died in 1913 at that spot during a 50km cross country ski race. His friend, Václav Vrbata also died in the race – the Vrbatova hut is named after him.
• The route then reaches the large mountain hotel/restaurant Labská bouda (rebuilt in 1975 on the site of a much more attractive 19th century inn, which burnt down in 1965) .The trail crosses the marshy plateau to get to the formal Labe spring site (although actually a number of small streams on the plateau combine to form the ‘source’ of the river).
• From the Labe spring, the suggested return route takes a higher path over the plateau, passing various concrete bunkers constructed in 1938 to the protect the Czech border and over the Harrachovy kameny (1421 m) mountain peak, with its fine viewpoint and scattered granite boulders. The higher path then returns, via the Vrbatova Bouda hut again, to the Medvědín lift for the descent journey.
• The total length of this route is 13.4km, measured from Medvědín top station, with 390m of height gained/lost. None of the slopes are particularly steep and this is one of the easier walks in the high Krkonoše mountains.
• If preferring to avoid the chairlift, there are several walking good routes to the Labe spring if starting in Špindlerův Mlýn. One recommended route is to follow the BLUE trail from Spindl, running alongside the Labe to climb up to Labská bouda, and for the return journey to take the YELLOW trail (the Stará vozová cesta) to descend to Horní Mísečky and from there to take the RED trail (the Medvědí cesta) back to Spindl. This circular route is approximately 20 km in length with 740m of height difference.

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 the top of the Medvědín chairlift (usually open from July to October for summer/autumn trips). The lift is located 1km from the centre of Špindlerův Mlýn, and is reached by foot along the BLUE trail from the main square. There is also a parking area near the lift station. For walking routes which avoid using the chairlift, see the final bullet in the comments above
• From the lift top station, take the RED trail in the direction of Vrbatova Bouda, passing the viewpoint of Šmídova vyhlídka after 1.1 km and reaching the mountain hut/restaurant of Vrbatova Bouda after a further 2 km
• From Vrbatova hut continue on the RED trail in the direction of Labská bouda. After 900m pass the memorial to Bohumil Hanč (see comments above) and then after a further 200m to the famous viewpoint at the Pančavský waterfall, one of the longest in the mountains
• The trail continues on to reach the large mountain hotel of Labská bouda (refreshment options). If desired, take the short 200m diversion from the hotel along the BLUE trail to reach the viewpoint over the Labský waterfall, one of the more powerful falls in the area. Return back to Labská bouda
• From the hotel continue on the RED trail in the direction of Pramen Labe. The site of the Labe (Elbe) spring is reached after 1.3 km
• From the spring, stay on the RED trail traversing the high plateau for 2.3 km to reach the trail junction of U Růženčiny zahrádky
• At U Růženčiny zahrádky turn left onto the GREEN trail in the direction of Vrbatova bouda, passing over the Harrachovy kameny (1421 m) peak and reaching the Vrbatova hut after 1.4 km
• From Vrbatova hut return along the RED trail (the same as the outbound route) to reach the Medvědín lift after 3km