A walk around Vlčí hora (581m), a volcanic peak on the edge of České Švýcarsko: 3 km

• Vlčí hora is an unusual volcanic peak located just inside the Labské pískovce protected nature zone, some 7 km northwest of the town Krásná Lípa. On the summit of the peak, built on top of columnar basalt rocks, is a viewing tower constructed in 1889. The adjacent cottage was completely destroyed by fire in April 2023, but the brick-built tower survived relatively unscathed. It is is usually open during the summer months.
• The ascent of peak can be included in a longer trip in this interesting region, potentially starting in Krásná hora, or completed as a short stand-alone trip from the village of the same name, just below the summit. There are bus connections here from Krásná hora and a free parking area on the main street.
• The route to the summit, which is just over 1 km in length, is not difficult and involves just over 100m of height to ascend-descend. The trail passes some attractive folk architecture. After the trip, consider a stop in the Bylinková čajovna Nobilis Tilia (a pleasant café attached to a significant firm manufacturing natural cosmetics in the village). There is a nice garden area to enjoy the teas, coffees and good cakes.

Note: click ‘Show on map’ above to go to a full screen version directly on the mapy.cz site. This can be used for online navigation, saved or exported as a GPX file

Directions

• In the village centre, join the RED trail heading towards the Pod Vlčí horou junction, which is reached after 500m
• At the junction, join the YELLOW trail heading uphill to reach the summit after 600m
• For a slightly varied return, descend on the opposite side of the peak, initially on the YELLOW trail, for 150m until reaching a tourist shelter, at which point turn right onto the marked nature trail (green/white diagonal stripes)
• Follow this trail for 300m until reaching the Studánka Veronika junction and joining the RED trsil which leads back into Vlčí hora village after 1 km