CZ, The Jeseníky – A Two-Day Hike

A great place to start is the Pod Klepáčem car park near the village of Dolní Morava. From here, take a relatively steep but short hill to the first border peak of Klepáč, which is located at an altitude of 1,144 m above sea level. Klepáč stands at the watershed of three European seas - North, Baltic and Black. Since 2009, there is a 28-meter-high wooden lookout tower built by the Poles and also serves as a watchtower against the fires that these mountains suffer from time to time.

From Klepáč, continue for approximately 10 kilometers exactly along the route leading along the Czech-Polish border to Vlaštovčí kameny. These are located on the slope of Králický Sněžník, shortly before reaching its top. Swallow stones are interesting rock formations formed mainly by gneiss.

Then you climb the last few hundred meters to the top of the mountain Králický Sněžník. It is located at an altitude of 1,424 m above sea level, and is thus the highest peak of the Králický Sněžník mountain range (Hornomoravská hornatina). As its name hides, be prepared that except for the summer months, snow stays here for quite a long time. Although it does not cover the whole mountain, you will definitely meet it on the hiking trail, so definitely do not underestimate the conditions and call it quality mountain boots. At the top is a pile of stones, which are the remains of a former lookout tower and cottage. A little further on lies a three-border stone and on the way from the top a granite statue of an elephant.

A longer march begins from Králický Sněžník - a descent to Stříbrnická at an altitude of 1,250 m above sea level, crossing the top of Hraniční hora (968 m above sea level) to Kladské sedlo (815 m above sea level). The route still copies the border with Poland and deviates to the top of Chlupenkovec (980 m above sea level). Here it starts to rise slightly again. The path around the Palaš hill (1027 m above sea level) will take every tourist to the shelter Císařská lovecká bouda pod Trnovou horou (1060 m above sea level), which is an ideal place for outdoor sleeping, in addition, it is located just halfway through this two-day route. Here you will find large wooden benches, tables and a fireplace.

In the morning, go straight to the top of Mount Smrk, which lies at an altitude of 1,127 meters above sea level and is the highest point of the Rychlebské Mountains. Don't expect the views of the surroundings here, but there are interesting peat bogs around Smrk. From here, take the path copying the border again over the Kovadlina (989 m above sea level), Břidličný (945 m above sea level) and Pomezný (921 m above sea level) hills to the Špičák mountain (957 m above sea level). From here, there is no significant ascent for the rest of the journey, the peaks are replaced by beautiful plains and green meadows, and civilization is slowly reappearing as it passes through the village of Nové Vilémovice.

At the very end of the road, head to the ruins of Rychleby Castle, which is located approximately 4 kilometers from Vilémovice. The original castle was probably built here by robbers at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries. Not far from the ruins is a rocky lookout of the Devil's Pulpit, from where there is a nice view of the Račí Valley, where we also end today.

GPS: Králický Sněžník 50°12'25.7"N 16°50'50.5"E

Text and photos: Veronika Schubertová