The best hiking routes in Krkonošský národní park

Krkonošský národní park contains the highest elevations in the Czech Republic, but the landscape is defined by its flat, tundra-like high plateaus rather than sharp, jagged peaks. Walkers will find a distinct vertical transition. Lower slopes are covered in dense spruce forests, which give way to dwarf pine shrubs and vast peat bogs at higher elevations. The bedrock is mostly granite and crystalline schist, visible in dramatic glacial corries and isolated rock formations known as torrs.

Underfoot, the trail conditions vary significantly depending on your altitude. The lower forest paths are often wide, gravelled forestry tracks or stony trails crisscrossed with tree roots. On the exposed ridges and peat bogs, the park authority has installed extensive wooden boardwalks to protect the fragile subalpine vegetation. Some of the main ridge trails are paved with large, uneven stone slabs that require careful stepping.

This park is highly accessible, meaning the main trail along the Polish border and the paths leading to the summit of Sněžka are often busy with visitors. Those seeking quieter walks should head to the lateral ridges or the deep valleys like Obří důl, where the glacial history of the landscape is most visible in the steep, amphitheatre-like valley walls.