The best hiking routes in Olomouc Region

The Olomouc Region offers a sharp contrast between flat river plains and rugged border mountains. In the south, CHKO Litovelské Pomoraví protects a low-lying alluvial landscape where the Morava River branches into seasonal channels. Walking here means following flat, dirt paths through dense floodplain forests, where the damp ground is shaped by spring high waters. This is a gentle, shaded terrain without any climbs, where the focus is on river bends and old oak trees.

Further north, the landscape rises abruptly into the high dome-shaped ridges of CHKO Jeseníky. Here, the paths turn into stony forest tracks and steep mountain trails, leading above the treeline to open, peat-covered subalpine meadows. You will notice how the spruce forests thin out and give way to dwarf pines and rocky outcrops. This is a demanding mountain environment with significant elevation gains, though it lacks the jagged, vertical limestone peaks found in other European ranges.

Along the Polish border, the terrain transitions into the lower, forested hills of Park Krajobrazowy Góry Opawskie and the neighboring Śnieżnicki Park Krajobrazowy. These areas feature quieter, pine-scented paths over shale and granite bedrock, marked by historical boundary stones and old quarry workings. Walkers should expect steady climbs through working timber forests rather than wilderness, with forestry tracks often forming the basis of the trail network.