The best hiking routes in Karlovy Vary Region

The Karlovy Vary Region offers a landscape of forested highlands, peat bogs, and deep river valleys, rather than high alpine peaks or dramatic rocky gorges. Walkers can choose between the damp, spruce-covered granite plateaus of CHKO Slavkovský les in the center of the region, and the quieter, more remote border forests of Přírodní park Český les to the south. The terrain is generally rolling and accessible, characterized by wide forest tracks, soft peat paths, and occasional paved forestry roads.

In CHKO Slavkovský les, the landscape is defined by its volcanic past, where you will walk past mineral springs, peat bogs, and open meadows. The underfoot conditions here often include wooden boardwalks over sensitive wetland areas. In contrast, Přírodní park Český les offers miles of deep, continuous beech and spruce canopy along the former iron curtain, where old ruins of abandoned villages are still visible among the trees. For those seeking deep river valleys, Přírodní park Horní Střela provides steeper, narrower paths along the rocky banks of the Střela river.

While well-known spa towns draw many visitors to the valley floors, the higher forested trails remain quiet. In November, the beech forests of Přírodní park Český les shed their leaves, revealing the rolling shape of the hills and the stone foundations of old settlements. Walkers should expect steady climbs through managed timber forests rather than rugged wilderness, with well-marked trails that connect small, quiet villages.