Two-day trek in the Krkonoše Mountains with an ascent to Sněžka

Crossing the main part of the Krkonoše Mountains with an ascent to Sněžka

Starting point

Parking in Špindlerův Mlýn. Parking is paid - 320 CZK per day.
 

Description of the hike

1. day

Our original plan for this date was to climb in the Austrian Alps, but the crazy rainy weather this month significantly disrupted our plans. In the end, the only decent weather was in the Krkonoše Mountains, so we went for it.

We left our car in a paid parking lot in Špindlerův Mlýn. Under the timid rays of the sun, we set off along the red tourist trail into the mountains. Above Špindlerův Mlýn, we turned onto the yellow trail and continued climbing to the ridge of the Krkonoše Mountains. The trail first leads through the forest, and we gradually crossed the tree line. This opened up the first views of the surrounding area. Finally, we climbed to the Kozí hřbety signpost. From there, we made a detour to Krakonoš Mountain, from which you can see a large part of the Krkonoše Mountains.

We continued along the red trail towards Luční bouda. The trail leads through beautiful mountain scenery. We refilled our water bottles at the former Rennerova bouda and continued on. Sněžka would have been visible, but a dark cloud completely obscured it. At Luční bouda, we rested outside (the tourist refreshment stand was closed) and finally decided to make a detour to Sněžka.

So we continued along the mountain plateau, but Sněžka was shrouded in black clouds. Even that didn't deter us, and in the end, the detour paid off. Just before the foot of the mountain, the clouds suddenly broke, and we, along with many other tourists, were able to start climbing to the summit. The ascent leads along a mountain path lined with chains. These prevent undisciplined tourists from walking off the paths. The summit of Sněžka was crowded with people, but at least the weather was good and we had views in all directions. Even so, we didn't stay there long and descended back to the foot of the mountain along a wide path.

We continued along a wide stone path. This took us to the Polish side of the Krkonoše Mountains. We continued above the mountain lakes below us. Finally, we descended to the saddle, where Špindlerova bouda was located. As it had just started to rain heavily, we had some refreshments and then continued on. We climbed a few more meters on the red trail. We then turned onto the green trail and arrived at Moravská bouda. We had accommodation and food arranged here, so we enjoyed a pleasant evening and night.
 

2. day

In the morning, we started with a hearty breakfast and set off again for the ridge. We reached the Petrovka chalet and continued along the Krkonoše ridge. We passed the rock formations Dívčí and Mužské kameny and continued on to Vysoké kolo. We were walking in clouds, so we could only see about 20 meters around us. The Vysoké kolo trail runs along a stone path. We continued on to Vysoká pláň.

The weather began to clear up again, opening up views of the plain with the source of the Elbe River. We reached the Česká budka crossroads, where we turned off and descended to the source of the Elbe. After a short rest, we continued along the yellow trail. Finally, we began to leave the ridges of the Krkonoše Mountains behind us and descended along the trail to Horní Mísečky. We continued down the red trail and returned to Špindlerův Mlýn.

Difficulty

A technically easy trek that follows marked trails. Most of the route is on well-maintained mountain paths. The descent and ascent are also technically easy. There are no steep sections. The most challenging part is probably the ascent to Sněžka. It is slightly steeper, but more importantly, there are millions of people there, so you often have to wait. However, the route is quite long; on the first day we walked almost 25 km, on the second 16 km. However, even physically fit children can manage the route.
 

Water availability

There are several opportunities to replenish fluids along the route. For example, the spring at the former Rennerova bouda, the Slezský dům chalet, Špindlerova bouda, and Moravská bouda. Even so, we had 1.5 litres of water per person.
 

Sleeping options

There are many accommodation options in the Krkonoše Mountains, both in tourist centers such as Pec pod Sněžkou, Harrachov, etc., and in mountain huts along the route. We stayed at Novopacká bouda, which belongs to Moravská bouda.
 

Mountain peaks

The trek also took us to the highest mountain in the Czech Republic – Sněžka, 1,602 meters above sea level. Other peaks included Krakonoš and Vysoká pláň. The views stretched across the entire Krkonoše and Jizerské Mountains.
 

Danger

Technically, this is a classic mountain trek. You will walk along mountain trails or footpaths. There are no exposed sections on the route. In summer, it is of course necessary to watch out for storms.
 

Food

There are chalets along the route where you can grab a bite to eat – Špindlerova bouda and Moravská bouda. Please note – Luční bouda and Labská bouda do not serve walk-in customers, they are for guests staying overnight only...