Buchar´s trail

Vitkovice car park Horni Misecky - Vrchlabi The Giant Mountains' Museum - Three houses

On the north-east slope of Mechovinec hill is worth to short stop by Harrachova skala (1035 m above sea level) - there are excellent views of Kotel mountain with a couple of the glacier cirques Mala and Velka Kotelni jama and also of the ridge Krkonos, on whose southern slopes the Masaryk´s mountain road goes through (a climbing up trail to the Elbe river spring, where Buchar´s trail from Horni Misecky by the reverse direction leads). In the direction of east there is deeply below us the Elbe river valley with the town Spindleruv Mlyn - the most important mountain resort of the Giant Mountains. In the background steep slopes of Kozi hrbety, Stoh, Lucni hora and Studnicni hora rice and on their foothill the well-known part of Spindleruv Mlyn - Svaty Petr is situated. In its neighbouhood were the ores already in the 16th century mined.

In the upper part of the Elbe river valley below Spindleruv Mlyn is also situated about 1 km long The Elbe dam. It was built on this place already in the beginning of the 20th century. The impulse to build it were calamities, which affected the Giant Mountains on the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, as a consequence of the inconsiderate managing of our ancestors with moutain forests. Today, the dam serves as a very effective regulator of the situation of the water in the Elbe river, and especially with a sudden spring snow thawing on ridges or with summer torrential rains.

The hiking "Over three hills" leads us to the peak of Predni Zaly, where in the height of 1019 m above sea level an 18 m high stone look-out tower is located. From its peak is one of the best panoramatic views in Czech (with ideal conditions it is possible to see towers of the Prague cathedrals). If you do not see them, you will be surely attract by more modest tower of the reconstructed wooden bell tower in Volsky Dul on the opposite side of the Elbe river valley.
continue along the Buchar´s trail, we will walk through spruce forests and mountain meadows across a part of Benecko (well-known recreation and sport resort) to settlement Mrklov and across village Stepanice (a ruin of the Stepanice castle established in the beginning of the 14th century as a seat of the Valdstejn´s branch) and Hrabacov we will be lead by red marked route to the town Jilemnice, on the boundary of the Giant Mountains and Podkrkonosi region (a region under the Giant Mountains mountains).
But we can choose also other direction from the out-look tower of Zaly to Vrchlabi. During the winter there is a possibility of the long downhill run on maintained slopes to the ski area of Zadni Herlikovice at the edge of Vrchlabi. But for a walk down is more convenient yellow marked trail which goes to Vrchlabi over Krizovky and Knezice (beautiful views of the town and also the whole east part of the mountains).

Length: 16 km. Elevation: 539 m. Max. altitude: 1040 m above sea level. Min. altitude: 500 m above sea level.