PHikers can get to know Harrachov slowly and in peace. The town offers many beautiful corners and sights. Hikers can stroll through the centre with its many shops and restaurants or choose Harrachov as the starting point for a hike in the area. In winter evenings the town is beautified by the illuminated mammoth ski jump and festive lighting of the streets and the St. Anna chapel. You can download an overview of the hikes in Harrachov in electronic form free of charge. You can get the document in printed form from your accommodation or buy it at the town information centre.
1. Harrachovka – great Harrachov circuit
There is no car traffic here and you can let your small children run around freely and ride bikes or scooters. On the way you cannot miss one of the natural beauties of Harrachov - the Mumlava waterfall, where you can refresh yourself in the adjoining snack bar or the Mumlava hut. This part of the route is on asphalt. The second part continues along the forest path above Zákoutí, where you can take a break in summer and cool off in the local swimming pool, play mini golf or tennis or have a small snack before heading further along the side streets and through Harrachov from where you have a beautiful view of Čertova hora and the ski jumps. You can choose the starting point of the circuit as you wish. The route will always take you back to the same place.
2. Anenské údolí – small Harrachov circuit
The path leads mostly through the forest and it is therefore also accessible on humid days or in light rain. We recommend that you start at the Delta cable car to Čertova hora and continue to Anenské údolí, where you will make the first stop at the St. John´s spring. Further along the valley with some rustic log cabins you will reach the forest path to the Rybárna nature trail, with which you can extend the small Harrachov circular path. Cross the bridge over the Mumlava river and walk upstream near the cable car. Around the Mumlava the path follows a forest path which is very charming in every season. On hot summer days you will appreciate the shade of the forest and the cool water.
3. A visit to the Jizera Mountains
The hike begins in the district of Harrachov called Nový Svět at the bus stop Hábův most. It leads on a comfortable path through a mixed forest along a stream, crosses the state border and on the Polish side passes under the railway line to Szklarska Poreba. Then it goes back on a forest path on the contour line along the railway line to the intersection of forest paths above the train station in Harrachov. The last section runs down an old secluded path straight to the train station, where the entire hike ends. The surface of the paths is gravel.
4. To the Huťský pond
We recommend that you start the hike on the hill called Sachrův kopec, from where you have a beautiful view of Čertova hora. There is a road leading up the hill with views of the ski jumps and the whole town. You can also start your hike a little further down on the Hába bridge near the petrol station. In this case, you will soon reach the biathlon shooting range where you will mainly meet children and young athletes doing biathlon training in the summer. Please do not deviate from the marked route as target practice can take place in the area. You cross a small wooden bridge over the Mílnice river to a forest path and past a small pond you will reach the Huťský pond, where you can see large wooden glass moulds. If you find the pond drained, it is due to the replacement of the glass moulds. The trip ends at the Harrachov glassworks.
5. To the national border
The walk starts at the parking lot at the lower station of Delta cable car to Čertova hora. It first ascends through the cross-country ski trail area to the slopes of Čertova hora, then you will follow beautiful woodland trails to the asphalt path called Johann´s trail. You will soon leave the trail again and descend on forest paths through a beautiful mixed forest, at first slowly and later more steeply up to the road junction Na mýtě below Harrachov. The path crosses the Jizera river on an old historic bridge which offers a beautiful view of the confluence of the Jizera and Mumlava rivers. Then it continues upstream the Jizera river and after a few hundred metres it returns to the other bank, crosses the state border and goes up the path through the forest around the former border between Prussia and Bohemia to the Harrachov train station, where the whole walk ends. The surface of the paths is mostly gravel.
6. Mining route
The walk follows the traces of mining activity in the vicinity of Harrachov and it starts in Rýžoviště. From the road you will turn left onto a narrow forest path where you can see sinkholes in the places of original ventilation shafts of the Harrachov mines. The road will lead you to the Mumlava waterfalls. Along the left bank of the Mumlava river you will reach the mining museum, where you can arrange a tour of the mines in addition to viewing the exhibition. The route ends at the bus station in Harrachov. There are two more museums close by - the ski museum and the Šindelka forestry exposition.
7. Standard cross-country tracks
If you just want to wander around in the countryside without a destination, the best thing for you is to walk on forest paths where you are almost always alone. In winter, these paths are used for cross-country skiing. The trailhead is at the cableway to Čertova hora and thanks to the ubiquitous maps you can easily plan your walk in any length and in case of bad weather or fatigue you can always shorten it and return to Harrachov.
8. To the ski jumps
From Rýžoviště there is a very comfortable path leading to the ski jumps on the slopes of Čertova hora. Just turn right at the Delta cableway. Follow the road further to the jury tower which offers a completely different view of the ski jumps than from the town centre. If you wish, you can take the staircase to the jump-off platform of the jumping towers and then return to the route and follow the TV road where the asphalt part of the route soon ends. A wide forest path will then take you back to the area of small ski jumps.
9. To the Deskový waterfall
The walk follows the valley of the Kamenice river. It starts at the parking lot of the Norma supermarket, passes under the Harrachov ring road and continues on an asphalt road along a wild mountain river with numerous stone steps. The river is very refreshing in the summer. The path crosses several junctions of forest paths, the last of which leaves the asphalt road. The last few hundred metres will take you along a steep rocky forest path to a waterfall that resembles a giant stone slide. From here you need to return along the same path to the starting point.
10. Menhir trail
After 2010, menhirs began to appear in Harrachov. We recommend to start the tour at the bus station where you will find a group of the first 13 stones. You will then walk along the asphalt road to the hotel Skicentrum, where you will cross a footbridge on its roof to reach the landing area of the large ski jumps. There is another group of menhirs right in front of the hotel. You can walk among the stones and touch them. They are especially popular with children. From here you can go to the lower station of the Delta cable car where you will find several more menhirs. The very top of Čertova hora is a very impressive place and there are several menhirs there as well. From here you can easily reach the Johann´s rock where the menhir trail ends. You can get back to Harrachov in various ways, for instance via Studenov or Čertova hora. You can also extend your trip to Rokytnice nad Jizerou.
13. Bee trail
The route of the bee trail will take you along a comfortable asphalt path through the valley of the Ryzí potok in Rýžovistě. It is comfortable enough even for parents with strollers. You will learn a lot of interesting things about the life of bees and beekeepers at the individual stations. You will also often find illustrative objects and tools in addition to information panels. Before the summer season of 2021 the route has been modified. The new route follows the old one up to station 7 and then the remaining stations are behind the pond in Lesní Zátiší. Please note that the new route does not correspond with the plan of the bee trail in "Harrachovské toulky".
14. With a fox to the Mumlava waterfall
Your children will love you! If you take the fox trail with your children, it is also possible that you will not be able to get anywhere else that day. You will meet the fox trail on the way to the Mumlava waterfalls. The forest path with tasks for children will take you to the Mumlava river. You will then follow a stone path leading along the river to the Mumlava waterfalls. From here you will return along the asphalt road back to the bus station.
15. The fish farm nature trail
The trail starts and ends at the former school in the valley called Anenské údolí opposite the Resident hotel. The trail is 1.5 km long and it follows the yellow marking. Wooden interactive boards will gradually introduce you to topics related to Harrachov and the town´s history. The route is designed for hiking, especially for families with children. It is neither suitable for prams nor recommended for cyclists. The route leads along a forest path with rocky sections. The water surface of the Harrachov ponds is for instance decorated with blossoms of the white water lily or yellow water lily. Occasionally, the water is stirred up by grass snakes that hunt various species of frogs here.
