1. Hiking trail on Great Szczeliniec (Szczeliniec Wielki)
It’s a good idea to start by visiting the place where you are staying.You’ll find the ticket desk right behind our building – get a ticket and you’re ready to start into the magical world of rocks. The sandstone surface of the summit is weathered and cracked, giving rise to the diverse rock formations resembling people and animals, such as Camel, Mammoth, Elephant, Mother Hen, Monkey, Dog, Turtle, Owl, Grandfather’s Chair, and deep gorges and corridors, such as Little Hell and Devil’s Kitchen, forming a labyrinth of rocks. Many of the corridors have a unique microclimate and in some areas snow stays until June. Here is the map of the route:
2. Trail from Radków to Szczeliniec via Pośna Waterfalls and Pasterka
Not a very long hike (2h 45 min) from Radków to Szczeliniec along the yellow trail, recommended by many guide books. The name Pośna Waterfalls is somewhat misleading, because the waterfalls were here indeed, but before World War II. After the war, the Communist authorities used the waterfalls as a water intake for Radków and Nowa Ruda. Still, it is a very appealing trail, leading through some of the most beautiful rock formations in the Table Mountains, a non-existent village of Mały Karłów, and then the village of Pasterka (with a shelter which you are encouraged to visit) to Great Szczeliniec.
3. Błędne Skały (Errant Rocks)
Errant Rocks is a rock labyrinth similar to Szczeliniec, which is definitely worth seeing. It can be reached by trails from Szczeliniec, making a very nice day hike. You need to buy a ticket to enter. The place can also be reached by car – you can drive almost up to the entrance. Car entrance is allowed at the top of the hour only.
4. Narożnik (Corner) and Fort Karola (Charles’s Fort)
Another hike from Szczeliniec goes to the mountain Narożnik (851 m above sea level). Along the way, you can visit the so-called Charles’s Fort – faint remnants of fortifications erected in 1790 for the defence, or actually observation of the Austro-Prussian border. Its use was discontinued already in the nineteenth century and the fort fell into disrepair, but it is very popular with tourists today. It offers a nice view of Karłów and Szczeliniec.
5. To the Czech Republic for a pint of Czech beer
It’s worth a note that Szczeliniec is the only place in Poland which borders the Czech Republic on the north. The border is a few kilometres away, via Pasterka. Beyond the border, the trail (red, then yellow marks) leads to the charming villages of Machovska Lhota and Machova. You can return through Ostra Góra, and then take the green trail back to Pasterka. A very nice hike!