Trekking to Skalny Stół in the Karkonosze Mountains (Alternatively through Poland)
Skalny Stół is the highest peak of Kowarski Grzbiet located on the Polish-Czech border, with a height of 1281 m a.s.l. Three main trails lead to it, the shortest of which - the blue one, starts at the mountain shelter on the Okraj Pass. It is not a demanding route, children will cope with it and it's actually worth following due to the picturesque views from the summit. From Skalny Stół, with good visibility, you can admire, among others, the Jeleniogórska Valley, the highest peak of the Karkonosze Mountains: Śnieżka, the Kaczawskie Mountains or Rudawy Janowickie.
The yellow trail from Kowary through Budniki and the black trail that starts in Karpacz also leads to the summit. However, from the latter you have to go down the blue trail anyway at the end of the route. What's more, from Skalny Stół you can go directly to Śnieżka, continuing along the blue trail, joining on Sowia Przełęcz with the red one. If you don't like a lot of tourists, this road is definitely less crowded, and in addition it is almost 4 kilometers shorter than the most frequented route from the Wang Temple.
Originally, we planned to enter Skalny Stół from Karpacz. However, due to the early time of getting up, we decided to choose the shortest route possible: from the Okraj Pass. None of us had followed this route before, which is why we had to leave a time buffer, primarily because we planned to arrive at the summit at sunrise, which was associated with trekking in the dark.
DESCRIPTION OF THE trail FROM THE Okraj Pass through Skalny Stół
The Okraj Pass is located at an altitude of 1046 m a.s.l. A steep and winding road leads to it, which can be difficult to pass in the winter. There is a paid car park next to the mountain shelter - PLN 20 per day, although some people park their vehicles for free at the side of the road, which is not very safe. The car park is quite large, but on a nice day it can get full easily. A dozen meters away is neighboring Mała Upa, it's already on the Czech side, where there are also paid parking lots (though you need Czech koronas to pay for them). At five o'clock in the morning, however, there was hardly anyone (except cars belonging to the hostel guests) on the parking lot. We packed our backpacks and started our tour with headlamps on the heads. I wrote about what I take with me to the mountains and how I dress in the previous post, which you find read HERE. And let's return to the trek:
We follow the blue trail, which starts about a hundred meters after entering the forest at the first crossing with the red, green and yellow trail. This is also where the entrance to the Karkonosze National Park is located.
A bit further we turn left at the diversion with the green trail and continue with the blue one.
For the next kilometer we walk along a rocky path uphill. It is well marked and even in the dark we know where to go. This is the most difficult stage because the elevation is 250 meters here.
After overcoming the approach, the trail leads through the forest, practically on a flat ground straight to Skalny Stół.
The length of this trail is only 2.89 km, and it takes about an hour to walk through. At the top, and especially when you go out of the forest, it can blow strongly and despite the promise of great weather, it was cold when we arrived at Skalny Stół. We still had an hour until sunrise, so we decided to move on just because the cold started to bother us.
We headed towards Śnieżka to be able to admire the sunrise along the way. It was a very good decision because we actually wouldn't see it from the top of Skalny Stół. The slopes from which the views are located are on the north side, therefore no sunrise or sunset can be seen from there. The best time to observe the picturesque landscape is in the morning and late afternoon, but when the sun shines above the horizon, or it has not yet hidden behind it.
DESCRIPTION of the trail From Skalny Stół to Śnieżka
Here is the further route we have covered:
- We descend from Skalny Stół along the rocky path down the blue trail towards Sowia Przełęcz. The stones are protruding and sharp, so it's better to wear trekking shoes here to protect your feet.
- We reach the Polish-Czech border, which is also a joining point of the blue and red trail and from here we head towards Śnieżka.
- After about 10 minutes we are already at the Jelenka mountain shelter, which is run by the Czechs. The restaurant is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00. Its official website is in Czech, but you can book accommodation through Polish portals but in English, e.g. HERE, or call directly: +420 499 895 105.
- From Jelenka we go a few hundred meters further up the hill, above the crown of trees, from where we can admire the sunrise. At this point the trail leads on the west side, so it is an ideal observation point.
- Then the route only leads gently uphill for 2.6 kilometers up to the point "Jubilee Road" (Droga Jubileuszowa).
We stopped somewhere near Czarna Kopa (it can only be seen on the map, it's not marked on the trail) and we decided not to go further because it was getting very bright and the sun was casting sharp shadows. We headed back to the Okraj Pass along the same route through Skalny Stół. Of course, from the "Jubilee Road" you can continue to the top of Śnieżka for another 600 meters along the red trail. The route from the Okraj Pass, through Skalny Stół, to Śnieżka is 5.3 kilometers long and it takes about two hours.
I recommend trekking to Skalny Stół especially to beginner mountaineers, families with children, or as part of longer treks, for example to Śnieżka. This doesn't mean that the trail doesn't require proper preparation, on the contrary. Outdoor shoes, a waterproof jacket and a bottle of water are essential. Nevertheless, it's worth climbing there for interesting views, especially for observing the highest peak of the Karkonosze Mountains from a very nice angle!