The Jizera Mountains begin at Liberec’s last tram stop. They are not dramatic mountains — the highest summit on the Czech side, Smrk, reaches 1,124 m — but a broad granite plateau of spruce forest, peat bog and cold, dark streams, cut on its northern edge by steep valleys filled with beech.
That northern beech forest, the Jizerskohorské bučiny, was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list of ancient and primeval beech forests in 2021. The whole range has been a protected landscape area since 1968, and it is criss-crossed by old forest roads that make walking, cycling and cross-country skiing unusually easy.
What to see and do: Jizera Mountains
Jizerka
A scatter of timber houses in a high, treeless valley at about 860 m — once a glassmakers’ settlement, now the best-loved corner of the range. A boardwalk trail crosses the protected Jizerka peat bog, the basalt cone of Bukovec rises behind, and a small museum tells the story. The valley is also the heart of a Czech–Polish dark-sky park, one of the best places in the country to see the Milky Way.
Climb to a lookout tower
The range is dotted with towers. Smrk’s, on the highest summit, looks into Poland; Štěpánka near Kořenov and Slovanka — an iron tower of 1887 — are short walks; Královka above Bedřichov is the easiest of all.
Hejnice and the northern slopes
The Baroque pilgrimage basilica at Hejnice stands at the foot of the wildest part of the mountains. Trails climb from it past the Štolpich waterfalls to rocky viewpoints such as Ořešník, through the UNESCO-listed beech forest. This is steeper, more demanding country than the plateau.
The burst dam
On the Bílá Desná stream stand the remains of a dam that failed on 18 September 1916, less than a year after completion, sending a flood through the valley below and killing more than sixty people. The valve tower and breached embankment are a sobering forest walk from Desná or Souš.
Cycle the forest roads
The surfaced roads that carry ski trails in winter are ideal for touring and children’s bikes in summer, and mountain bikers head for the purpose-built singletrack network at Nové Město pod Smrkem. Summer bike buses carry cycles up from Liberec and Jablonec.
How to get to Jizera Mountains
- The quickest way onto the plateau is the bus from Liberec to Bedřichov.
- For the eastern side, take the train from Liberec via Jablonec and Tanvald to Kořenov — the last stretch is a historic rack railway. Jizerka is a further walk or a seasonal bus ride from there.
- For Hejnice and the northern slopes, take the train towards Frýdlant and change at Raspenava, or a direct bus.
Insider tips
- The plateau is several degrees colder than Liberec and holds fog; pack a warm layer and a map.
- Stay on boardwalks in the bogs. They are fragile reserves — and deep.
- Bilberries ripen on the plateau in July and August; mountain huts turn them into dumplings and pancakes.
- Car parks at Bedřichov, Jizerka and Smědava are paid and fill early on fine weekends. Go by bus if you can.
Tours that fit: Jizera Mountains
These GetYourGuide experiences pair well with Jizera Mountains:
Guided hike from €123 From Prague: Bohemian Paradise – Full-Day Hiking Trip (Maloskalsko)
The sister tour to the Hrubá Skála hike, set in Maloskalsko — the northern, quieter corner of the Bohemian Paradise, only about 20 km from Liberec. The same format, but just one review so far, so we show no rating.
- The Maloskalsko area on the Jizera river
- Rock formations and deep pine forests
- Historic landmarks along the trail
Guided hike from €123 From Prague: Full-Day Bohemian Paradise Guided Hiking Trip
A guided day’s walking in Hruboskalsko, the best-known rock town of the Bohemian Paradise, reached the local way — by train. Expect a proper hike between rock towers, viewpoints and castle walls rather than a coach tour with photo stops. Every one of its reviews so far gives it five stars.
- Travel by train to Hruboskalsko
- A full day among the sandstone towers
- A challenging but rewarding trek with a guide
Small-group e-bike tour from €129 From Prague: E-Mountain Biking Trip to the Bohemian Paradise
The Bohemian Paradise is hilly, and an electric mountain bike takes the sting out of it. This small-group ride covers about 20 miles past rock towers, country villages and castles, with pickup in Prague and a meal included. Rated 4.9 by nearly forty riders.
- About 20 miles (32 km) on an e-mountain bike
- Sandstone towers, villages and medieval castles
- Small group with pickup and lunch
