Šumava National Park

The beginning is relatively easy, making it a perfect warm-up for the journey ahead. The trail gently ascends through lush forests, providing nice shade and serene views of the classic west Bohemian countryside. You’ll pass by the big water reservoir, and after this nice warm-up you’ll be onto the next challenge.

From Hamry to lake Černé jezero there is a moderate climb, but the effort is well worth it. During this section you’ll see waterfalls, running rivers and probably some other hikers. This is a popular way to get to Germany and vice versa.

Next, there is a short, but a bit challenging part, especially during hot summer days. You’ll hike from the Černé jezero to the Čertovo jezero. After the trail reconstruction in 2023-2024, it is easier to conquer this part but still it’s a quite prolonged climb. At least, it looks like a highway through the forest.

After a hearty snack at the lake it’s time to continue. You will still be on the red hiking trail at this point, which is a combination of Via Czechia and Stezka Českem. It is newly reconstructed, with fine gravel route and picturesque views, mostly flat. The end of this section is a crossroad of motorway number 27 and the Via Czechia hiking trail. Here you can choose to continue following the red trail or take a little walk to the southwest, taking the sidewalk along the 27 motorway to pick up a snack at the grocery store called Travel Free Shop, or walk further to the next shop, the FreeOne Shop.

The penultimate part of the trail continues with the red Via Czechia trail, enjoying the deep mixed Šumava forests. You’ll take an asphalt route with slight changes of elevation to the next crossroad of the trail where you’ll switch onto the yellow route, ending at the established campsite named Hůrka, where you can choose to camp if you want.

Finally, the next day, or the same day if you’re feeling prepared to hike the whole 50km in one go, you’ll hike from the campsite north to the village Nová Hůrka. After crossing the bridge above the Drozdí stream, take the bike route number 33, or so-called Šumavská, to the hotel and restaurant Grádl ending in the town of Železná Ruda, where the train/bus station is. It is also possible to have a rest there in one of the traditional Czech restaurants or coffee shops.

You can hike this particular section of the Šumava National Park all year, but the best seasons are March-October. Of course, winter could be just more difficult because of the huge amount of snow, in the mid-season the rain can bring floods, and in summer the sun can be very hot.

But most of the year the weather is mild and the coziness of the hike is directly connected to the equipment you have chosen.

The equipment you should pick when hiking this trail is connected to the season you choose to hike. In this part of Europe, conditions can be wet most of the time (excluding summer) so having a rain jacket is necessary. Also a puff jacket is good to have, because water alongside the trail makes it sometimes chilly.

A water filter is a good piece of gear to have on this hike. Rivers and streams are located sometimes far from the main source and flow through the forest where the wild animals are using them too.