Giant Mountains (Karkonosze): The Tree Top Walk, Janske Lazne, Czech Republic

Trails in the treetops are an interesting way to see the nature around us from a new perspective. And I mean that literally, because more and more places are being built where we can climb above the trees and admire the surroundings from another, higher level. Today about one such place – a path in the Giant Mountains, in the Czech Republic, just near the Polish border.

Stezka korunami stromů Krkonoše is the full name of the path we took on a recent trip to the Giant Mountains. It is located in Janské Lázně in the Czech Republic, about 30 kilometers from the Polish border.

The idea to jump to the Czech Republic for a while came into our heads when…. we were leaving Lodz in the direction of Szklarska Poreba for a long August weekend. Initially, we planned to take it easy and set off around 12 o’clock from Lodz in order to be in Szklarska Poreba fairly early, walk around the area and enjoy the attractions of the hotel. However, when it turned out that we were already ready to go at around 11 we came up with the idea to extend it for ourselves and hook up with the aforementioned treetop path in the Giant Mountains, our southern neighbors.

We arrived at Janské Lázně around 4 pm. It was an hour when more people were already leaving than entering, which allowed us to almost walk in with a shoe, without any queues at the checkout.

Table of contents

Video from the treetop path

See what a walk along the treetop path looks like in our short video The treetop path:

You can find more interesting videos on our YouTube channel.

About the path in the treetops

At the outset, it’s important to know that it’s not just a climb up a spiral path to a viewpoint and a glimpse of the Giant Mountains. It is also (or even primarily) an educational walk among the greenery.

After entering the title path, one walks the initial long and flat section of the route, built on stilts at a height of about a few-odd meters. There are several observation and educational points, as well as so-called adrenaline stops.

We can peep birds in the trees or look down in search of forest animals (we managed to spot a deer!). On educational boards, scattered along the path, you will find interesting facts about the surrounding nature, learn about plant and animal species and how the ecosystem functions.

Every now and then, you can walk along paths beside the main route or take shortcuts that lead over footbridges or ropes that require good motor coordination (we’re talking about the aforementioned adrenaline stops). It is these transitions that are the most fun for kids. Of course, everything is completely safe!

But let’s not forget the surrounding views. And if the views are beautiful, so are the photos. We have already mentioned vantage points, special terraces on which we can gaze into the distance. What if you want to capture yourself in a photo as well? If you’re not a fan of hand-held selfies and don’t want to rely on the photographic skills of random people, look for small structures on railings along the path. These are special tripods for cameras and phones, where you can mount your own equipment and take a photo as you need it.

Once you’re done walking on the flat path, it’s time to climb a little higher. The spiral structure, which leads to an observation point at a height of 45.5 meters, was modeled after the gentian flower – a characteristic of the Giant Mountains.

Before going upstairs, one enters a circular, dark room where there is an exhibition entitled The Cave. Unfortunately, most visitors pass it quickly and thus don’t learn much about the life-giving soil.

The approach itself is pleasant, although taking into account pushing the stroller can be tiring. Fortunately, the route is made more pleasant not only by the views, but also by riddles and interesting facts about the inhabitants of the Giant Mountains. Pretty cool is the “clock” at the very top, which you wind up to play the singing of individual birds.

For many, the biggest attraction is sliding down a long slide located inside a spiral with a path. This attraction has an additional fee and there is a height restriction here (you need to be at least 1.2 meters tall to go down).

Practical information

Prices

At the time of writing this post, prices are as follows:

Adult – 250 Kc (about zł 42), children aged 3-14 – 190 Kc (about zł 32). With two children, it is worthwhile to use the family ticket (2 adults and two children under 14 years of age) – 650 Kc (about 110 zł).

Access

It will take about an hour to reach the path in Janské Lázně from Karpacz, and less than 1.5 hours from Szklarska Poreba. So this is a good option for a day trip if you are vacationing in the area.

We drove a car with navigation and reached our destination without any problems. However, we missed signs for the path along the way. There were only about 2 or 3 of them, and they were already quite close to the destination.

There is paid parking on site. The price is about zł 11 for the whole day, and it is possible to pay by card at the vending machine.

Restaurants

After leaving the path, one enters the building, where there is a store, restrooms and a restaurant. A bit in the style of a restaurant in Ikea, except that it is smaller and, of course, the dishes are more Czech than Swedish ;)

The food was ok, we ate. Unfortunately, the staff was very impatient with the fact that someone came in an hour before closing time, whilezłand packing the food….

On the plus side, there is a small area for children to play and a playground outside.

There is also a restaurant across the street to choose from, but here we have not been, so we do not comment ;)

Availability

The place is fully accessible for baby carriages/wheelchairs!

Our opinion on the path in the treetops

This place is definitely worth considering during your stay in the Giant Mountains! Easily accessible, family and wheelchair friendly. If someone can not move to the mountains, to the forest, here they will be able to watch them from a height :)