Page Type: | Area/Range |
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Lat/Lon: | 50.67398°N / 16.29282°E |
Activities: | Hiking, Skiing |
Season: | Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter |
Elevation: | 3064 ft / 934 m |
Góry Suche (Polish) Javoří hory (Czech)
The tablelands of the Central Sudetes (please see this map and study its description) are bounded on the northwest and the northeast by the Kamienne (Stone) Mountains - several ranges of hills made of hard volcanic rocks, namely porphyries, late-Paleozoic of age and reddish in colour. The eastern part of these mountains which straddles the Czech-Polish border south-east of the upper course of the Ścinawka River (and the national road 35), is called the Suche (Dry) Mountains by Poles, whereas Czechs call them the Javoří (Sycamore Maple) Mountains. (Their extension to the north-west, across the upper course of the Ścinawka, is known as the Lesista-Dzikowiec Massif.) They are all covered with woods in which sycamore maple trees are not uncommon, so there is no mystery behind the Czech name. But one may wonder why such green hills have been labelled "dry." The answer lies in many dry valleys and few springs, which results from, as you may guess, the geologic features of the area.
The most interesting part of these green dry mountains is their northeastern chunk between Sokołowsko (once a famed health resort of Görbersdorf) and the town of Głuszyca. This area contains several hills at around 900m. This is the highest part of the Suche/Javoří Mountains, the Kamienne Mountains, and also of what German geographers call Waldenburger Bergland (both the Kamienne and Wałbrzyskie mountains). Thanks to what they are composed of these porphyry hills have surprisingly bold, often conical silhouettes, contrasting with the flat tops of the other mountain ranges of the Sudetes that surround them. Even on the waymarked trails hiking can be surprisingly challenging, owing to the steepness of the slopes. On a couple of trails, there can be plenty of hiker-made scree under your feet because the local rock, despite being very hard, tends to be very crumbly. Nevertheless, part of any hiking route will also contain stretches of dirt forest roads, whose network is pretty dense there, just as the network of waymarked - hiking and biking - trails. Still, most of the mountains has a wide feel, which seems to be getting even wilder since the return of the wolf in the 2010s.
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MapsHistorical Sites
Red Tape, Camping and Accommodation
Getting ThereThe mountains lie several kilometres to the south of the Polish city of Wałbrzych (Waldenburg before World War II), which has good railway and road links with Wrocław, the capital city of Lower Silesia. From Wałbrzych minibuses or buses run to Sokołowsko and Głuszyca. Although the railway station in Głuszyca has been closed down, the railway line (Wałbrzych-Kłodzko) is still in use. The Czech hikers will most likely start their walking trip in the village of Ruprechtice (bus terminus), which is situated just a few kilometres north-east of the town of Meziměstí (train, bus). Mountain Conditions
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