The Bald Mountain Hiking Trail
The Bald Mountain Hiking Trail Contents
Click on the links to jump to each section.
The Bald Mountain Trail – Basic Information
- 18 km, approximately 6.5 hours.
- 935 m height gain.
- Panoramic views across the Beskydy Mountains.
- Access by car or train.
- Restaurants and hotels available.
The Bald Mountain Trail – Elevation Profile
The Bald Mountain Trail – Photo Gallery
The Bald Mountain Trail – Notes
The Bald Mountain Trail is one of the few in the Beskydy Mountains which offers a view from the top. Most of the peaks here are below the level of alpine tundra, so when you get to the top, you can mostly only see trees. The local name Lysa Hora means Bald Peak or Bald Mountain and now you know why!
The Beskydy Mountains are characterised by steep climbs and long ridges. Lysa Hora has steep climbs but no long ridge to enjoy after all of your effort. On the other hand, there are some excellent restaurants and even accommodation at the top.
One of the disadvantages of this is that the trail gets very crowded, so if you prefer to hike in peace, I recommend starting early. However, you could always book a place to stay at the top and climb up in the evening. This peak is park of the Beskydy Dark Skies Area, where light pollution is strictly regulated. If you spend most of your life in a city, a clear night on Lysa Hora is a wonderful experience. Stars which haven’t been seen since the dawn of electric lighting shine in their full glory. If you find a quiet spot to sit at night, you can spend hours watching the skies here.
Lysa Hora is also a favourite destination for landscape photographers, especially around dawn and at night. If you have a look at the Facebook page for Lysa Hora, you’ll see what I mean. From the top, you usually have an excellent view of the Tatra Mountains in Slovakia and there is an orientation table with a labelled view of the peaks you can see. In other directions, you can see the Beskydys falling away to the flatter ground of Poland to the East. To the North, you can see the Moravian Gate. This is a flat plain between the Beskydy and Jeseniky Mountains which has been a trade route between the Baltic Sea and central Europe for thousands of years.
As I mentioned, the mountain can get quite crowded and the queues for the restaurants and cafes can be long. I recommend taking your own food and drink but you will also probably pass some fresh water springs. I always drink from these because thy are so refreshing. Depending on the route I take, I sometimes carry an empty water bottle so I can fill it up with Beskydy springwater.
A final note about the quality of the water here and the Czech Republic’s most famous export….Beer! In the town of Ostravice below Lysa Hora is quite possibly my favourite microbrewery in the whole country – Beskydsky Pivovarek. It certainly has some strong competition, but the combination of the brewer’s expertise and the sweet Beskydy water is why I love their brews so much. If you are driving, you can buy bottles or sometimes even 5 litre barrels to take away. I can also thoroughly recommend the sheep and goat cheese they make.
If you are interested and would like more information, you can buy a short guidebook here. It includes a map, detailed notes on the walk and places of interest, like the brewery!