In the midst of a downpour, I stand, my cold fingertips scrolling across my phone screen in search of a working taxi number. With no bus in sight and no open public space, this is a situation that would typically fill me with anxiety. But not today. I have just completed one of the most epic hikes in the Czech Republic, during the peak of off-season, with so few fellow adventurers it felt as if the rocks and I were on an intimate date. Leave it to the Prachov Formations to boost your stress resilience.
📍Prachovské skály- Bohemian Paradise, Czech Republic
🪨 The Rocky Start 🪨
It’s pitch dark when my bus turns into the entrance of the station. Could this be my stop? Nervously, I consult my phone’s map app. In absence of announcements and a language barrier with my driver, I can do nothing but assess the proximity to my hotel. A 10-minute stroll, Yes! With a sigh of relief I hop off the bus to embrace the tranquility of the historic Czech village.
I have booked an overnight stay in Jicin, a town about 90 kilometers northeast of Prague, to explore a nearby ‘rock city’ in the Bohemian Paradise region. This protected landscape area had caught my attention in a Dutch television programme (Wie Is de Mol), intrigued by its bizarre rock formations and extensive hiking routes. . It’s only 3 days after New Years and the streets are eerily empty. Weary from the stress, I hastily make my way to the hotel.
🤫 The Silent Ascend 🤫
When my taxi drops me off at the entrance of the Prachov Rocks Geopark (Czech: Prachovské skály) the next morning, I blink in surprise at the closed visitor center. The ticket booth is deserted and there’s no soul in sight. Allright, the weather forecast wasn’t great, but this is still a ‘UNESCO-designated site’, right? Rolling my eyes, I question once again if I am in the right place.
Frustrated but determined, I begin my ascent. The gently-sloping path is muddy, surrounded by a deep pine tree forest, carpeted with luminous moss. As more stones appear beneath my feet, my blurry gaze falls on a steep staircase carved into rock. At last! In my excitement, I accelerate, only to realize halfway up I have completely forgotten to seek a map. The first ‘baby’ rock formations now flank me and although I spot some signposts, I don’t understand a word of theCzech text and decide to continue on the main path – still utterly alone. In yet another flash of unease, I ponder whether the area is home to bears.
Anxious minutes pass when voices suddenly shatter the silence. People! I bid a relieved hello and discover I’ve reached one of the main viewpoints (see practical tips). Marveling at how high I’ve climbed, I look out over the irregularly shaped rocks I remember from the programme. The boulders, almost forty meters tall, stand harmoniously, but unorganized; interspersed with trees and narrow passages. Exhibiting varying shapes, some appear bulkier and more rounded, while others maintain a relatively thin and flat profile.
👑 The Imperial Descend 👑
As I stare into the depths, I notice a few more people walking along a path that divides the cluster of boulders into two. Ah, so that’s where I need to go! Happy with my newfound sense of direction, I patiently pause at several information boards. Incredible! Originally in the shape of a compact plate, this sandstone was formed over sixty millions years ago through the solidification of loose material from a former river delta and sea. It was then fragmented into individual, smaller bodies within the process of mountain formation.
In awe, I press on with my hike to reach the central ravine, or Emperor’s Corridor. The stairs are again incredibly steep and I tightly grip the railings. Okey proprioception*, it’s your time to shine! Drawing from my background in neuroscience I know it’s this sense of self-movement that will guide me down, evaluating factors like my body position, location, muscle force and balance. Carefully placing each foot on the uneven rock, I feel my senses heighten, my focus fully attuned to both my body and surroundings. This precisely is why I love hiking.
Now enjoying the solitude and silence, I take a moment to sit on one of the sandy plateaus nestled between two sets of stairs. The rock pillars surrounding the central gorge aren’t at all massive blocks, but rather thinner rock ‘coulisses’, divided by clefts. Finding myself closer to them I inspect the sandstone walls, eroded by the forces of wind, acid rain and human interaction. The relief displays mainly horizontal grooves, as if a jigsaw intricately carved into the weathered bedrock, along with cavities resembling honeycomb structures. At the base of the rocks, a delicate layer of the same glowing moss I observed on the forest floor adds a fluffy touch. It’s a paradise for tactile exploration – and I stand up to do just that.
🐭 The Mousehole 🐭
Once descended, my energy soars as high as the columns, granting me the courage to finally explore the labyrinth of narrow pathways branching off the main trail. After navigating a few sets of stairs, I stumble upon a section that literally demands I squeeze my way through two formations — a highlight of the hike affectionately dubbed ‘the mousehole’. The passage measures a mere 60 cm wide, with little daylight reaching its depths, forcing me once again to rely on that sense of body awareness. I press my hands firmly against the damp walls, accompanied by the sounds of my own rhythmic breathing and the gentle rustle of my jacket brushing against the rock.
Completely immersed in the present moment, the initial stress of my journey has melted away like snow under the sun’s warmth. Exploring hidden gems like the mousehole is exactly why I put up with all the navigational struggles. Just as the path curves slightly to the left, revealing a glimmer of light at the end, the drizzle intensifies into rain. Shit. Realizing I can’t continue with this weather, I quickly turn around. The steps grow increasingly slippery, challenging my balance. Almost at the bottom, I misjudge a step and end up face down on a sandy path. Ouch. I guess even proprioception has its limits.
💧 The Rock-Solid End 💧
Brushing off the dirt, I reluctantly make my way back to the entrance, disappointed my hike has ended so abruptly. Rain drops persistently moisten the soil, adding a grounding, earthy note to the air. Ah, one last sensory treat after all. Back at my starting point, the restaurant and visitor center are still closed. This time, however, my body doesn’t respond. Steady as a rock, I dial a taxi company and explain my location to the driver in my best baby-English. The rock city has reignited my faith – faith that I will continue to find my way and tell stories despite a blurred perspective; frankly, in a way no concrete city ever could.
*Proprioception = the sense of self-movement. It lets us perceive the location, movement and action of parts of our body. Special nerves sense factors as joint position and movement, muscle force and effort. It helps us to walk straight on uneven surfaces, stand upright and decide how much force to use when writing or picking up a brick.
✏️ Practical Tips
→ There are 4 routes: yellow (1.5 km), red (2.5 km), green (3.5 km) and blue. The blue route is specifically for pushchairs and strollers. I completed the red route (without knowing).
→ The yellow route is completed in about 45 minutes. It is less challenging and includes the highlights described in this article. The green route takes about 2.5 hours to complete. It is much more demanding, as it includes more viewpoints and hence more (steep) steps.
→ Whatever route you choose, look out for these highlights:
- The Bohemian Paradise Lookout Point
- Piece Viewpoint
- The Emperor’s Corridor (central pathway)
- The Mousehole (narrowest path)
- The Leaning Tower + the sculpture of Pelíšek the Elf (I missed these)
→ There is a small fee (entrance + car parking) in the tourist season. The tourist season lasts from the 1st of April to the 31st of October, though it can be extended when weather conditions are good. During these months, there is a bus between the park and the closest town, Jicin.
→ The park can be visited outside of the main season (like I did). It’s free, but all service points are closed. At least, you will be better prepared than I was!
→ All practical information can be found on this website: https://prachovskeskaly.com/en/tourism
→ There are two entrances, the main entrance, (‘lower cashbox’, where I was dropped off) and a side entrance (see map on the page linked above).
→ I also suggest visiting this website: https://www.hkregion.cz/dr-en/101045-prachovske-skaly-prachov-rocks.html
💡Accessibility Tips
→ According to the official website, the park is technically not wheelchair accessible. However, I do think that the stroller route is worth trying. You can access a number of lookouts from a forest pathway. The site recommends you to enter the park at teh lower cash box and make your way to the crossroad at ‘Zadní točenici’ where the central part of the rocks is visible.
→ Make sure you have eaten well. The steps are steep and navigating with a visual impairment especially requires a lot of energy. Be sure to hold onto the railings or the rock walls.
→ Be extra careful with rain and frost. In my experience, the steps got slippery very fast, so I can only imagine how dangerous it is with frost in the winter time.
→ There’s a bus from Prague to Jicin. I found the bus station in Prague pretty consuming and I recommend having your translating app ready because not too many people speak proper English. Use Moovit or Google Maps to pin your station in Jicin. I didn’t do this and the announcement system at Jicin wasn’t great.
Excellent, I really enjoyed this adventure. Your discrptive narration made me feel like I was there. One more for my bucket list.