Schmilka - Kirnitzsch - Großer Winterberg - Schmilka
- Distance: 18km
- Duration (with breaks): 6h 00min
- Difficulty: easy to moderate
- When to hike: all year round, some caution to be taken in winter
- When we hiked: mid-October
Saxon Switzerland national park
This park is located in eastern Germany and spans all the way to the Czech Republic, being shared by both countries. It is a popular park with such spectacular locations as Bastei bridge or Pravcicka Brana that many consider a must-see.
The park became even more famous after several landscape scenes of the movie “The Chronicles of Narnia” were filmed in it. As we hiked in autumn, we could enjoy occasional moments of solitude, which might be difficult to find in summer.
What makes it unique is interesting sandstone rock formations that spread throughout the park, creating a feeling of walking in a canyon. These rock formations also attract a lot of rock climbers as more than 700 (!) summits are available to climb. For those preferring a steady ground, many hiking paths snake through the park, including Malerweg, a 116km trail going through the whole park.
Is it like Switzerland (hence the name)? I’d say yes and no. For those expecting magnificent white-capped mountains and crazy elevation changes, this is not that kind of place. BUT. It is definitely a park full of beautiful viewpoints and nature to explore.
How to get there?
By car: several entrances to the park ensure an easy reach to the park. The official website suggests heading towards Pirna. For this particular hike, I advise leaving your car in Schmilka.
By public transport: this was our option. We took a train from Prague, heading to Dresden, switched in Bad Schandau to a slower train to reach Hirschmuhle, and from there took a ferry to Schmilka. All that in a little over 2.5h, which I’d say is quite ok. Very scenic train ride as we were basically following the Elbe river.
So how was it?
We first got some fine brunch material in a local bakery, petted a local cat, and then headed towards the Saxon peaks. I was amazed by the forested sections as autumn colors greeted us at their prime. Even the sections without views were beautiful to walk around due to the colors.
The whole trail is a continuous up & down dance, with viewpoints every 30 mins at least. You will walk on narrow passes surrounded by tall rocks, occasional ladders will come in handy when scaling some of those rocks (yes, you’ll be on the top of a rock!).
There are hundreds of paths zigzagging the park, so you can also just let yourself wander and see where a path takes you. We took a few unmarked paths of which one led us to a dead-end, which is a probable option when exploring the park (not on marked paths though). On most of the rocks, there are no fences or protective railings, making them accessible for the rock climbers.
Overall we had a great time in this park. It’s a unique landscape with changing scenery every couple of minutes. You will not be bored walking among the sandstone towers or even on top of them!
Tips
- There are no refreshments along the trail (or at least in autumn), so take some snacks and water with you.
- Due to trees and rocks all over the park, there's plenty of shade even in summer.