In late May 2025, dm2lct and I hiked across the Jizera mountains (CZ: Góry Izerskie / PL: Jizerské hory / DE: Isergebirge), right at the Czech – Polish border. It's a very nice hike with some stunning views, and doable as a single-day trip from and back to Dresden – even with rail replacement services here and there. Just note that you might want to wear water-tight boots – at least when we were up there, the majority of hiking trails on the summit were actually water streams.
See jizera-mountains.gpx for the approximate route we took. Note that I traced it after the fact, as we did not use GPS logs on our hike.
Arrival
We decided to start our climb from Świeradów-Zdrój (DE: Bad Flinsberg) on the Polish side of the mountains. We did have to get up at a slightly ungodly hour, but that was definitely worth it.
- TL RB60 Dresden Hbf (06:53) → Görlitz Hbf (08:33) – Deutschlandticket
As the direct connection to Zgorzelec was closed, apparently due to issues related to the German/Polish language level of the train drivers, the route to Świeradów-Zdrój included a nice little 50-minute detour through the twin towns of Görlitz and Zgorzelec. I think I'll come back for a proper visit to Görlitz old town on a later day. It even has a small tram network! Zgorzelec train station is quite cozy as well, featuring a small café right next to the waiting room.
- KD 69874 Zgorzelec (09:44) → Świeradów-Zdrój (10:55) – 18.75 PLN (4.45 €) each
The tracks in Poland had very noticeable rail joints – and a tight curve in Lubań actually mannaged to topple our water bottle. Apart from that, it's a pretty standard Diesel train connection, ending at the single-platform terminus in Świeradów-Zdrój.
Going Up
Świeradów-Zdrój sits about 500 metres above sea level; the Jizera and Smrk peaks clock in at 1,107 and 1,124 metres, respectively. There's a cabin lift to Stóg Izerskie (DE: Heufuder) situated about a kilometre from the train station, seemingly operating year-round, but walking certainly is the more interesting option.
After a few hundred metres through the town itself, you're faced with two options: a (partially serpentine) road, or a more direct (and, thus, steep) gravel-rock-ish path. We chose the latter option, which seems to be marked with a red-on-white stripe.
The path was mostly dry, except for a short segment near the Świeradówka reservoir that basically consisted of walking through a sometimes stony and sometimes just outright muddy water stream. That segment is not mandatory: an asphalt road offers the same way up with a slight (but dry) detour.
Apart from that, the way up already offers some very nice views into the valley – you just need to turn around and look back every now and then. The views include a wooden obseravtion tower sitting almost in the valley itself. I have no idea why it's there.
Lunch Break
Once atop Stóg Izerskie (DE: Heufuder, you can stop for lunch at Schronisko na Stogu Izerskim (DE: Heufuderbaude), a hostel/restaurant thingy offering typical Polish food such as Pierogi (a kind of dumplings). Otherwise, you can still go there and enjoy the views from the terrace.
Across the Ridge
Our next stop was Smrk (PL: Smrek / DE: Tafelfichte). It's three metres lower than the highest peak of the Jizera Mountains (namely, Wysoka Kopa / DE: Hinterberg), but features a nice observation deck.
The way to Smrk is comparatively even, but full of water streams that double as trails. It's pretty; just try not to get wet feet. It also features a border crossing from Poland to the Czech republic. In our case, the “welcome to Poland” sign on the way back was missing, but the border stone itself was still present.
View
It's pretty cold and drafty on the observation tower, but the views are absolutely worth it.
Going Down
While our original plan was to return to Świeradów-Zdrój, we spontaneously decided that Nové Město pod Smrkem on the Czech side should give for a more interesting trip. It was a bit of a close call – the last train to Liberec departed around 17:00, and there was just a single fallback connection near 19:00 that might still have taken us home in case we missed the one to Liberec. Note that this was regular weekday service.
From the observation tower, you can follow paths marked with a blue-on-white stripe for a reasonably direct, steep, and as often as not watery path down. The views alongside it do not disappoint at all, and even down in the valley there's still quite an angle to the nature around you.
Departure
We arrived in Nové Město pod Smrkem at 16:45, 15 minutes before the last train to Liberec departed. Normally, there is a connection from Liberec to Zittau (DE) that would've taken us directly back to Dresden, but as there was only rail replacement bus service available we went with the slightly longer, but at least equally scenic route via Děčín – featuring a nice view towards Ještěd (DE: Jeschken) and its iconic tower. Even on the train, you really notice that the Czech Republic is in more of a mountainside than conventional countryside situation. Also, the ARV train used OpenStreetMap on its passenger information display, which is cool.
- Os 6381 Nové Město pod Smrkem (17:01) → Liberec (17:57) – 70 CZK (2.83 €) each
- ARV 1334 Liberec (18:28) → Děčín hl.n. (20:10) – 196 CZK (7.92 €) each
- RB U28 Děčín hl.n. (20:41) → Bad Schandau (21:09) – 1.80 € or so each
- S1 Bad Schandau (21:44) → Dresden Hbf (22:28) – Deutschlandticket
All pictures from the trip are available on lib.finalrewind.org/Góry Izerskie 2025.