Beskydy mountains in Czechia without the crowds: quiet hiking spots

If the popular peaks of the Beskydy are jammed with cars in summer, it is worth turning to lesser-known routes. The authors of a hiking guide spent a few days visiting four spots near Morávka, Krásná and Staré Hamry, and hardly met anyone along the way.

Prašivá and Ropice: silence on the ridge

Last August, the hikers circled a packed car park below one of the best-known Beskydy mountains for half an hour, then turned back and decided to head somewhere else next time. They settled on the Frýdek-Místek side, which is close to Morávka, Krásná and Staré Hamry, and drove to their trails by car.

Near the road to Prašivá, the chalet and the wooden 17th-century church were busy, since you can reach them by car. But once the hikers climbed toward the summit and followed the ridge, all that remained were their own footsteps and a woodpecker far off. The same ridge leads on to Ropice. They climbed it on a separate day from Morávka, ate a snack on a tree stump and met nobody the whole time.

Travný and the Satina waterfalls

Travný is an unusual mountain: it is among the highest in the range, yet almost nobody goes there because the summit is overgrown with spruce and offers no view. After the rain, the forest near Krásná smelled of moss and resin, and at the top the hikers signed the summit book.

They drove to the Satina waterfalls near Malenovice on purpose on a weekday after heavy rain. The stream cuts through the rock there, and in the gorge the roar was so loud they had to shout over it. The falls are not high, but there are several in a row, and each looks a little different.

A calm day at the Šance reservoir

On the last day they saved their legs: they drove to the Šance reservoir and strolled along the Ostravice river on an almost level path. Beneath the water, as the authors remind readers, lies the former center of Staré Hamry. The spot is ideal for a slow afternoon walk, when mist hangs over the water.

The hikers slept on the Frýdek-Místek side and ate mostly sandwiches from their backpacks on the ridges. What they liked best was that a few kilometers away from the best-known destinations was enough to be almost alone. Next time they would go to Ropice by bus, so they could walk the ridge to Prašivá and avoid returning to the car the same way. Swimming is not allowed in the Šance reservoir, because it is a source of drinking water.

Around Prague, based on reporting by turistika.cz