Bila Opava Trail

The Bila Opava rises under Praded, the highest summit of the Hruby Jesenik at 1491 metres, and drops steeply through a boulder-choked ravine on the mountain's eastern flank. The marked trail up it is one of the best-known walking routes in Moravia: it follows the stream closely on wooden steps, ladders, bridges and catwalks fixed to the rock, past a run of cascades and small falls with the biggest around eight metres, through spruce forest with deadwood left in place and moss over everything. It climbs about six hundred metres from Karlova Studanka to the ridge. The route is one-way in the upper section, closed in winter and after storm damage, and it is genuinely a scramble rather than a stroll. Karlova Studanka at the bottom is a spa village of wooden buildings with air quality regularly measured as the cleanest in the country.

Highlights

• Ladders and catwalks - the path fixed to the rock beside the stream.
• A run of cascades - small falls to about eight metres through the boulder gorge.
• Deadwood forest - spruce with fallen trunks left in place under moss.
• Karlova Studanka - a wooden spa village at the foot of the route.

When to go

June to September. A day.

Practical notes

The upper section is one-way and closed in winter, and it shuts after storms - check before setting out. It is a scramble with exposure in places. Rock and wood are slippery when wet. Six hundred metres of climb.

Nearby

Praded and its tower are above; Karlova Studanka is below.