Bila Strz

Bila strz - the white ravine - is a stream that drops about a hundred and sixty metres in total down the steep flank below Jezerni hora, with a main fall of some thirteen metres, the highest in the Sumava, over pale gneiss that gives the ravine its name. The water is fed partly from the Cerne jezero, the largest and deepest of the Sumava glacial lakes, which lies above it. The ravine is a national nature reserve and the surrounding slopes hold spruce forest with rock fields and a cold damp microclimate that supports mosses and ferns not found on the plateau above. Access is on foot along a marked trail with a viewing platform at the fall, and the surrounding reserve is closed to entry off the path. Flow is best in spring meltwater and after rain; in a dry August it can be modest.

What you actually see

• A thirteen-metre fall - the highest in Sumava, over pale gneiss.
• A hundred and sixty metres of descent - the stream dropping the whole slope.
• A cold damp ravine - mosses and ferns in a microclimate of its own.
• Cerne jezero above - the deepest of the Sumava glacial lakes.

When to go

May to September; spring for flow. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Access is on foot only and the path is steep. Flow drops sharply in dry summers. The reserve off the trail is closed. Winter access is difficult and often impossible.

Nearby

Cerne jezero and Certovo jezero are above; Zelezna Ruda is west.