Lípovec (427 m a.s.l.) is a small but striking hill near Česká Lípa, forming together with its neighbours one of the most recognizable landscape groups in the region. It's a great pick for hikers looking for a quiet walk away from the crowds, surrounded by basalt rock and open meadows.

The hill takes the shape of an asymmetrical dome, slightly elongated north-south. It's built from basalt rock that has pushed through the surrounding Upper Cretaceous quartz sandstones and calcareous claystones. The summit is covered in deciduous forest, except for the northwestern slope, which stays open as meadows reaching almost to the top - from there you get a view across the Šporka valley to the edge of the České Středohoří highlands near Práchně. Together with Chotovický vrch and Skalický vrch, Lípovec forms a tight triangular group of hills, a well-known landscape landmark of the Česká Lípa area. In spring and summer the meadows below the summit are full of wildflowers, autumn turns the forest golden-brown, and winter strips the landscape bare, revealing the raw basalt character of the hill.

How to get to the summit

• The nearest village is Pihel, at the junction of road I/9 Česká Lípa - Nový Bor and the Pihel-Skalice road; short approach on foot, easy difficulty
• A yellow-marked trail runs through the village of Skalice (Nový Bor - Skalický vrch), from which you can branch off toward the hill

Practical information

• No marked path leads to the actual summit - reaching it requires some off-trail orientation
• The best view is from the meadows on the northwestern slope, just below the top

The hill's name has shifted over time - state maps from the 1950s-60s and even as late as 1988 used the form 'Lipovec', while the current spelling 'Lípovec' has only been official since 1997.