Śnieżnik (1,423 m a.s.l.) is the highest peak of the Králický Sněžník Mountains and one of the most rewarding hikes in the Eastern Sudetes. It sits right on the border between Poland and the Czech Republic, meaning you can stand in two countries at once on the summit. The mountain's name literally means 'snow mountain' — and for good reason, as snow can linger here for up to eight months a year.
The mountain has a character all its own. In summer the summit offers sweeping panoramas toward the Karkonosze, the Golden Mountains, and the Czech Sudetes. Autumn brings a blaze of colour from the beech forests on the slopes, while winter turns the peak into a genuinely wild, windswept place where conditions can be serious. The terrain is mountain-grade — some sections are steep — but the trails are well-marked and manageable for fit hikers. At the top you will find a quirky sculpture of a young elephant, which replaced a former chalet. The Polish side of the mountain is protected as the Śnieżnik Landscape Park, while the Czech side falls within the Králický Sněžník National Nature Reserve.
How to reach the summitBetween 1899 and 1973 a stone observation tower stood on the Silesian side of the summit — it is gone now, but the views it once framed are just as impressive today.