Jelení vrchy is a compact nature reserve in the Ralsko Uplands where two forested hills - Malý Jelení vrch (500 m) and Velký Jelení vrch (514 m) - hide basalt outcrops and surprisingly wide views. It is a quiet spot, largely untouched by crowds, perfect for those wanting to slip off the beaten path.

The two summits, made of basalt and sandstone, are separated by a shallow saddle covered in deciduous forest. In spring the forest floor blooms with bulbous coralroot, summer brings cool shade beneath the canopy, and autumn paints the slopes gold. From the rocks atop Velký Jelení vrch you get open views over the surrounding countryside - once a closed military training area, now reclaimed by nature. Iron ore was mined here in medieval times, but today the only sounds are birdsong and rustling leaves.

How to get there

• A red-marked trail runs along the eastern edge of the reserve from Stráž pod Ralskem to Hamr na Jezeře - easy to moderate route
• The summits themselves lie inside the protected area and have no marked trails leading directly to them

Practical information

• Protected since 1996, renamed Jelení vrchy in 2012
• Reserve covers 7.91 hectares at an elevation of 470-514 m
• Managed by the Nature and Landscape Protection Agency of the Czech Republic
• Home to protected plant species such as bulbous coralroot and whorled Solomon's seal, plus numerous ground beetle species

This little reserve marks reclaimed land from the former Ralsko military zone - a quiet corner of forest with a surprisingly rich history hidden beneath its canopy.