Široký kámen is a table-top sandstone mountain rising to 430 metres in the Ralská pahorkatina uplands, often compared to a miniature version of South Africa's famous Table Mountain. Its flat summit and steep cliffs on three sides make it one of the most distinctive rock formations in the Hamr na Jezeře area.

Carved from Upper Turonian sandstone, the massif stands out for how little erosion has disturbed its remarkably level top - a rare geological feature in this part of Bohemia. Pine forest with scattered birches grows along parts of the upper edges, while the base is fully overgrown with dense vegetation. The rock is best appreciated from a distance, as it is clearly visible from the circular blue-marked trail starting in Hamr na Jezeře, though no marked path leads directly up to it. In autumn and winter, when the foliage thins out, the flat-topped silhouette stands out even more sharply against the landscape.

How to get there

• Hamr na Jezeře — blue-marked circular trail, about 3.5 km, moderate difficulty
• No official side trail leads directly to the rock - it is mainly viewed from the main circuit

Practical information

• The site has been a protected natural monument since 20 January 1996, covering 29.81 ha of relict pine forest and rare flora
• Peregrine falcons and eagle owls nest here, so visitors should stay on marked routes and keep noise to a minimum
• Adders, sand lizards, and slow worms have also been recorded in the area - watch your step

It is a modest but memorable geological curiosity - a sandstone 'table mountain' in miniature, admired for its unusual, near-perfectly flat crown so rarely seen in Central Europe.