Hřensko to Pravčická brána, returning via gorge

An easy hike from Hřensko up to Pravčická brána, the largest natural rock bridge in Europe, returning via a shady gorge, using a boat for a short segment of the trip.

Several sources say that parking in Hřensko fills up by 9am in the summer. On August 31, 2017 (a weekday), the parking lots were virtually empty. One reason might be that the weather forecast was poor.

The hike initially follows the road, and then branches off up a track, which soon turns into a trail. It climbs up to Pravčická brána, which we spent some time exploring. (The light in the morning isn't great for photography.) The trail then continues very pleasantly and gradually down to the settlement of Mezní Louka. Interpretative signs in Czech and German appear to be informative. From Mezní Louka, a trail with blue blazes goes down to a gorge. This trail was closed for maintenance when we were there, and we had to take a green trail, which followed a road to the village of Mezna, and then descends to the gorge. Although the weather forecast for our visit proved inaccurate in the morning, when the sky was clear blue, it underestimated the precipitation in the afternoon: rain fell more or less continuously, rather than in showers. In this weather, the gorge was not as pleasant as it would be in good weather. A shortish segment of the gorge has to be navigated by boat, which adds charm to the hike. It also adds entertainment if you speak Czech: our boatman's deadpan commentary kept the Czech passengers in stitches for the entire trip.

Our leisurely pace brought us back to Hřensko at about 4pm.

Excellent mapping is provided by mapy.cz. Click on Zmenit mapu at the top left and select Turisticka, then zoom in to see trails (which are color coded as they are on the ground).