Adrspach Rock City

Adrspach Rock City

Adrspach Rock City is located very close to the Polish border, on the Czech side, in the town of Adršpach. It is a unique natural area located in a region full of tourist attractions and not far from Karpacz, the Kłodzko Valley and the Karkonosze Mountains. From Wrocław, you can get here in about 2 hours, which makes this place an ideal destination for a day trip or weekend getaway.

The area is full of interesting places worth visiting. On the Polish side, there are, among others, Książ Castle, the Colorful Lakes, and numerous monuments of the Kłodzko Valley, while on the Czech side you can combine a visit to Adršpach with visiting the neighboring Teplice Rocks or a visit to the Dvůr Králové Safari Park, where you can take a ride through an animal safari.

Adrspach Rock City is a remnant of the ancient ocean floor that existed in this area about 89 million years ago. The Adršpašské skály form unique sandstone formations, created - similarly to the Table Mountains - as a result of the uneven resistance of rocks to weathering. For millions of years, water, frost, and wind shaped the uniform sandstone slab, dividing it into numerous canyons, crevices, valleys, and monumental rock blocks that we can admire today.

On the territory of Rock City, there are two picturesque mountain lakes located at different levels, through which the Metuje River flows, creating two waterfalls. The whole area is covered with forest, in which there are many species of mountain and submontane plants, as well as interesting fauna characteristic of this region.

Through the labyrinth of rock forms, there is a paid tourist route, which does not require special preparation or mountain experience. The trail consists of comfortable paths, stairs with railings, and in places artificially built platforms and footbridges. Moving outside the designated route is prohibited so as not to endanger unique plant specimens.

Parking

Adršpach Park has its own paid parking lot for visitors to Rock City. Parking fees can be paid when purchasing an entrance ticket to the park. Link to the page in the section describing tickets. The parking lot is located about 300 meters from the main entrance and is quite large, but the number of spaces is limited, so during the tourist season it is worth buying tickets (along with entry) in advance.

Parking prices range from about 80 CZK to 250 CZK, depending on the season and the form of purchase - it is cheaper with online reservation at least one day in advance than directly at the ticket offices on site.

Additionally, there are two alternative parking lots nearby, which can be helpful if parking tickets on the official website are no longer available. In this case, it is best to arrive early in the morning, as the number of parking spaces in this small town runs out quickly, especially on weekends and during the summer season.

Tickets

Entry to Adrspach Rock City is paid. Ticket prices depend on the period when you visit the park and on the form of purchase, whether it is online (at least one day in advance) or directly at the ticket offices on site. Prices for an adult range from about 120 CZK (lowest season, online purchase at least a day earlier) to 250 CZK (high season, purchase at the ticket office on site). Discounts are available for children, students, seniors, and people with disabilities. You can enter the park with a dog, but there is an additional fee of 50 CZK.

When buying an entrance ticket, it is also possible to purchase a parking ticket. During the tourist season, we definitely recommend buying tickets in advance, not only because of the lower price, but above all because of the limited number of available entries and parking spaces.

Detailed price list, current information and the possibility of buying tickets online can be found on the park's official website: link to the site https://www.adrspasskeskaly.cz/pl/cenik

Trail

The main tourist route through Adrspach Rock City is about 3.5 km long and is marked in green. It is worth reserving about 2-2.5 hours for it, depending on the pace and the number of stops for photos. From the entrance to Rock City to the Small Waterfall (approx. 1.3 km), the route leads along wide, comfortable paths and does not cause any difficulties. The second part of the green trail is more varied, as there are numerous stairs and narrow passages between the rocks. Turning into the Nová Partie area, we enter narrow and steep stairs that lead to several viewpoints. In this part of the route, there are about 850 stairs, and the entire Rock City area has nearly 2,000 of them, so despite the small distance, it is worth preparing for considerable elevation gains. This section of the trail is a bit more demanding, but offers beautiful views from above of the entire park.

Additionally, you can take the blue trail around the lake, which is about 1.5 km long and leads through numerous ascents and stairs.

The yellow trail, on the other hand, leads through Wolf Gorge to the Teplice Rocks and is about 3.5 km long. Its initial section is quite steep and full of stairs, but the rest of the route becomes much gentler and leads through peat bogs and forest.

For those with more time, there is also a trail around the Teplice Rocks, about 6 km long.

Wolf Gorge

Wolf Gorge connects Adrspach Rock City with the Teplice Rocks and is about 3.5 km long. The route leads through dense forests, wooden footbridges over peat bogs, and paths winding among rock labyrinths. There is usually much more peace here than on the main loop of Rock City, which makes this section ideal for those seeking silence and contact with nature.

The trail is extremely charming at any time of the year - in summer it delights with lush, intensely green vegetation, while in winter the trees and rocks covered with a thick layer of snow create an almost fairy-tale landscape. Even if you are not planning further hiking towards the Teplice Rocks, it is definitely worth walking at least a fragment of Wolf Gorge to feel its unique atmosphere and see the less frequented, quieter side of this region.

When is the Best Time to Visit Rock City

Adrspach Rock City is open to visitors all year round. The most popular period is the summer season - then, especially on weekends, there are quite a lot of tourists. We managed to visit this place both in summer and in winter, and each of these seasons had its own unique, one-of-a-kind atmosphere.

In winter, there were definitely fewer tourists in Rock City than in summer, even though we were there during a long, post-Christmas weekend. Traversing the rock labyrinths in peace and quiet was a truly wonderful experience. Although the park itself is not very large, it has an extremely unique atmosphere and is definitely worth visiting more than once, especially since the sightseeing can be extended to include Wolf Gorge, which leads to the Teplice Rocks. The route is easy and accessible to practically everyone, but in winter, in addition to warm clothing, crampons may also be useful, especially since there are quite a few stairs on the route that are not always cleared of snow.

In summer, you can also find days and hours less frequented by tourists, and the views are equally stunning. You can admire beautiful lakes, lush greenery of trees, and vegetation covering the monumental rock formations.

Regardless of the time of year you choose, Adrspach Rock City is a place absolutely worth seeing.

Main Attractions of Adrspach Rock City

Many rock formations have their own names, which came from their characteristic visual features. Importantly, these names are also given in Polish, and Polish-language maps are available at the ticket offices, which makes visiting much easier.

First of all, we pass a large lake, which in winter is practically invisible, covered with a layer of ice and snow. It can be walked around on the blue trail. In summer, however, it delights with its beautiful turquoise color.

Following the direction of sightseeing, we come to the characteristic Gothic Gate, one of the most recognizable points of Rock City, where almost everyone takes a commemorative photo.

Then we delve deeper into the rock labyrinth. Some viewpoints can be reached by stairs, squeezing through narrow passages between monumental rock formations. Along the way, we can also see several waterfalls that break through the sandstone rocks, adding even more charm to this place.

Rock City in Winter

Visiting Rock City in winter has the main advantage that it is off-season. There are definitely fewer tourists, which allows you to immerse yourself in the rock labyrinths in peace and quiet. Tickets at this time are also cheaper, which is an additional advantage.

It is worth planning a visit when snow has already appeared, as it gives this place a unique, winter atmosphere. However, it should be remembered that in the rock labyrinths it is colder than in nearby towns, so in winter you should take care of appropriate, warm clothing.

During our stay, crampons also worked very well. The main path was indeed trampled and covered with sand, but the stairs were covered with a layer of packed snow, which made them very slippery. With crampons, moving around was not only more comfortable, but above all much safer.

Teplice Rocks

They are located close to Rock City and are connected by Wolf Gorge. You can walk through them and visit them in one day on the same ticket by going through the Gorge. It is worth allocating more time for this. You can also choose to split this trip into two days and go to Rock City one day and to the Teplice Rocks the next. Then you need to buy two separate tickets on the official platforms. Unfortunately, we have not yet managed to visit them, but we hope that in the near future we will have such an opportunity and will write an article about it!