A Tale of Two Peaks: Lysá Hora and Smrk
August 2, 2025
Finding myself temporarily childless and wife-less, I seized the opportunity for a moderately demanding hike in the nearby Beskydy mountains. My initial plan was simple: climb Lysá Hora (1,323m), the tallest peak in the range. But that seemed too brief for a proper adventure.
Looking at the map, I considered extending the route to include Smrk, the second-highest peak at 1,276m, or perhaps continuing toward Morávka Bebek for a longer loop. However, when I plotted the basic route from Ostravice to Lysá Hora and back via Šance dam on my Garmin, the numbers told their own story: 17km with over 900m of elevation gain. Surely that would suffice for a moderately demanding day out.
The Morning Ascent
The first direct train delivered me to Ostravice just before 9am, along with quite a few fellow hikers bound for Lysá Hora. It was a popular destination on a weekend in the middle of summer holidays, but the early hour kept the crowds manageable.
The ascent began on a paved road winding past picturesque wooden chalets perched on steep slopes. I maintained a reasonably fast pace despite the gradient, silently keeping tabs on other hikers from my train. Two men caught my attention: one in his fifties taking a slightly different route, and remarkably, a man in his seventies following the same path as me. The older gentleman matched my pace but occasionally broke into short runs.
A silent overtaking game ensued. When I finally passed him, I offered the customary mountain greeting: “Dobrý den” (the formal “good day” reserved for strangers). He cheerfully responded with “Ahoj” (an informal hello typically used with friends or children). I paused, puzzled. Perhaps it was my age — I’m 41 — that prompted his casual response. Our leapfrogging continued as he overtook me during his running spurts, I passed him on uphills, he gained while I took a bathroom break, until eventually I lost track of him altogether.
Further up, I encountered a delightful studánka — a natural mountain spring enclosed in a rock shelter with fresh water channeled through a pipe. Metal mugs hung conveniently for weary hikers. Cautious about the crowds, I only used it to wash my face, though I probably needn’t have worried.
The wide rocky road wound through a canopy of tall spruces. As elevation increased, the trees grew sparser and shorter, eventually revealing spectacular views of Ondřejník (890m), Skalka (964m), and nearby Smrk across the valley. The road gradually narrowed from wide to rock-paved paths that alternated all the way to the summit.
Summit Success
After several photo stops, the transmitter tower came into view, followed by some steep final pitches. Suddenly I found myself at the designated selfie area with its wooden heart-shaped “window” framing Šance dam lake below. The panoramic views were stunning — I could see West Carpathian ranges stretching to Slovakia’s Low Tatras. The “sea” of hills looked magnificent under perfect conditions: sunny skies with fluffy clouds, hardly any wind (the weather station registered just 2.7m/s).
It wasn’t even 11am, but the aroma from the summit restaurants was tempting after climbing over 900 vertical meters. I resisted, having packed two Tatranky chocolate wafer bars and looking forward to a proper langoš or beef burger at the excellent fast-food place near the train station. The descent would take about 1.5 hours — perfect timing for lunch.
At the very summit, I spotted my septuagenarian competitor heading down. Clearly he’d arrived first — not quite a tortoise and hare scenario, as he was genuinely fast by any standard.
Descending in Thought
The yellow-marked descent toward Šance dam went smoothly. I sampled delicious wild forest blueberries — their concentrated flavor far superior to farmed varieties — and even ran some gentler sections until leg cramps forced me back to an easy walk. A brief rest and one Tatranka restored my energy and made the cramps go away.
The narrow path went through sparse short spruces, then taller, denser ones, before abruptly giving way to a magnificent European beech forest. I suspect these were planted when the dam was built, as beech trees better stabilize hillsides than spruces.
The easy descent gave me time to reflect on mountain etiquette. I’d been greeting everyone with “dobrý den,” but was receiving surprised looks from younger hikers and mixed responses of both formal and informal greetings. It’s been twenty years since my last Czech mountain hike. Back then, greeting strangers with “ahoj” would have been unthinkable, even in the mountains. Times change — perhaps influenced by English and returning expats who’ve adopted more casual approaches to social interaction. I used “ahoj” from then on, and got ahojs back, and no more surprised looks.
The pleasant walk through beech forest, dotted with wildflower meadows, eventually met a sealed road busy with cyclists racing downhill or struggling uphill. This signaled my approach to the dam — an impressive concrete and earth structure with a new information center.
Standing there, still early (around noon) with plenty of water remaining, a nagging thought emerged: why not climb Smrk as well?
The Second Challenge
After crossing the dam, the initial ascent wasn’t too steep, though my legs felt slightly shaky. The path wound beside a busy road on the cliff-like banks of the dam lake before turning back into spruce forest. The gradient increased, but so did the wild blueberries — the hillside appeared blue with their abundance.
With my stomach demanding food, I resisted eating my final Tatranka, knowing significant elevation gain lay ahead. From the dam at around 500m, I needed to reach 1,276m.
The path became very steep and rocky, slowing progress considerably. A brief respite on flat paved road gave way to another punishing rocky ascent. Finally succumbing to hunger, I ate the last Tatranka, which helped marginally with the relentless gradient.
After reaching a small forest track intersection, the path improved slightly. Another kilometer brought me to the saddle under “Malý Smrk” (Little Smrk) with its nice viewpoint. From there, the trail became extremely rocky and steep. Water ran low, and my body demanded more fuel.
Fortunately, abundant wild blueberry bushes appeared again, laden with dark, sweet fruit. Several handfuls immediately improved my condition. I continued upward, using memorial stops for John Lennon (inexplicably placed here) and Jan Palach (closer to home, but why here?) as welcome rest excuses. Finally, the path leveled, and suddenly I stood atop Smrk at 1,276m.
Summit Reflections
About thirty people occupied the summit, though views were limited by relatively new spruce growth. This area was previously barren, destroyed by pollution and acid rain during the region’s heavy industrial period. I remember seeing dead spruce trunks as a child — quite spooky. I’m unsure why neighboring mountains escaped similar damage. The summit area is now a nature reserve with healthy twenty-year-old spruces.
After photos and water, I retraced my steps to the saddle, then took the red-marked path down to Ostravice. Dreams of langoš AND burger, plus good non-alcoholic beer and water, filled my thoughts. Then, almost magically, another picturesque studánka appeared — set in a steep slope surrounded by ferns and rocks like something from a fairy tale.
The water flow was strong and ice-cold. With few people around and the steep terrain making contamination unlikely, I decided to drink several handfuls after refreshing my face, though I avoided the provided steel mugs. Refreshed, I continued down the zigzagging red trail.
The Reward
Spotting a family taking a direct route down a very steep rocky slope, I followed suit. Though challenging, it saved considerable walking. The rocky road gradually widened and became less steep, food fantasies growing more frequent. Soon I reached the paved road, passed another set of picturesque wooden chalets, and arrived at the restaurant by Ostravice train station.
Note to self: Take more food and water or choose shorter hikes next time. Saved by nature’s gifts and an almost magical studánka. Do I regret climbing Smrk? Absolutely not.
And yes, I enjoyed both the langoš and beef burger, plus two non-alcoholic beers and a bottle of water — well deserved after walking more than 28km with over 2,200 vertical meters on just two Tatranky bars.