check_circle Slopes
check_circle Mainly in the sun
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The Most Beautiful Viewpoint in the Karkonosze Mountains?
Perhaps it is the steep rocky walls of Śnieżne Kotły and the view of the hidden small Śnieżne Stawki lakes. We can admire them from a comfortable, wide road on the main ridge of the Karkonosze - the red trail, as well as from the viewpoints secured with barriers that branch off from it.
They say it is most beautiful here in spring, when the alpine meadows bloom, but it is also quite picturesque in the fog:
Śnieżne Kotły - Small and Big
"Kotły" means "cauldrons," because there are two of them: the Small Śnieżny Kocioł - deeper (up to 300 m), but narrower, and the Big Śnieżny Kocioł - walls up to 120 m high, wider and longer than the small one.
In the Small Śnieżny Kocioł, there is one small lake called Młaka, and in the Big Śnieżny Kocioł, there are two Śnieżne Stawki lakes.
The Big Śnieżny Kocioł is used as rock climbing walls - hence the names of its sections: Ząb Rekina, Turnia Popiela, Rynna Skrzatów, Piekiełko, etc. Can you find them? Or maybe you can give the rocks your own names?
Śnieżne Kotły are beautiful, but also dangerous. Many fatal accidents have been recorded here (mainly in winter when snow cornices hang over the ridge and the trail is not visible). Interestingly, two lucky skiers fell off the ridge of the cauldrons... and survived!
Śnieżne Kotły - Legend
How were Śnieżne Kotły and Śnieżne Stawki formed? Of course, it was due to the action of glaciers... A more interesting version tells of the Black Devil's fault. After a quarrel with the Spirit of the Mountains, the devil wanted to take revenge by burying the Great Staw with boulders. He dug up a huge amount of rocks between Łabski Szczyt and Śmielcem (thus creating Śnieżne Kotły) and carried them towards the Great Staw. When he was almost there, the bells of the Angelus rang, and the devil turned into stone (thus the rock called Słonecznik nad Wielkim Stawem >>> was formed).
At the Top of Śnieżne Kotły
There used to be a large mountain hotel here, but now only a tower remains - visible from afar and serves as a good and distinctive landmark. Inside, there is no longer a shelter or buffet, only a television relay station (it helps hikers in exceptional situations).
How to Get to Śnieżne Kotły?
The easiest way is to take the cable car to Szrenica from Szklarska Poręba. Then, an easy and scenic ridge trail through Łabski Szczyt (about 1 hour and 40 minutes one way) remains to be walked:
Easy
Chairlift to Szrenica - Śnieżne Kotły from Szrenica
From the Pod Łabskim Szczytem Shelter to Śnieżne Kotły
A more difficult route - rocky and steep, also with rocky steps - leads from the Pod Łabskim Szczytem Shelter:
To reach the Pod Łabskim Szczytem Shelter, you can come from various directions: from Szklarska Poręba, from the Szklarki Waterfall, from Piechowice, or from Jagniątków.
If you want to combine admiring Śnieżne Kotły with a longer mountain hike, we recommend a loop trip from Jagniątków: take the blue trail "Koralowa Droga" through Śmielec and descend back to the starting point via the yellow and black trails through the Pod Łabskim Szczytem Shelter.
Publish Date: 2021-08-05
More in the Region Sudety (The Sudetes)
Total Length 184 km
