Malá Úpa: Mountains, Slopes and Trails

Malá Úpa offers a range of ways to enjoy a trip to the mountains: the SKiMU ski area, themed trails, traces of ore mining and a historic church. If you are looking for a hotel, first consider which of these highlights matters most for your stay. This will help you assess the destination based on the features that suit your planned activities.

Ski area and mountain scenery

The SKiMU Malá Úpa ski area consists of the connected Pomezky and U Kostela areas. Together, they offer more than six kilometres of blue and red ski runs. Both areas and the designated run categories are useful reference points for planning. Run lengths and facilities may change seasonally, so check the latest information for your travel dates.

The surrounding mountains also give the destination its own sense of scale: Malá Úpa and the nearby area have ten peaks over 1,000 metres high. This gives you a sense of the mountain landscape beyond the immediate view of the ski area and helps you decide what to focus on during your stay.

Trails with different themes

The Pohádková stezka has ten stations. Each offers something entertaining, a picture to trace and a fairy tale. You can shorten the route by skipping the section around Kraví hora, or split it into several daily stages. This lets you choose between a shorter route and spreading the walk over several days. A map of the Pohádková stezka is available at the information centre at Pomezní Boudy.

For a circular cycling route, there is KRNAP Route 24A, “Okolo Kraví hory”. It follows forest roads from the church in Malá Úpa to stations 6 and 7 of the Pohádková cesta and then loops back. The church and the stations provide clear reference points along the route. Check route conditions and applicable access rules before setting out.

Mining history and church

The Hornická stezka has 16 stations in Malá Úpa and three more along the way to the neighbouring Polish town of Kowary. The route passes traces of ore mining and the portal, or entrance, to an exploratory adit from the 1950s. It also showcases examples of Krkonoše rock types and rock formations. The stations give the route a clear historical and geological focus if you would like to add these themes to your trip.

Another historic destination in the town is the single-nave Church of St Peter and Paul. It was built between 1788 and 1799. After a fire in 1806, it was restored and remodelled. Its construction history provides a cultural and historical point of interest alongside the mining heritage of the Hornická stezka.

Brewery and practical information

The Pivovar Trautenberk brewery is located in the former Tippeltova bouda, later known as Hotel Družba. It brews unpasteurised and unfiltered beer. Tours of the brewing area are available. If you are planning a tour, check in advance for a suitable time.

There are four visitor car parks in Malá Úpa. P1 Sportcentrum is the largest parking area and is located directly on the Polish border. P2 Infocentrum is next to the information centre; parking there is limited to daytime use until 11 p.m. and a special tariff applies. P3 Zátiší is opposite the Lesní Zátiší restaurant. P4 Spálený Mlýn is in Dolní Malá Úpa. Operating rules and payment arrangements may change, so check the latest parking conditions before travelling.

Discover more destinations: Lánov, Velehrádek, Vrchlabi, Kocléřov, Mladé Buky, Marsov U Upice, Trotina, Staré Buky.

Return to the wider travel guide: Trutnov District.