Rock viewpoints:

From their vantage point on the mountaintop they offer spectacular views far and wide; in good weather you can see roughly a third of Bohemia and from here can even get a glimpse of our German and Polish neighbours. One nearby viewpoint just a short way from the top is the rock known as the Red Stone, not far from which there is a pilgrimage place hidden in the woods – the Airmen’s Cairn, which commemorates a place crash. Another spot that offers good views (also not far away) is the Stone Gate, from where there is a lovely panoramic vista across to the other side of the ridge – to the Podještědí region, immortalised in her work by the renowned Czech writer Karolina Světlá.

Rocks and stones:

Just a short way below the top of the mountain stands a large solitary quartzite rock known as The Tailor – the name commemorates the legend of a tailor who tangled with some devils and is said to have been buried under this stone. The nearby Whirling Stones rock walls were named after some of the most famous peaks in the Alps – such as the Little Matterhorn, Monte Rosa, Castor, Pollux, and so on. Another notable (and also the prettiest) rock at Ještěd is the aforementioned quartzite Stone Gate, and it’ll be obvious how this got its name as soon as you see it. Competing in terms of popularity with these well-known and frequently visited rocks, and perhaps even coming out on top, are the White Stones, which cautiously peek out from the edge of the forest near Jítrava quite a bit further to the northwest. They're generally known as the Elephants and that image with a herd of proboscideans is just incredible.

Limestone quarries:

Back at the end of the 19th century there were still some major lime kilns and limestone quarries on the slopes of Ještěd, but all that is left of them are their local names (such as the Manor Quarry, the Vápenka (Lime Kiln) outdoor swimming pool, etc.). After work was ceased at the Solvay Quarry near Křižanské sedlo, where limestone was quarried until the 1920s, nature gradually took over the site again and made it home to some remarkable and rare species of animals and plants. Nowadays this quarry, back in its day the largest at Ještěd, is completely overgrown, although it is accessible and a short easy walk takes you to what is known as the Beautiful Viewpoint above the Bandit’s Cave (although that, unfortunately, is not open to the public).

Caves:

The Ještěd Ridge is riddled with lots of caves, some of which still contain some preserved stalactites and stalagmites. The most famous is Hanychov Cave near the Manor Quarry; another is the Foxhole Cave above Padouchov, while the largest is the Western Cave near Jítrava. However, none of Ještěd’s caves are open to the public!

Waterfall:

We dare say that while pretty much everyone knows the Mumlava Falls in the Giant Mountains and many people have heard of the Štolpich Falls in the Jizera Mountains, even many of the locals are unaware of Ještěd’s waterfall. There’s a reason for this, however. Although this much-overlooked waterfall cascades from a height of around 8 metres, it’s not such a roaring torrent as its more famous peers, and only flows from time to time after heavy rains. But it’s here, and that’s the main thing.

Virgin forest:

Not far from the aforementioned waterfall lies another region that most people tend to miss out on at Ještěd. It’s the New Virgin Forest. The Čmelák association (Society of Friends of Nature) is transforming what was originally a purely spruce site into a naturally diverse forest, having already planted over 70,000 firs, beeches, maples and other tree species. The patron of the New Virgin Forest is Liška. Not the fox, the actor - Pavel Liška.

An unusual spectacle:

You might be rather disappointed or perhaps somewhat less worried to know that Ještěd itself is not and never had been a volcano. The mountain’s peculiar shape is down to the hard quartzite it is made of, which has withstood the weather over the ages, while the surrounding softer phyllites, limestones and Palaeozoic shales have crumbled and disintegrated. The strongest remained, while the weaker ones fell by the wayside. Yet all it takes is for the sun to set behind Ještěd and nature draws some fantastic pictures in the sky, and even today it can seem as though the whole horizon is in flames. Another spectacular sight are the waves of clouds lazily pouring over the surrounding hills, making the city itself seem like it's boiling in a bubbling cauldron. Although your viewing plans for the day might not include even an illusory disaster movie, we recommend watching and not changing the channel. The Ještěd Ridge has a whole video library and photo bank of pictures that are well worth watching!