Czerwone Skałki

Czerwone Skałki (Red Rocks) is a group of granite rock formations in the Izera Mountains, on the Wysoki Grzbiet, between Jakuszyce and Szklarska Poręba, above the Kamienna valley.

Structure and appearance

The rocks lie at an altitude of 952 m above sea level and cover an area of more than 5 hectares. Individual rock blocks reach heights of several to a dozen or so metres. They are built of Upper Carboniferous porphyritic granite, in which pink feldspar megacrystals from 3 to 7 centimetres in size, grey quartz, plagioclase and black biotite can be seen. The rocks lie in the contact zone between the Izera metamorphic rocks and the Karkonosze massif.

Rock shelters

About 28 rock shelters have been counted within the formation, created by the selective weathering of the granite and denudation processes. It is one of the few places in the Western Sudetes with such a concentration of this type of rock formation. Two disused granite quarries survive at the foot of the rocks.

History

Until 1945 Czerwone Skałki was a protected monument of inanimate nature.

Nearby

In the Izera Mountains range, near Czerwone Skałki, lie other summits worth visiting, including Wysoka Kopa and Zwalisko. From Szklarska Poręba you can also reach the Kamieńczyk Waterfall, and further towards the Karkonosze Mountains rises Szrenica.

Practical information

• Location: Izera Mountains, Wysoki Grzbiet, Szklarska Poręba municipality, between Jakuszyce and Szklarska Poręba
• Sources do not give a marked trail leading directly to the rocks - the route and approach are worth planning using a current hiking map of the Izera Mountains
• Rocky, uneven terrain, requiring caution when approaching the formation