Wysoka Kopa

Wysoka Kopa is the highest peak of the Jizera Mountains, rising to 1,127.6 metres above sea level. It lies in the Western Sudetes, in the Wysoki Grzbiet massif, between the Złote Jamy hill and the Izerskie Garby, in the Szklarska Poręba municipality.

Structure and location

The dome of the peak is built of granites, gneisses and schists belonging to the Karkonosze-Jizera block, more precisely to its north-western part known as the Izera metamorphic complex. Wysoka Kopa lies in the central-eastern part of the Jizera Mountains, in their highest, central section.

A treeless summit and subalpine meadows

The summit is treeless as a result of the ecological disaster of the 1980s. Its upper parts are today covered with subalpine meadows, on which grow, among others, greater masterwort (arcydzięgiel litwor), Haller's gęsiówka and narcissus anemone. Snow cover persists on Wysoka Kopa for a long time, usually until the start of May, and the summit itself is often covered in cloud.

Trail and viewpoint

A red trail runs past the summit, a section of the Main Sudetes Trail linking Świeradów-Zdrój with Szklarska Poręba. Wysoka Kopa is considered a good viewpoint, although because of frequent cloud cover it is worth choosing a day with good visibility.

A place in the mountain crowns

Wysoka Kopa belongs to three lists of peaks: the Crown of the Mountains of Poland, the Crown of the Sudetes, and the Crown of the Mountains of Lower Silesia.

Practical information

• Location: the Jizera Mountains, Wysoki Grzbiet massif, Szklarska Poręba municipality, Karkonosze County
• Getting there: via the red trail of the Main Sudetes Trail between Świeradów-Zdrój and Szklarska Poręba
• On the route it is worth planning a stop at the nearby "Stanisław" Quartz Mine or at the Zwalisko viewpoint
• The summit is sometimes wrapped in cloud, so it is worth checking the forecast before setting out on the route