Klínovec
1,244 m
Czechia
Also known as Keilberg, КлиновецAlso known as
Keilberg · Клиновец
- Elevation
- 1,244 m
- Prominence
- 748 m
- Difficulty
- 1/10
- Easy walk
- Best Season
- Jun–Sep
- Routes
- 1
NoticeReported 25 Mar 2025
The derelict, heritage-listed Hotel Klínovec on the summit remains closed. In March 2025 Boží Dar withdrew its EU grant application for the reconstruction because it could not be finished by the end of 2027; the building is described as very damaged and continues to deteriorate. The lookout tower beside it is open seasonally.
karlovarsky.denik.cz
Routes
1The shortest and easiest way up the highest summit of the Ore Mountains: about 4 km and 240 m of ascent on the red-marked trail from Boží Dar (about 1,030 m), first across open meadows past the Neklid ski area, then through spruce forest and a short stretch of road to the stone lookout tower and TV transmitter.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 4.8 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +218 m
- −52 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 1,244 m
- Time Up
- 1h 37m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 1h 31m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Start at the information centre in Boží Dar, a small town already above 1,000 m. Follow the red marks along the main street to the small square with St Anne's church, past the bus station, then out of town on a lane between the hotels that becomes a field track and passes under the main road to the German border crossing. The track crosses open meadows with views of Klínovec ahead, passes the turn-off to the Neklid ski area (about 1.5 km) and climbs gently into the forest. Around km 3 it follows the summit access road for about 300 m past a picnic spot, then climbs, slightly more steeply at the end, to the summit plateau with the 1884 lookout tower, the 1950s TV transmitter, the ski-lift top stations and the derelict hotel. Return the same way (8 km round trip). Alternatives are the Jáchymov chairlift (year-round, 2.2 km, 480 m rise) or the yellow and green marked trails down to Jáchymov (about 6.5 km and nearly 700 m of descent). In winter the summit is the hub of the Klínovec ski area; expect snow on the trail from roughly November to April.
Start
Boží Dar1,075 m
- Jáchymov–Klínovec chairlift (year-round) as an alternative ascent or descent from the south
- Bus to Boží Dar (from Karlovy Vary via Jáchymov); in Germany, Oberwiesenthal is about 3 km away across the border.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boží Dar → Klínovec | 4.8 | 218 | 52 | 1h 37m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Boží Dar1,075 m
Information centre and St Anne's church; paid car parks along the main street
- Summit: Klínovec1,244 m
Key Passages
- Underpass beneath the main road to the German border
- Open meadows past the Neklid ski area
- Final forest climb to the summit plateau
Equipment
0/4 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
The highest summit of the Ore Mountains (1,244 m), a broad, forested dome on the Czech side of the border above Jáchymov and Boží Dar, crowned by an 1884 stone lookout tower, a TV transmitter and the hub of a ski area. An easy 4 km walk from Boží Dar.
Klínovec (German Keilberg) rises about 1.7 km south-east of the German border, 5 km north-east of the old mining town of Jáchymov, and faces the slightly lower Fichtelberg across the valley at Oberwiesenthal. Like most of the Ore Mountains it is a rounded plateau summit rather than a peak: the steep side falls south towards the Ohře basin, the gentle side north into Saxony. From the tower the view takes in the Ore Mountains ridge, Fichtelberg, the power stations and open-cast mines of the Podkrušnohoří basin and, in clear weather, Ještěd and the Upper Palatine Forest.
The summit is developed: the stone lookout tower (open seasonally, small fee), a TV transmitter, the top stations of the Jáchymov chairlift and several ski lifts, a sport hotel and a road from Boží Dar. The large historic hotel next to the tower has been derelict for two decades. For walkers, the red-marked trail from Boží Dar is the easy standard approach (about 4 km, 240 m); the walk up from Jáchymov on yellow and green marks involves nearly 700 m of ascent.
In winter Klínovec is the centre of a popular ski area, marketed jointly with Fichtelberg, with more than 10 km of pistes and 35 km of cross-country trails. The climate is harsh for the altitude: the mean annual temperature on the summit is 2.7 °C and snow lies for months.
Climbing Notes
No special preparation is needed: the red trail from Boží Dar is an easy half-day walk (8 km return) on tracks and forest paths, suitable for anyone with basic fitness. Bring your own food and water, as the old hotel is derelict and summit catering is limited, and a windproof layer for the exposed plateau. For a longer day, walk up or down the 700 m between Jáchymov and the summit, or combine with Božídarský Špičák and the Boží Dar peat bog. In winter the summit is a ski area; walk at the edges of pistes and expect snow on the trail from roughly November to April.
History
A first wooden lookout tower was built in 1817 and quickly drew visitors from the Karlsbad spa; it burned down in 1868. The Jáchymov community donated the land for a stone tower, named after Emperor Franz Joseph and dedicated on 3 August 1884, and a brick annex with a guest room followed in 1893. The hotel grew in stages between 1900 and 1929 to 112 beds, was used by the military in the Second World War and as an army recreation centre in 1951–1960, and decayed after 1990. The TV transmitter dates from the 1950s. The town of Boží Dar rebuilt the tower and the access road between June 2012 and October 2013 with EU cross-border funding; plans to rebuild the hotel were put on hold in March 2025.
Season
Best Jun–Sep- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Good
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Good
- November: Possible
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Ski season; snow on the trail, snowshoes useful
- Feb
- Ski season
- Mar
- Snow usually still lies on the plateau
- Apr
- Snowmelt, wet tracks; tower open 9:00–17:00
- May
- Tower open 9:00–19:00 May to September
- Jul
- Busiest with walkers and mountain bikers
- Oct
- Tower open 9:00–17:00; first snow possible
- Nov
- Often grey and wet; early snow
- Dec
- Ski season begins
Access & Permits
- Fees
- Lookout tower: 60 CZK adults, children up to 7 free, family ticket 120 CZK (Boží Dar town website)
- Summit car park: charged in winter only (first hour free, then 50 CZK for 2 hours, maximum 150 CZK per day); paid car parks in Boží Dar
- Rules
- The historic Hotel Klínovec next to the tower is derelict and closed; keep out of the building
- The tower may close in bad weather
- Getting There
Boží Dar
Karlovy Vary Airport (KLV); Prague Václav Havel Airport (PRG)
- Bus: services from Karlovy Vary via Jáchymov to Boží Dar
- Chairlift: Jáchymov–Klínovec chairlift, operating year-round, 480 m rise
- Car: road 25 from Karlovy Vary via Ostrov and Jáchymov to Boží Dar, then the summit road (about 4 km); from Saxony via Oberwiesenthal and the Boží Dar border crossing
Hazards
- Weather