Szklarka Waterfall

Szklarka Waterfall (SHKLAR-ka) is the second-highest waterfall in the Polish Karkonosze, or Giant Mountains, and one of the easiest to reach. A short, flat path through beech woods leads from a parking lot on national road 3 to a viewing platform. The Szklarka stream pours over a granite ledge about 13 m high into a rocky pool. It is usually linked with Szklarska Poręba, but officially it lies just inside the neighboring town of Piechowice.

Where it is and how to get there

The waterfall is in southwestern Poland, on the road between Jelenia Góra and the mountain resort of Szklarska Poręba, near the Czech border. Wrocław, the nearest big city and airport, is roughly two hours away by car. Park at the lot on national road 3. According to a national park leaflet, the path to the falls is about 375 m long and almost level, so it works for wheelchairs and strollers. Marked hiking trails also reach the falls: the black loop around Szklarska Poręba and the blue trail from Piechowice.

Safety tip from the park: if you walk back to Szklarska Poręba along the Kamienna river, take the green trail toward Ponura Małpa. Do not walk along the main road, which has no shoulder.

What you will see

• The falls: 13.3 m high, with the lip at about 525 m above sea level. The water narrows and twists as it falls, carving a pothole at the base.
• Potholes: smooth hollows on the left side, drilled by swirling water and stones.
• Beech forest: the falls and the surrounding woods form a separate enclave of Karkonosze National Park, protected for its beech trees. The park belongs to a cross-border UNESCO biosphere reserve.

History

The falls were described as early as the Middle Ages and were a known attraction by 1800. In the summer of 1800, John Quincy Adams, then US envoy to Prussia and later US president, stopped here on a tour of Silesia. An inn opened next to the falls in 1868; today it is the Kochanówka mountain hut. In the 19th century, water was dammed above the ledge and released for visitors to make the falls look bigger. The German name is Kochelfall.

Tickets and opening hours (as of October 2026)

You need a Karkonosze National Park ticket: 11 PLN (Polish złoty), reduced 5.50 PLN, children under 7 free. Buy it online or at the park's Szklarka booth:

• October: 9:00 am–4:00 pm, weekends until 5:00 pm
• November–March: 9:00 am–4:00 pm
• April–June and September: 9:00 am–5:00 pm, weekends until 6:00 pm
• July–August: 9:00 am–6:00 pm

Is it worth visiting?

Yes, as a quick, easy stop — it is one of the few mountain waterfalls in the region you can reach with a stroller or wheelchair. Leashed dogs are allowed. Swimming is banned in the park's waterfalls and ponds. The flow is strongest in spring and after rain, and in winter the falls partly freeze. Pair it with the Chybotek rocking stone, Kamieńczyk Waterfall or the Carl and Gerhart Hauptmann House museum.