Striped map: how to read hiking trails between the mountain huts of the Izers and the Karkonosze (Poland–Czech Republic)

The first morning after an overnight in the mountains smells of resin. On the Hala, the wind rustles through clumps of grass and the granite underfoot crunches like sugar. You glance at a trunk with fresh bands of paint: white–red–white. It doesn’t say whether it will be “easy” or “hard.” It shows a direction, and with it a way of reading a striped mountain map.

Color does not equal difficulty: how the Polish PTTK system works

Polish hiking trails are painted in a simple language of three horizontal bands: two white outer bands and the trail color in the middle. This is the basic “word” of the alphabet that PTTK has been writing walking lines in the field with for decades. The colors — red, blue, green, yellow, black — are used primarily to identify and indicate the role of a route in the network, not to assess its steepness or exposure. In practice red is often the region’s main axis (often a ridge), blue a longer course, yellow a connector, and black a short approach. These are conventions, not hard rules of difficulty^[1].

The signs themselves are painted so you can see the next one from the previous — usually every few hundred steps; the instruction describes the rule “no less often than every 200 m.” Thanks to this, a trail “blinks” in the rhythm of the walk and leads through intersections without nervously checking your phone^[1].

At nodes — by mountain huts, passes, important junctions — you’ll find directional boards with place names and sometimes walking times. If two (or more) trails run in parallel over a section, a combined mark appears: stripes of several colors arranged in one rectangle in a strictly defined order (from top: red, blue, green, yellow, black). It’s a short sentence in the same alphabet that says: “we’re walking together now”^[5].

On the Czech side: white–color–white KČT and rozcestníky

You cross the border and… you’ll sense the familiarity in the details. The Klub českých turistů also uses a system of horizontal bands: white–color–white. There are four colors (red, blue, green, yellow) and — similarly to Poland — these are markers of route alignment, not a difficulty scale. In practice red often denotes longer, ridge routes, yellow shorter connectors, but your pace and caution are still dictated by the profile and condition of the path, not the paint color^[2].

Added to this is a clear punctuation of the hike: metal rozcestníky — posts and directional boards. They indicate distances in kilometres (not times) and, according to Czech norms, should be spaced so that there are no more than a few kilometres between them; they form the skeleton of orientation in open terrain^[2]. Where several routes run together, KČT also uses a “combined mark” — one rectangle with more than one color, and when the direction changes it adds a standardized arrow. As a result, whether you’re heading to Jizerka or along the Karkonosze ridge, you read the same clear code.

The school of reading marks: the red GSS through Hala Szrenicka and the Szrenica ridge

If you want to practice “live,” choose the section of Głównego Szlaku Sudeckiego (GSS) between the huts on Hala Szrenicka and on Szrenica. It’s an ideal microcosm of the rules — on a short stretch you’ll encounter a node, a shared run, ridge turns and the opening of border panoramas.

GSS, marked in red, connects Świeradów-Zdrój with Prudnik and runs through the most recognizable parts of the Sudetes. In the Karkonosze it touches both Hala Szrenicka (with a mountain hut) and the summit area of Szrenica; both these places appear in route facility listings on the trail^[6]. For the reader this is an important clue: where a trail “hooks” onto mountain huts, you’ll usually find denser information — signposts and combined marks.

How to read it in the field

1. Node at the mountain hut. In front of the entrance you’ll find directional boards: place names, arrows, walking times. You choose the red (GSS). If a yellow connector runs alongside for a stretch — in the first metres you’ll see a combined mark (red above yellow). This signals that both colors follow the same path for a moment — until the fork^[5].
2. Turn on the ridge. PTTK signals a change of direction with an arrow or a “broken” mark. Look not only at your feet — it’s important that when standing by one sign you have the next in the frame. If in doubt, walk a few steps along the crest and look back: a well‑painted system is bidirectional^[1].
3. The border and the rhythm of the marks. Above the dwarf pines the red of the GSS repeats rhythmically on rocks and poles, and at junctions it joins there — already on the Czech side — the same “striped” language of KČT. Directions differ in that on the Polish side signposts usually give times, while on the Czech side they give kilometres^[2].

The impression? A brisk wind on the ridge, dark granite and red paint accents in the crevices. After a few such stretches, reading the marks becomes a reflex, like glancing in the rearview mirror while driving.

Winter and fog: when only the poles matter

The Karkonosze and Krkonoše have their own safety punctuation in winter: pole‑marked routes. These are lines of tall poles (stakes) placed in open terrain, often following a different alignment than the summer trail. In the Czech section the system relies on a network of poles set and maintained by mountain services; on pole‑marked sections a ski or foot route may run differently than in summer, precisely to lead over safer, more legible ground in a whiteout^[2].

On the Polish side the rule is simple: on the ridge, with a persistent snow cover, stick to the pole‑marked routes. This is not only common sense — it is provided for in the rules for using Karkonoski Park Narodowy. In field notices the Park can state plainly: “we hike along the poles” — especially near the edges of glacial cirques and in areas prone to wind‑drift. Always check current information (open/closed sections, detours) in the Komunikat turystyczny KPN^[3]. Formally, in the winter season and above the treeline, for safety reasons movement outside the poles is not permitted — and that is the limit that in a storm can save the day^[4].

Linking nodes between huts — a practice that calms the march

Trails are a network. Thinking “from node to node” is as important as summing elevation gain. When preparing a passage between mountain huts — for example from Świeradów-Zdrój to Stóg Izerski and onward toward Jizerka, or from Szklarska Poręba to Szrenica — it’s worth doing three things:

• Choose a color, but read the alignment. Color is the trail’s name. Difficulty is dictated by terrain and weather. The red GSS will take you, among other places, along the Karkonosze ridge, but whether it will be “easier” or “steeper” depends on the section and conditions^[1].
• Recognize the nodes. Mountain huts, passes, halas — expect directional boards and more signs here. Nodes are also places where several routes often run together — here you’ll spot combined marks and confirm which colors go together and where they split^[5].
• Set a rhythm of checks. A sign every few hundred metres is the “pulse” of the hike. If you don’t see the next sign within 2–3 minutes of walking, look back (and step back) to the last confirmation. In forested terrain signs are often lower, on rocks — higher; in winter poles assist more often^[1].

On the Czech side remember that directional boards display kilometres, not times. That changes the perception of distance — a kilometre in a rocky notch can last longer than the number suggests. The advantage is clarity: standing at a rozcestník between Jizerka and the Izers ridge, you know exactly how many kilometres separate you from the next node^[2].

Box: rules for moving in national parks (on the Polish side)

• Only on trails and during daylight. Karkonoski Park Narodowy clearly reminds that movement takes place exclusively on marked trails from dawn to dusk. Outside that — and off the trails — nature has priority sometimes^[3].
• Pole‑marked winter routes. When snow lies above the treeline, keep to the pole‑marked routes. This is an obligation arising from KPN’s access rules and a basic condition of safety on the ridge^[4].
• Updates. Before you go check the Komunikat turystyczny KPN — you’ll find current closures, detours and warnings there regarding, among other things, snowdrifts and ice^[3].

The mythology of colors — we debunk it in two sentences

• “Black is the hardest.” No. It’s usually short approaches and connectors. Difficulty is influenced by profile and substrate, not the color itself^[1].
• “Red is always the longest.” Not “always,” but it often denotes a route of overriding importance (e.g. long‑distance). In the Czech Republic red is also sometimes hřebenový (ridge), but not “harder by definition”^[2].
• “Colors mean the same everywhere in the region.” These are conventional associations, not a rigid difficulty standard. Signs use the same alphabet, but the meaning of the sentence is decided by the terrain^[1][2].

A simple planning method: a map in the head and stripes on the ground

Before you tie your boots, trace the route on the map with your finger. Mark the nodes (mountain huts, passes, halas) where you’ll “report back” to yourself: is everything matching the plan, or do you need to shorten/change the variant. In the Izers a good exercise is the walk from Świeradów-Zdrój over Stóg Izerski toward the clearings above Jizerka. Along the way you’ll learn to look farther than the nearest tree: spot the “forward” and “back” marks, read combined stripes, understand the directions on boards. This method works just as well between Hala Szrenicka and the Szrenica ridge as in the quiet valleys of the Izerskie Landscape Park.

Mountains teach attentiveness. First in paint on bark, then in the granite detail. And when fog blends sky and earth, that simple language of stripes and poles stays with you as the most important lesson — read carefully, walk consciously, return safely.