Houska and the Gate to Hell
Kokořínsko · CHKO Kokořínsko – Máchův kraj · Point to point · hiked 10 February 2024
A 22 km Kokořínsko day from Mšeno to Houska — the castle over the gate to hell — then via Ždírec to the Korecký vrch viewpoint and down to Dubá.
Both ends of the day are covered by public transport — train or bus in to Mšeno, buses from Dubá back towards Prague — so there are no car logistics to solve. The walking in between keeps to forest paths along the plateau, with the climbing concentrated at the Mšeno end.
From Mšeno the route climbs past Romanov onto the wooded plateau and follows the rock country north to Houska. On our February visit the castle was ours from the outside only — the interior with the frescoed chapel behind the gate-to-hell legend wants its opening times checked in advance — but even shut, the white block rising straight from the rock is one of the sights of the region.
From Houska the way continues through Ždírec to Korce and takes the short spur up Korecký vrch — a bench, a sandstone plateau, and Bezděz, Ralsko and Vlhošť arranged around the horizon; the best view of the day for a kilometre of extra walking. The final stretch drops into Dubá, ending by the road at Nový Berštejn where the buses stop.
Practical info
| Start | Mšeno railway station — by train, bus |
|---|---|
| End | Nový Berštejn — by bus |
| Terrain | forest path |
| Links | Open route on Mapy.com |
| GPX | Download track |
On the way
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Mšeno
A small town at the eastern gate of the Kokořínsko sandstone — Art Deco municipal baths from 1932, the Debř rock park, and rail access into the walking country.
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Houska
Přemysl Otakar II's early gothic castle on a rock above the Kokořínsko woods — famous for the "gate to hell" legend, 13th-century chapel frescoes and the mystery of why it was built at all.
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Korecký vrch
A sandstone summit above Korce in the eastern Kokořínsko — a short green-marked spur leads to a bench-and-view top with Bezděz, Ralsko and Vlhošť on the horizon.
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Dubá
A little town on the eastern edge of the Kokořínsko sandstone country that was once a leading hop region — its twin-towered hop kiln is the only one of its kind left in Bohemia.
