Enchanting Staircases in the Schmilka Kessel

We start in Schmilka at the ferry terminal. First we go down the Elbe for a bit (green line). The path meets the road and after a few metres a path branches off to the right uphill (Kahntilke). We cross a road on which we briefly turn right and then follow the hiking trail to the small bastion.

For the rest of the way, we stay on the path with the green line markings until we meet the Elbleitenweg. Here we turn right (green dot). We follow this wide forest path, it later runs downhill, we come to a right-hand bend and here we take the second path that branches off to the left (Rotkehlchenstiege, green triangle for mountain path on the signpost). The path takes us to the Rotkehlchenstiege at the end of the valley.

After the ascent, one level higher in the rock world, we turn right and follow the blue line marking. After a little more than 1 km, we take a detour to the right to enjoy a beautiful view of the rocky landscape across to the Wenzelwand.

The trail continues at an almost constant altitude. At the junction to the Lehnsteig (signposted, but unmarked) we branch off to the right. We walk along a reef and later descend stairs. Below we reach the root path, keep to the right and at the next large crossroads head downhill (yellow line, road), it is quite steeply downhill in parts and we arrive back in Schmilka.

GPS data updated 2021