The Giant Mountains are the highest range of the much broader Sudetes mountains stretching horizontally from south-western Poland along the northern border of the Czech Republic to eastern Germany. Its highest peak is Śnieżka at 1,602 metres (5,256 ft) above sea level, forming a triangle with (similarly sounding) Śnieżnik, 1,424 metres (4,672 ft),[4] as well as Ślęża peak, further apart. They are connected by a red hiking trail only for qualified tourists.[5] The characteristic features of its landscape are the glacial kettles with boulders and ponds hidden inside. Weathered granite rocks shaped like mushrooms or maces can also be found on the mountainsides.
The Giant Mountains are situated on the division of the European water system between the basins of two major rivers – the Elbe and the Oder – which means that it also separates the basins of the Baltic Sea and North Sea. Many of the local streams come down the hills, creating waterfalls, the largest of which in the Polish part of the mountains (300 m) is created by the Łomniczka stream.
There are about 100 various birds living in the park, the most numerous of animal species living there. In the higher parts of the mountains there are fewer species of them; in the lower levels there are 100 varieties, but in the peaks there are not more than 10. The park has four species of fish, six species of amphibians, and five species of reptiles. The park's attraction are mouflons, brought here at the beginning of the 20th century.
Karkonosze National Park is visited by more than 1.5 million tourists yearly. They can use 112 kilometres of walking paths, 10 ski lifts and 12 guest houses. The park has its headquarters in the town of Jelenia Góra.
^"Karkonoski National Park". Polish National Parks. Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu (Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland). 2008. Archived from the original on June 14, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
^Krzysztof Strasburger. "Śnieżka, Śnieżnik i Ślęża". Co to jest turystyka idiotyczna (in Polish). Archived from the original on June 18, 2011. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
