I won’t say it’s the best, because I haven’t gotten to know all the spots in Poland yet, but it’s definitely one of the best. On Ślęża and the neighboring lower Radunia, there are over 20 trails in total. Some are so well-built and so full of features that they can compete with the best trails in bike parks.
Ślęża (717 m) and Radunia (573 m) are two peaks belonging to the Ślęża Massif, located in Lower Silesia, near the town of Sobótka. It’s only 35 km from the center of Wrocław. This makes it the closest major spot for enduro MTB for residents of Wrocław, but also for people from Poznań or Łódź.
Characteristics of enduro trails in the Ślęża Massif
Most of the trails in the Ślęża Massif are at the red level. The trails on Ślęża are longer – most are about 1-2 km, while those on Radunia are a few hundred meters long. None of the trails start at the summit of Ślęża or Radunia, where nature reserves are located.
The trails on Ślęża are rockier, with more boulders and rock gardens. On Radunia, on the other hand, there’s more forest floor and roots, as well as more steep sections.
During rainy periods, Ślęża is usually drier. It can happen that there’s still a lot of mud on Radunia, while on Ślęża it’s already dry.
Most of the trails on Ślęża are accessed via wide forest roads. Most are gentle, only in some places it’s steeper and rockier, but without any places too steep to ride. On Radunia, most trails are also accessed via comfortable gravel roads. The only somewhat problematic part for analog bikes is the return from trails on the southern and eastern sides, if you want to ride something on the same side again. You can either go a long way around, i.e., return to Przełęcz Tąpadła, or take steep shortcuts. Overall, however, you can ride both mountains perfectly well on an analog bike.
All trails, both downhill and climbing routes, can be found on Trailforks, and recordings of almost all trails are on my YouTube playlist. Below I will only describe selected trails.
The best enduro trails in the Ślęża Massif
This is subjective, so feel free to share your own favorites in the comments. In my opinion, the best thing in the entire Ślęża Massif is the Czart trail and the Czarci Flow that starts right after it.
On Czart, there are rock gardens so impressive that it’s hard to believe the trail was built by the voluntary efforts of a few enthusiasts! Watch the video below, especially from 3:40.
Czarci Flow, as the name suggests, is more flowy. It has small smooth berms, but there’s no shortage of boulders that can be used as jumps. There are also rock gardens, a gap, and towards the end, a dirt jump from which you can jump quite far.
The Żmija is also great, especially its lower flowy section.
It’s also worth checking out the Górna Baba trail. Even though it’s short, it’s great! Full of rock features.
On Radunia, I personally recommend Świerkowa, which features several smaller and larger jumps.
The easiest trails on Ślęża and Radunia
The only trail for complete beginners is the Suliwoods singletrack at the foot of Radunia, near Sulistrowiczki village. A pleasant trail with small berms, rollers, a small tabletop, and a drop.
I wouldn’t take a complete beginner on any other trail in the Ślęża Massif. There are a few trails marked as blue on Trailforks, but they are significantly more difficult than, for example, the Singletrack Glacensis, also marked as blue on Trailforks. To find out why, read my article about the MTB trail difficulty scale.
If you already have some skills and want to try enduro trails in the Ślęża Massif, I recommend the aforementioned Czarci Flow. The most difficult part is the rocky section near the end of the second segment (from the third minute in my recording).
The lesser-known Huzarowy on Ślęża is also relatively easy. The only challenge for beginners might be some tight turns.
Dreamer and Czernica on Radunia, also marked as blue on Trailforks, have rocky sections and quite steep, tight turns. In my opinion, they are already approaching red trails.
The trail Black Witch, marked as red, is relatively easy. It has a small gap that cannot be bypassed, but apart from that, there are no major difficulties. Above all, there are no steep or very rocky sections, so it’s relatively safe if ridden slowly, as long as you stop before the gap ;)
The most difficult trails on Ślęża and Radunia
The most difficult in the entire Ślęża Massif is, in my opinion, Kanada on Radunia. Very steep with rocky sections.
Deadline on the other side of Radunia is also difficult. I don’t have this trail on YouTube yet. I’ve only ridden it once and decided I’ll upload it when I ride it better next time ;) The first time, I didn’t actually ride the whole thing. I walked my bike in maybe one or two places.
Among the difficult trails, it’s also worth checking out Gangster, which ends with a characteristic rock wall.
Skill Park
At the foot of Ślęża in Sobótka, there are the Janosik MTB Trails, which is one of the best Lower Silesian Bike Skills Parks. It’s worth stopping by if you feel like jumping on tabletops.
Parking and other practical information
The most convenient starting point if you want to ride on Radunia or on both Radunia and Ślęża is Przełęcz Tąpadła. There are two parking lots across from each other – a paid one on the Radunia side and a free one on the Ślęża side. As you might guess, the free parking lot is more popular. On weekends, if you want to find a spot, arrive before 9 a.m. or after 4-5 p.m. Ślęża is very popular among tourists, and the shortest trail to the summit starts from Przełęcz Tąpadła. On a summer weekend, if you arrive around noon, there may not even be space in the paid lot. You can then look for space on the shoulders / pull-offs on the road towards Sulistrowiczki.
There’s also free parking in Sulistrowiczki, at the place where there’s a market on weekends. It’s also difficult to find spaces there on weekends during peak hours.
If you plan to ride on the northern and western side of Ślęża (including Czarci Flow, Baba Jaga, Żmija), it’s worth parking in the town of Górka, at Zamkowa street. This is a free parking lot, less crowded than Przełęcz Tąpadła.
If you want to visit the Bike Skills Park, the closest you’ll be is from the parking lot in Sobótka. Also rather crowded on weekends and probably paid.
At Przełęcz Tąpadła there is a small shop where you can buy drinks, snacks, and cake (no credit card payment possible). You can have lunch at the inn Pod Wieżycą. This is near the skill park and the Huzarowy trail, i.e., the northern part. It’s not convenient if you’ll be riding on the southern side (e.g., trails LGG, AC/DC) or on Radunia.
Who’s behind it all?
Such great trails don’t build themselves! The skills park and the Suliwoods singletrack are public investments, but all the enduro trails are a grassroots initiative. The maintenance, repairs after logging, and construction of new trails (for example, Dziadosław was built this year) are handled by the Świr Association, which stands for Ślężańsko-Wrocławska Inicjatywa Rowerowa (Ślęża-Wrocław Bike Initiative). You can support them with regular contributions on Patronite or with a one-time payment through Suppi.
Besides maintaining and developing the trails, Świr also organizes group rides on Ślęża and Radunia. These are open, free events, information about which can be found on their Facebook page.
Thank you :)
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