An ideal starting point for this adventurous trip is the village of Sněžník.This mountain village whose history is marked by the existence of the French prisoner camp built here during World War II, will surprise us today with its hospitality. We may park our car near Hřebenová bouda (Ridge Hut) or near the Sněžník Hotel where we can also find several bus stops. Therefore, we must cover the distance between the two possible starting points either at the beginning of the trip or at the end. It is an easy, about 700 m long the walk, and our attention will be constantly attracted by the mesmerizing table mountain. In front of the Sněžník Hotel, near the picturesque stone chapel, we cannot miss a tourist crossroad, which will send us away from the main road and we begin to follow the green sign until we reach our final destination.

First, we take a moderate climb up and walk around rural houses towards the forest edge, where we make a left turn and join a forest path. Soon we get a chance to taste our new strenuous climb up to our highest table mountain. However, our arduous climb will seem less hard if we pay attention to the unique countryside around us lined with huge boulders. Once we pass over the rock edge and reach the edge of the mountain, we suddenly feel like adventurers who just discovered a new world! Intoxicated by the excitement and satisfaction we continue further along the edge of a massive sandstone mountain until we reach a stone viewing tower resembling a castle tower. The history of one of the most beautiful viewing towers in Bohemia began during the first half of the 19th century, when the owner of the local estate wanted to built a triangular tower on the top of Děčínský Sněžník within the scope of a large land surveying project. František Antonín Thun, however, took his duty very seriously and instead of a simple viewing post made from logs, he decided to build a real stone tower that would serve many generations to come. At that time he asked the famous architect Hänel from Dresden to complete the construction and the architect designed a 33 m high tube structure built of sandstone blocks. In 1864 the tower was opened to the general public and soon the news about the unique views offered by this tower spread around and even beyond the borders of this region. The interest was so great that a pub near the tower was built during the following year, and later still a tourist cottage with a dormitory was added, which faithfully served its customers for a hundred years. However, under the pressure of the communist regime and under the weight of the "iron curtain" during the 1970s and 1980s, these buildings were not maintained and began deteriorating to the point that the tourist cottage was torn down and the climb to the top of the tower began to be a life threatening adventure. Only extensive repairs performed after 1992 enabled the tower to serve its original purpose again. Today, for a small fee, we can climb up the spiral staircase consisting of 153 stairs to the observation deck, where we can see an unforgettable panoramic view of the Elbe Sandstones and Lužické Mountains in the east, the Czech Central Mountains in the south and neighbouring Saxony in the north. We may also see the highest mountain of the Czech Central Mountains Milešovka, Buková Mountain with a transmitter tower, and on a clear day we may also see Ralsko and Ještěd in the distance. To the west, far in the distance, we may see the Podkrušnohorská area and the ridges of the Krušné Mountains above it. We may refresh ourselves at the cafeteria near the observation tower or in the newly reconstructed restaurant with a terrace, offering beautiful views of the countryside. There are plenty of choices on the menu, the food is delicious and your children will surely appreciate the many kinds of soft drinks and lemonades on tap. Your kids will certainly will not miss the great selection of souvenirs, including tourist signs/cards. When we walk around the restaurant we encounter a viewing post near the terrace where we can learn from the embossed information board the names, heights and distances of the visible peaks. Families with older children, who want to examine Děčínský Sněžník in detail, may walk about 1 km farther and follow the red and green signs towards the viewing post, and after that, take the same route back. From the eastern edge of the table mountain, the rocky cliff known as Koňská hlava (Horse's Head) you may enjoy a beautiful view of the German landscape full of sandstone mountains with the dominating peaks Zchirnstein Grosser, Königstein and Lilienstein. From the viewing tower our trip continues on an asphalt road across the vast peak of the mountain, where the slightly rugged landscape and beautiful pristine nature strikingly resemble the landscape from the book "The Lost World" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Regardless of the fact that our children would prefer meeting prehistoric animals, we encounter a turn going to the Dresden viewing post, which is located on the western edge of the platform but faces towards Saxony. Here, an impressive view of the deep forests under Sněžník and the table mountains in "Saxon Switzerland" will open right in front of us, and if the weather permits, you can even see the towers of the city of Dresden, about 50 km away. From the Dresden viewing post we will take a comfortable small road and leave the enclosed world of the table mountain and slowly come down to the Border Hut. Before we leave for home, we may summarize our the trip and absorb new experiences right in the restaurant near the Sněžník Hotel or in the Border Hut.