Boilers of Wielki and Mały Staw. The cauldron of the Great Pond, although the name has "great” it is a bit smaller and less rocky than the neighboring Kocioł Mały Staw. Both cauldrons are of postglacial origin; they are separated by a rock ridge – Sheep Rib. At the bottom of the boiler, On the height 1225 m n.p.m., there is the largest lake in the Karkonosze Mountains – A great pond with an area 8,32 ha, and maximum depth 24,4 m. Mały Staw is situated at an altitude 1183 m n.p.m. and has accordingly 2,89 ha of area and a maximum of 7,3 m deep. The Great Pond is separated from the valley below by a rock bolt, through which the Biały Potok flowing from the pond breaks (Mały Staw is closed with a terminal moraine, through which the Łomnica River flows). The walls of the Great Pond, here and there overgrown by mountain pine, they reach height 275 m above the surface of the lake (in the Mały Staw Cauldron, they reach 200 m). The walls of the boilers are strongly carved and cut with gullies and gutters; in winter huge snow overhangs form, which can be hit and avalanche. There are many climbing routes in Kocioł Mały Staw. Kocioł Wielki Stawu is under strict protection and is excluded from tourist traffic.
Apart from mountain pine, there are rare plant species on the walls of the boilers, among which are worth noting: mountain ash, Lapland willow, alpine woolen cloth, Sudeten gnidosz, angelica angelica, milkweed bitterness and rock lichen – geographic pattern. The rare lake poreblin grows at the shores of Wielki Staw (the southernmost position).
A relic snail lives in the waters of Mały and Wielki Staw – freshwater wire.
Legends tell about barrels of wine, sunk in Mały Staw, with which the fact was associated, that after the avalanche had gone, the pond's waters turned red. There is also an interesting fact, that at the end of the 19th century. the pond was a storehouse of ice, which was harvested in winter. Ice lumps were transported with horned sleighs to Karpacz and from here they were transported by rail across Prussia.
Just like the cauldron of the Great Pond, Yes, the Little pond boiler was in 1933 r. under strict protection (currently in the strict reserve of KPN). In the Little Cauldron (and on its edge) as many as three famous and considered "cult" are open” shelters:"Loneliness”- erected in the 19th century. and considered the most beautiful in the Karkonosze Mountains, “Hunting Lodge” – a wooden building erected by Count von Schaffgotsch and the "Strzecha Akademicka” (GOPR station) – known among skiers for its excellent snow conditions (downhill route “Złotówka”).
Around Wielki and Mały Staw there is a nature path marked out with fragments of hiking trails and surrounding the ponds. It leads from the Clearing through Kozi Mostek to the "Hunter's House” and the "Academic Thatch”, and from here to Burned Watchtower, The Silver Upłaz to the Sunflower and Pilgrims and again to the Glade.
Its passage takes approx. 3 time. and allows you to get acquainted with the most attractive aspects of the nature of the Karkonosze Mountains.
Wandering over the precipitous wall of the boiler, we pass the place, where Prince Henry's hostel was located, launched by RGV in 1889 r., which burned down in 1947 r. Now, amazing views of the Cauldrons are opening before our eyes; you can see the joints below, a network of trails and shelters. After approx 35 min we come to the place, where to the right there is the yellow trail that crosses the border and leads to the Czech chalet "Lućni bouda"”. A few hundred meters away is the Burned Watchtower – waterlogged crossroads in height 1430 m n.p.m., where the border watchtower used to stand. In this area, the road to Śnieżka joins the ridge route.
The knot of trails: blue goes down to "Lonely” and the "Academic Thatch”. We, admiring the growing pyramid of Śnieżka, follow the road through Równia pod Śnieżką to the pass under Śnieżka (1394 m n.p.m.).
The knot of trails: red to the top of Śnieżka and further to the Okraj Pass; black to Karpacz via Biały Jar and Kopa (GOPR station), blue towards the Okraj Pass; blue (Czech) from the Lućni bouda shelter to Pec pod Sneżkou.
Attention! The main Sudety Trail turns left and leads along the Łomniczki Valley to Karpacz. The second red trail goes to Śnieżka (entrance approx. 30 min, descent 20 min) and continues along the Black Ridge.