Szlak Stu Jezior, the Hundred Lakes Trail, connects Poznań with Międzychód in western Poland. The route leaves the city for Szamotuły and the Międzychód–Sieraków Lake District, combining historic town stops with views across a landscape dotted with lakes. The regional tourist organisation describes it as a journey of almost 111 km.
From Poznań towards Szamotuły
The trail begins at the Poznań cycling hub by Lake Malta and heads towards Szamotuły. This is a useful first cultural stop: the regional tourist organisation highlights the Gothic church of Our Lady of Consolation and St Stanislaus, as well as the Górka Castle Museum and its Halszka Tower.
Beyond Szamotuły, the trail continues towards Ostroróg, where a fifteenth-century Gothic church offers another reason to pause. The regional authority identifies Szlak Stu Jezior as one of Wielkopolska's early cycle routes, established in 1999, and names the regional marshal's office as its manager.
Into the lake district
The scenery becomes closely associated with the route's name around Białokosz and Łężeczki. At Łężeczki, a viewpoint overlooks Lake Chrzypskie; the hill is also home to a monument known as the Mushroom. The regional tourist organisation describes this part of the route as winding between numerous lakes.
Continue through Chrzypsko Wielkie and Ryżyn towards Sieraków. The county's trail description also places the nature education centre at Chalin on the western part of the route. These settlements make useful reference points when choosing how much of the lake district to explore on a given day.
Sieraków and Międzychód
In Sieraków, the Church of the Immaculate Conception and the remains of the Opaliński castle provide contrasting stops within the town. Wielkopolska's tourist organisation also suggests Sieraków as a base for exploring towards the Noteć Forest.
The trail finishes on Piłsudskiego Street in Międzychód, where it meets the international R-1 cycling route. In the town centre, look for the laufpompa, an artesian well. Międzychód also sits on the Wielkopolska Great Loop waterway, giving visitors another way to explore the region.
Planning the ride
Oborniki municipality describes the route as largely following roads with relatively little traffic, while warning that some sandy stretches can be difficult to ride. Choose a bicycle and itinerary with those mixed conditions in mind, and allow room for stops rather than treating the distance as a race.
The trail is shown as SSJ on maps and is marked with a black bicycle on a white background. Szamotuły, Sieraków and Międzychód are useful landmarks for breaking the itinerary into sections. The county also lists a connection with the northern Transwielkopolska cycle route at Szamotuły and describes the blue Warta-side route between Międzychód and Poznań as another regional option.