The Žākļi Giant Boulder is located on the Vizla Nature Trail, approximately 100 meters from the confluence of the Vizla River and the Gauja River.

• The Žākļi Giant Boulder goes by several names; it is also known as the Vizla Large Boulder and the Vizla Devil’s Stone.
• Due to its size, it is considered the largest boulder in northeastern Vidzeme. It measures 3.4 meters in height, 6 meters in length, and up to 3.7 meters in width, with a volume of approximately 35 cubic meters. A fragment of about 6 cubic meters has broken off on the side facing the river.
• The Vizla boulder is composed of grey, fine-grained gneiss.
• The boulder rests upon other boulders and dolomite, making its irregular, angular shape clearly visible—especially when the river’s water level is low.

The Žākļi Giant Boulder can be reached via the Vizla Nature Trail.

Various legends are told about the Žākļi Great Stone. It is often associated with the devil’s activities, the making of offerings, and thunder.

According to legend, long ago the Devil decided to dam the Vizla River. He wanted to pool the water to flood nearby homes and wreak havoc on the people. He began hauling huge stones and throwing them into the river to build a dam, working all night long as he lugged stone after stone. One of them was particularly large—the one now known as the Žākļi Giant Boulder. Just as the work was nearing completion, morning suddenly began to break. A rooster’s crow rang out from a nearby farmstead. Hearing this, the Devil was frightened, for he can only operate in the dark. He abandoned his task and cast the final stone aside, where it remains to this day. Thus, the river was left undammed, while the giant stone stands as a testament to the Devil’s failed scheme.

Another legend tells that people had forgotten the God of the Heavens and would always bring offerings to the God of the Earth upon this stone. The God of the Heavens was greatly angered by this and wanted to destroy the stone completely. He sent a storm to earth that split the stone in two with a single bolt of lightning.

It is said that the Devil, fleeing the lightning, took refuge inside a stone. From this legend, the stone acquired the name Žākļi Devil’s Stone.