Black Forest Blog

On www.black-forest-travel.com, in the section "Hiking in th Black Forest" you can find plenty of information about the long-distance hiking trails in the Black Forest.

The most famous hiking trail in the Black Forest ist the West Trail (Westweg). The Westweg leads on 285 km from Pforzheim to Basel. The Westweg can be completed in 12-13 days in sections of 15-25 km. Certainly it can be joined and left anywhere on the route.

The Middle Route (Mittelweg) and the East trail (Ostweg) also lead from north to south through the Black Forest.

The Gorge Trail leads through the most beautiful valleys and gorges in the Southern Black Forest. The Ortenau Wine Trail and the Markgräfler Wine Trail go through the vineyards on the western slopes of the Black Forest.

Hiking is definitely the best option, to discover and enjoy the Black Forest - and, of course, good for health and fitness!

Foto: Magnificent view on Ibach in the Southern Black Forest

Waterfalls, a narrow canyon, adventurous paths, nature conservation area, a via ferrata and great views can be seen in this hike of about 4-5 hours.

The hike starts in Ottenhöfen (30km south of Baden-Baden) from the parking area for hikers near the Edelfrauengrab Waterfalls (sign-posted). Form here it is only a few steps to the bottom cascade of the waterfalls, where the Edelfrauengrab is located. From there the way is climbing further up the adventurous paths and footbridges along the Gottschläg valley, a nature conservation area.

Further and further you climb up to the Karlsruher Grat at the head of the Gottschläg Valley, there you can use the via ferrata. From there the path leads back to Ottenhöfen from the Bosensteiner Eck at the top end of the via ferrata via the 'Brennte Schrofen', where you can enjoy a great view on the Black Forest and the Rhine valley. The overall distance is approx. 12 km, the difference in height 500m, a walking time of 4-5 hours should be allowed for.

The Gottschläg Valley conservation area with the waterfalls and the Karlsruher Grat (Karlsruhe Ridge) further up is surely an outstanding scenic attraction in the Northern Black Forest.

Photo: View from the Karlsruhe Ridge

The Feldberg (1493m above sea level) is the highest mountain in the Black Forest, Germany. The Felderg Mountain is located in the south-west of Germany, about 25 km south-east of the city of Freiburg.

Photo on the right: The Feldberg summit on the left side, on the right side the Seebuck foothill with the lookout tower.

A cableway runs from the car park at the Haus der Natur (House of Nature) to the Seebuck foothill. Incidentally, the cableway is operated as a 6-seater chair lift in winter. The actual summit of the Feldberg is reached from the upper terminus via a 2km footpath. There are several sign-posted hiking trails leading round the summit area with a walking time of between 30 minutes and 3 hours, from which you can enjoy the beauty of the landscape in its entirety and the magnificent views in every imaginable direction.

Ascend the Feldberg Tower and you can let your eyes wander even further into the countryside. However, you have a lovely uninterrupted view even without ascending the tower because there are no trees in the summit area.

The Feldberg is centre of the biggest skiing area in the Black Forest. Usually from November to April thousands of skiers use the 14 ski-lifts and downhills of all categories.

Places nearby

• Feldberg municipality


• Titisee-Neustadt


• Hinterzarten


• Todtnau


• Bernau

A wonderful way of getting to know the Black Forest is a hike along the 'Schluchtensteig', a hiking trail in the southern Black Forest. This trail was not opened until 2008 but is already one of the most popular hiking trails in the Black Forest.

The Schluchtensteig crosses the South Black Forest regional park along the southern edge of the Black Forest. It not only takes in the impressive gorges of the Wutach, Gutach, Rötenbach, Haslach and Wehra (photo) but also regularly ascends to mountain tops and other lookout points which provide a view of the gorges below and the mountains of the High Black Forest and the Swiss Alps. The trail also runs past Lake Schluchsee, the largest lake in the Black Forest. The high plateaus around the villages of Dachsberg and Ibach present an interesting contrast.

The Schluchtensteig is not a footpath, it often runs over narrow trails, over rough and smooth and sometimes up steep tracks and ladders. It is therefore advisable to wear good quality hiking shoes. The hiking trail is passable from May to approx. November. Hiking on the Schluchtensteig is not recommended with snow and ice.

Anyone who wants to hike over the full length of the trail can divide it up into six stages of approximately 20 km each. Needless to say, shorter sections can also be tackled depending on the available time and fitness.

Places along the Schluchtensteig

• Stühlingen


• Blumberg


• Lenzkirch


• Schluchsee


• St. Blasien


• Dachsberg


• Ibach


• Todtmoos


• Wehr