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Start of spring 2018

Today's photo series, March 20, 2018. Calendar start of spring.

Looking for the spring, it still looks quite wintry in the area of Hardt and St. Georgen in the middle Black Forest.

Even in the lowest elevations, almost in the Upper Rhine Valley (photos of Waldkirch and Emmendingen), today it was not much warmer, but at least it was snow-free and the first splashes of color showed themselves.

Lookout tower near Haslach in the Black Forest

Back in November 2014, the observation tower was opened on the Urenkopf at Haslach , central Black Forest . The days with beautiful views held this winter , however limited, over the Easter weekend, was worth the climb to the tower at 34m height allows of its platform a really nice all-round view of the Kinzig Valley and the central Black Forest .

The tower is accessible only on foot . Next Directions possibility is the trail parking lot at the memorial Vulkan. Shortly after Haslach direction mill creek ( Freiburg), the parking lot is well signposted. Walk from there it is 1 km to the tower , but with a sharp rise . Of course, the tower is also from all other directions within walking distance, or can be integrated into a hike in the area.


Visible from afar is the new lookout on the Urenkopf


The lookout tower


View on Hofstetten


View on Haslach


View on Fischerbach, Brandenkopf Mountain in the background


View direction Hausach

Black Forest national park

protected forestThe national park in the Black Forest was founded in January 2014, and is the first national park in Baden-Wuerttemberg in southwest Germany. This area lies in the northern part of the Black Forest between the Black Forest High Road and the Murg valley. It consists of two separate parts, the area in Ruhestein (district of Baiersbronn) and Hohen Ochsenkopf/Plättig which is near Baden-Baden.

In February, the visitor's program for 2014 has been published. A total of 283 tours, Guided visits and information sessions are offered in the National Park and the surrounding region in the northern Black Forest over the entire year. Other services and facilities will follow in the next months and years, especially interesting for tourists would be the establishment of a visitor's center offering suggestions for tours on foot or by bicycle as well as a travel concept for environmentally friendly travel etc.

Of course the national park priority is to look after the nature and its species. When the touristic concept exists it will become a top tourist attraction in the Black Forest. A taste of how it might look again in the national park, there is the protected forest 'Wild Lake' (photo) which now belongs to the National Park. This forest reserve was established over 100 years ago, since that time this area has looked after itself.

New photo gallery "lookouts in the Black Forest"

Schauinsland lookout tower

In our new photogallery "Magnificent views in the Black Forest" you find a series of 30 high resolution photos of the most spectacular lookouts in the Black Forest - mountains, viewpoints, lookout towers.

-> start photo gallery "Lookouts in the Black Forest"

Photo: The lookout tower on the summit of Schauinsland Mountain near Freiburg


Hiking in the Black Forest

View on Ibach in the Southern Black ForestOn 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

Kandel Mountain - 1241 m above sea level

The Kandel Mountain is one of the most eye-catching mountains in the Central Black Forest. It ist located about 25km north-east of Freiburg and can be reached by road from Waldkirch or from St. Peter or Glottertal from the south. There is a large car park at the highest point of the road, and a 400m footpath leads to the summit from there.

The large Kandelfelsen rock just below is a popular area for climbers. The paraglider launch site is directly by the car park. For winter sports enthusiasts, there are three ski lifts and pistes of various levels of difficulty, the popular boarder park and cross-country skiing courses.

Kandel summit pyramid
Photo: The summit pyramid on Kandel Mountain

View from Kandel Mountain
Photo: View from Kandel Mountain over the Elz Valley, Waldkirch can be seen on the right. The Voges Mountains rise up from the mist in the background.

Hochkopf mountain in the Black Forest

Look-out towerThe Hochkopf is a mountain on 1267 m above sea level, located between Todtmoos and Todtnau in the southern Black Forest.

A detour to the Hochkopf with its viewing tower is well worthwhile if you are hiking around Todtmoos and Todtnau. The easiest way to reach it is from the Weißenbachsattel parking area for hikers between Todtnau-Präg, Herrenschwand and Todtmoos-Weg. From there it is 1.8 km to the summit with a height difference of just under 200 metres.

The Hochkopf Tower with its distinctive form offers a magnificent view over the surrounding valleys and mountains, including the Feldberg, Herzogenhorn, Schauinsland and Belchen. In addition, a glorious Alpine panorama unfolds in fine weather.

View on Präg near Todtnau

Photos: Hochkopf look-out tower and a nice view on Präg near Todtnau

Nice trail in the Black Forest

Karlsruhe Ridge 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

Black Forest photo galleries

screenshot photo gallerySee the new photo galleries on our homepage black-forest-travel.com! Photos in high quality and high resolution from all over the Black Forest.

You will find great images e.g. from Baden-Baden, Karlsruhe, the Black Forest High Road or Lake Titisee, or in the gallery 'top events' photos and info e.g. about the Black Forest carnival, ski-jumping, paraglider's competition, carpets of flowers, the sheperd's race and markets of all kind.

The Feldberg - highest mountain in the Black Forest

Feldberg MountainThe 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.


Feldberg cablewayPlaces nearby

Skiing area Feldberg

Hiking on the Schluchtensteig in the Black Forest

Wehra Gorge

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

Lake Titisee in the Black Forest Germany

Who gave Lake Titisee its name? One of the legends (maybe its even true) say the Roman general Titus, who camped here with his troops, gave it his name, because he was so impressed by the beauty of the lake. The first authenticated reference to it, however, dates back to the year 1111 in documents belonging to the neighbouring village Saig, in which the names 'Dettesee' and 'Titinsee' are found; the today's name Titisee came into use about 1750.

Lake TitiseeSure is: the Titisee is one of the most popular places for tourists in the Black Forest, Germany. Every year thousands of people enjoy the great landscape, the possibilities for water sports like swimming, wind-surfing, sailing or a pedalo ride. A very nice option for enjoying the Lake Titisee and the surrounding Black Forest landscape is a sightseeing tours by one of the pleasure boats. Since the waterfront promenade in Titisee-village was converted to a pedestrian zone, the 'Seestrasse' is considered the loveliest street for strolling and shopping in the Southern Black Forest.

The nicest view on Lake Titisee is without any doubt from the lookout tower on Hochfirst mountain (see photo).

Lake Titisee is located in the Southern Black Forest, 30km east of Freiburg in the south-west of Germany. The approach by car is possible from the autobahn A5, exit Freiburg-Mitte, from there the B31 direction Donaueschingen. Or from the autobahn A81, triangle Bad Dürrheim on the B31 direction Freiburg. The basin for lake was formed during the last ice age, just 10,000 years ago. A glacier extended from the Feldberg to the present-day lake. The basins gouged out by the glacier and the terminal moraine now form the basin of Lake Titisee. The lake is 850 m above sea level, 2 km long, just under 1 km wide and approx. 40 m deep.

Titisee village is also a climatic therapy resort and worth a visit all year round. Vacationing guests will find a selection of accommodation ranging from rustic, well-equipped inns to comfortable apartments and luxurious first-class hotels.