Black Forest via Train?

A couple of years ago, I spent three nights in Freiburg im Breisgau. I didn't have a car. One day I did a hike from the little town of St. Märgen to the little town of St. Peter. I wouldn't call it an advanced hike, but the scenery is really nice in parts. Rick describes the hike in his Germany book (or did back a few years ago - not sure about now). I had to take a train + bus connection to get to/from each town, but it was easier than it probably sounds.

There are two main rail lines through the forest, both scenic and slow as they wind along valleys:

• The Schwarzwaldbahn (Black Forest Railway) Offenburg - Singen
• The Höllentalbahn: Freiburg - Titisee-Neustadt - Donaueschingen.

These link the towns in the forest, but to get really in the forest, you need to use connecting buses. There is a very good bus network in the forest, which is designed to get people to leave their cars at home.
If you stay in a hotel in the forest you get a card (called a "Konus card") which gives you free bus and train trasnport in the forest.

I found this map of the train and bus routes (purple and yellow respectively), but only in German: http://www.zur-schnecke.de/pdf/konus-strecken-und-linienfuehrung.pdf

In planning your route you will have to buy a more detailed topographical map with paths marked. These are readily available locally.

I found this webpage about the 285 Km Westweg on the official tourist website: https://www.schwarzwaldverein.de/wege/fernwanderwege/westweg.html
Plus a map: https://www.schwarzwaldverein.de/cms_upload/files/_wege/westwegkarte_uebersicht.pdf

Thanks guys. I will look into that :)

How much walking do you intend to do? Stage 1 of the Westweg, Pforzheim-Dobel, is 24 km, about 6 hours. Stage 2, Dobel-Forbach, is 25 km, 6½ hours. Dobel is kind of in the middle. There is no train station in Dobel, but it is in the middle of a streetcar/bus connection from Karlsruhe by way of Bad Herrenberg and a bus connection to Bad Wildbad. Bad Herrenberg and Bad Wildbad both have excellent, traditional German spas (Thermen); forget Baden-Baden. Dobel is a small town in the Black Forest with several reasonably priced accommodations just down the street from the bus stop in Dobel.

When you stay at a place in the Black Forest, you get free use of the trains and buses with the Konus Karte. The Black Forest has limited rail transportation but is well supplemented by a system of buses. Use the Bahn query website to find connections.

"The Höllentalbahn: Freiburg - Titisee-Neustadt - Donaueschingen"

All or part of this route, depending on one's travel dates, will be closed to travelers soon - reconstruction is underway. Replacement buses ("SEV" buses) will take up the slack and will be indicated on the DB schedules.

I was hoping to do maybe a 4-7 mile (roundtrip) hike. I'm not trying to sound like a troll (and I'm not trying to be ironic either lol...) but I'm hoping to go through a hike that looks like something straight out of Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood.

If you want to see what the St. Peter hike I mentioned looks like, click on my profile and find my website - the Portland Bridges website has photos from my hike. Just search there for "germany hike."

You may find it worthwhile to check out the Cicerone guide Hiking and Biking in the Black Forest.

delaboba, the whole Black Forest is covered by footpaths through the woods.
If you just want to do a small circuit, pick any village in the forest, and obtain (somehow?) the local topographical map at 1:50,000 or 1;25,000. These are sold everywhere in the area. This will show many times more footpaths than there are roads.

For example, I found this site selling a suitable map: https://www.gipfelshop.de/karte/mittelgebirge/schwarzwald/wanderkarteschwarzwald.php
It has a sample section here: https://www.gipfelshop.de/karte/mittelgebirge/schwarzwald/schnitthochschwarzwald.php red are footpaths, all signposted.
For only €5,20 I suggest you buy that, but I am not sure they deliver to wherever you live.

I'm pretty sure it's still true that the KONUS card is NOT available for accomodations in Freiburg. Because your budget is low, you might do best with a site like Trip Advisor. There are many, many accomodations in the BF and you should not have any trouble. Note that June is high season, so you need to book early to have the most choice.

The next task is to find two towns (preferably) near your hotel that have a few hiking trails. Because I stayed in Hinterzarten (in a luxury hotel beyond your budget), I chose to walk back (i.e. a one-way train ride) from Titisee. (Before anyone bothers to post about how touristed and trite is Titisee, please note that OP has scheduled a cuckoo clock purchase for their vacation! I had a specific desire to see Titisee, the way NYC visitors have a specific desire to see Coney Island.)

The biggest challenge was the slow (not so long) line at the TI, with visitors with limited German, French, or English, asking interminable questions. I finally gave up on getting the hiking map, and depended on the street signs leading to the edge of town. I chose the middle-difficulty trail, which was well-marked all the way back to Hinterzarten. I had no trouble doing it in boat shoes, but I recommend lace-up shoes in general. My particular trail was fully improved, mostly leaves and sometimes gravel.

Note that I am not recommending either of these towns to you specifically. I only mean to provide an example. In fact, I had a car, but had no desire to use it, after seeing a few waterfalls. The views from the (free ... ) train were very nice. I made a point of spending a day in Freiburg, which was very nice. Remember that you have to pay attention to street signs in Germany to see remembrances of places that were destroyed without a trace, during various wars and pogroms.

The Titisee area is good for hiking and cuckoo clocks. Try the Titisee/Hinterzarten hike #4 from this list of 5. You can hike one way and take the train back to the other town.

I hiked somewhat recently between the Titisee-Neustadt train station and Titisee over the Hochfirst peak. You can see that hike here - use the "translate" button. The Hochfirst has an inn and an observation tower at the top. Great views.

Budget digs: There is a hostel in Neustadt that has singles and doubles with private bath. Here are 161 other options.

Thank you. Many of you were helpful. I know there's a ton of trails since the Black Forest is so large. To be more specific about the kind of trail I hope to walk, I'm hoping for something that seems straight out of a fairy tale where witches and the like would live (again I know this sounds like I'm joking or being a troll...). Most pictures I've seen are definitely beautfiful and have views, but I'm hoping for something a bit more dark like this
http://sudburytrails.info/blackforestpath.html

http://www.planetware.com/photos-large/D/germany-black-forest-pforzheim.jpg

(In Pforzheim but again not sure if that's really accessible via train/bus and which particular trail that would be)

http://www.hotel-langenwaldsee.de/images/fancybox/BKB8455.jpg

delaboba, Those pictures you posted are very typical for the Black Forest. You should have no trouble finding scenes like that. the tourist office in whatever place you visit should be able to advise you once you get there.
Nothing wrong with being a troll - real trolls like forests.

One small town on the south edge of the Black Forest I like ticks all your boxes. It has:
A wooden bridge (with a troll statue nearby): https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Holzbruecke_Bad_Saeckingen.jpg
Some of the people the witch turned to stone still standing in the middle of he street: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b0/Bad_S%C3%A4ckingen_Brunnen.jpg/1280px-Bad_S%C3%A4ckingen_Brunnen.jpg
Some nice streets (and a few more stone people looking in a shop window): http://hotel-st-fridolin.de/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Bad_Saeckingen_2016_17-1500x600.jpg
The tower where Rapunzel let down her hair: http://c8.alamy.com/compde/cph9nw/thievess-turm-bad-sackingen-landkreis-waldshut-schwarzwald-baden-wurttemberg-deutschland-europa-cph9nw.jpg
Lots of small towns like that in the area.

Wow Chris. It's like you know exactly what I am looking for :)

Well based on the days it looks like I am going, the hotels in Gengenbach that were walking distance to the train station are already full (there's a couple left...1 cannot afford and 1 where I would have to share the toilet). I then looked at the Black Forest rail map to see what's available right next to a stop and most of the hotels left are really far south (I see what people were saying about Gengenbach being the most centrally located!) or they are next to train stops that are now closed (!!!). I heard that buses are used for some stops but I cannot find the schedule for the buses to see how frequent they are.

I think it might be better for me to just spend the night in Strasbourg (though I wouldn't get the KONUS card) since I am flying in from Berlin on the 6:30 AM flight near Baden Baden, starting my day in Baden Baden and then working my way to Strasbourg for the rest of the day (was then hoping to spend the evening in centrally located Gengenbach!).

The next day spend the evening in Triberg (I know touristy, but the hotels right near the train station are what I'm comfortable paying for), ride the railway stopping at places that seem interesting (using the KONUS card), go on a hike, buy my coo coo clock, and eat cake.

After Triberg, work my way to Switzerland where I will spend 2 nights (most likely in Zurich) before catching my flight back home (although I could make it 1 night in Switzerland and add the day to the Black Forest).