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Hiking trails in the Black Forest

Hello,

3 of us are flying into Frankfurt mid September and renting a car to travel across Southern Germany and Austria and back to Munich to fly home. We are looking staying in the Black Forest region for 2-3 days (haven't chosen a town yet) and want to do some day hikes. We are all experienced hikers and don't mind harder hikes. We also don't mind places that are somewhat busy if the hike is worth it. We already know we don't want to see the Titisee or Triberg falls. But looking on the Komoot website and Google maps, we are a bit overwhelmed with the options and logistics, namely where to park.

I've found 2 I think look nice, but are in the North: Monbachtal and Gertelbach Wasserfall. I've read a lot about Freiberg, Wutach, and Feldberg, but cant really pin down the trails there. Any suggestions on good trails? We also would like to avoid big towns to stay, but also would like a town to have options for dining/groceries/history.

Danke

Posted by
6590 posts

One of my more memorable hikes in the Black Forest - it was steep but not too long - began with an uphill climb from the rail station in Neustadt to the Hochfirst, where there's a welcoming inn and a tower you can climb for a great view. Check it out HERE on Komoot, but be forewarned that Titisee-haters should shield their eyes from the photos of the commanding view this hike offers of the Titisee and the Black Forests highest peak, the Feldberg (which I'm pretty sure offers challenging and difficult hikes as well.)

On this visit I stayed in the town of Löffingen and caught a free train ride to Neustadt (and back) with the KONUS Card that every guest in Löffingen (and other KONUS towns) receives upon checking in. Very convenient. Löffingen is one of the recommended towns to stay in if you are headed on one of the Wutach Gorge hikes.

This relief map shows Neustadt and Löffingen as well as other towns on the Hells Valley Railway. You can probably see why Hinterzarten is a popular hiking base town also. I made use of the KONUS card to travel into Freiburg as well - it lies at the end of this scenic train ride. If you want a place that big to call home, it wouldn't be a long drive or train ride from some desirable hiking trails.

I took the train from Löffingen in the other direction as well, changing trains in Donaueschingen to visit towns on the scenic Black Forest Railway. Villingen, Gutach, Haslach, and Gengenbach (not all shown on this map but all accessible by train) were among the more interesting places to me.

Posted by
2376 posts

schwarzwald-tourismus.de click on ERLEBEN, then WANDERN
Most town websites will also have a WANDERN tab

Posted by
6590 posts

One additional suggestion: "Der Bierhund" would be better German.

Posted by
366 posts

We based in Freiburg because we had a nephew there. It was a nice town with a good vibe and great access to Black Forest. Just download the AllTrails app after you've found your base of operations.

Posted by
3 posts

I admittedly took Spanish as a second language during my youth lol.

I think I've got the 2 hikes we want to do chosen. Monbachtal and Wutach. Both have easy parking at or near the trail head and both look very nice. We may squeeze in a 3rd or tour the cultural sites. That being said, we now need a central location about an hour from each to stay. Rick Steves mentions Wolfach as a charming town. It's fairly central. As much as we like the looks of Freiberg and Baden Baden, they're a bit too far without a lot of driving. But there is a lot of towns along the A81 and we welcome any and all suggestions.

¡Gracias, amigos!

Posted by
6590 posts

Could be stephen. Either way it's a malformed phrase. In these times, especially in situations like this where animal terms refer to human beings, I'm grateful for English's relatively light use of gender-specific inflection.

Posted by
6228 posts

I'm not sure which way you're going, but Freudenstadt and Baiersbronn look to be fairly close to those 2 scenic areas. I was interested in those towns as well. Freudenstadt has some interesting sights and Baiersbronn (about 6 km away) has several Michelin-starred restaurants. There was a lot of information about them on this post - https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/germany/day-trips-from-gengenbach

And here's an article about Baiersbronn. https://www.afar.com/magazine/this-is-the-secret-michelin-star-capital-of-the-world

Posted by
19052 posts

I'v spent about two weeks over the past couple of decades in about 4 trips to the Black Forest spa town of Bad Herrenalb. Bad Herrenalb is a 40 minute streetcar ride out of Karlsruhe and is in a deep valley in the northern Black Forest. The thing I remember most about Bad Herrenalb is the extensive network of hiking trail in the hills above the town.