Itinerary for Black Forest

It might be in a different part of the Black Forest than you are in, but for a different type of hike with very panoramic views at the top, if you get near it, check out Baumwipfelpfad in Bad Wildbad. I was just there recently. This is a "treetop walk" along a raised wooden trail that ends with this tall tower that you walk up. The views at the top were really nice. The walk was fun, and there are other trails in the area, too.

I spent 4 nights in the Black Forest in mid-May, using Gengenbach as a base. Gengenbach is a cute little town, as you probably know. The town's open air market is on Wednesday morning at Marktplatz, the triangular main "square" -- lots of beautiful produce, flowers, and PORK! There is a trail that starts in the Altstadt, wanders through vineyards, and goes up to Jakobskapelle, a 13th-century chapel perched atop the highest ground around Gegenbach (which is not that high); ask your host for directions or visit the TI. There is also a decent-size park on the east side of town that is probably not picturesque, but good for an evening walk.

We didn't have a car, so we used the train to get around -- travel within the Black Forest is free using the Konus Card your host/hotel should give you on arrival. We had sites we planned to visit, but asked our hostess what she suggested we see. She suggested Schluchsee, which is a few stops on the train after Titisee. She said, "Actually, get off at Titisee, see the tourists, then get back on the the train, and go to Schluchsee." It was an excellent recommendation. The train took us through Freiburg, and then deep into the Black Forest. We stopped briefly at Titisee, which was indeed VERY touristy but worth a brief stop. We didn't follow everyone else getting off the train. Instead of turning right at the exit from the train station to head toward crass commercialism and Titisee, we walked straight ahead into a residential area, walked to the river, and then turned right to follow a path roughly parallel to the river to the lake itself. It was a nice walk and quite different from the crass commercialism main path that we took back to the train station from the lake. Schluchsee is much bigger and much quieter, though it can be quite busy during the high season. There is a boat that can be taken around the lake. There are also nice hiking trails on the side of the lake opposite the train/highway (can use the boat to get to these). We made a stop in Freiburg for dinner on our way back to Gengenbach.

We also spent a day at Trisberg. A different train goes to Trisberg, so the scenery is different, but it still takes one into the heart of the Black Forest. A friend and I hiked the Schwarzwaldbahn Erlebnispfad (Black Forest Railway Trail), which starts at the train station. There are two loops that take you to places that are associated with the Black Forest Railway. We chose the loop that is more forested (stations 1-8). This loop also passes by the world's largest cuckoo clock (I was unimpressed; my female friend liked it). The trail is quite steep in places (though not so steep that an out-of-shape 44-year-old could not do it), but offers some wonderful views of the Black Forest and Triberg. Take water! We also visited Triberg Falls and spent about 15-30 minutes in cuckoo clock stores.

Another day we went to the Gutach Freilichtmuseum Vogtsbauernhof, an outdoor museum that has original farmhouses from the Black Forest region dating back to 1599 (along with other structures). It's a pretty fascinating place. That same day, we visited Alpirsbach and explored the Kloster there; it includes a museum containing artifacts from the 16th century when the Kloster was used as a boarding school for boys, including their books, their clothes, and their toys. Very interesting.

I don't know the Black Forest Highway, so I can't really comment on that.

Thank you so much Karen and Dave for taking the time to respond. Lots of great suggestions.