Hiking in Germany
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- bjkent76
- Posts: 49
- Joined: 7/7/2011
- 14ers: 50 1
- 13ers: 10
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Hiking in Germany
Hello-I will be traveling to Germany for business in mid-October and have the flexibility to add a few days before or after the conference I am attending (conference is Oct 16-23). I am looking for hiking/climbing recommendations. Long day trips with high mileage are fine, probably won’t be looking for anything requiring overnight camping. I am comfortable with Class 4 climbing.
Any recommendations out there?
Thanks in advance!
Ben
Any recommendations out there?
Thanks in advance!
Ben
Re: Hiking in Germany
Germany <> Lichtenstein. It's a big country.
Re: Hiking in Germany
Hey, I was stationed in Germany for five years and Italy for two! Any specific area you're thinking about visiting? Look for a book called "100 Hikes in The Alps." It's long out of publication, but I saw some used copies when I did a search. It's a good reference. I think you might find some of the higher huts will be closed by mid-October. I had done the Zugspitze from the Reintal Valley in October. Only one of the three huts was still open and I think it was closing after that weekend...
Re: Hiking in Germany
I did some really random adventuring there last October. They had a hot summer, so even though leaves were turning, it was still very much summer conditions. Don't know what the next six weeks will hold, though.
One great adventure: when I went to look at Neuschwanstein from Fuessen, I went up to the Marienbrucke (bridge) and then kept going once across. Continuing to follow that trail took me up and over a peak called Tegelbergkopf and to the top of one called Branderschrofen above a ski resort/berghaus. I was able to take a tram back down (couple euros) to the town of Schwangau. From Hohenschwangau/Neuschwanstein, it was about 5 miles to the top of Branderschrofen. It's a beautiful hike with a little bit of mild class 3 scrambling.
In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Wank is a great hike with a variety of ways to get up to the berghaus. Also second the recommendation of Zugspitze via Reintal if it's summery. I wrote a trip report on that route. There's an obscene amount of hiking along the German-Austrian border, though, so really you can just pick a town and find hikes or klettersteigs. There's a really solid phone app called Alpverein that you can use to download GPX tracks and follow.
I'll be in Germany around the same time, actually, so will be exploring more around GaPa and then across the border in Innsbruck.
One great adventure: when I went to look at Neuschwanstein from Fuessen, I went up to the Marienbrucke (bridge) and then kept going once across. Continuing to follow that trail took me up and over a peak called Tegelbergkopf and to the top of one called Branderschrofen above a ski resort/berghaus. I was able to take a tram back down (couple euros) to the town of Schwangau. From Hohenschwangau/Neuschwanstein, it was about 5 miles to the top of Branderschrofen. It's a beautiful hike with a little bit of mild class 3 scrambling.
In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Wank is a great hike with a variety of ways to get up to the berghaus. Also second the recommendation of Zugspitze via Reintal if it's summery. I wrote a trip report on that route. There's an obscene amount of hiking along the German-Austrian border, though, so really you can just pick a town and find hikes or klettersteigs. There's a really solid phone app called Alpverein that you can use to download GPX tracks and follow.
I'll be in Germany around the same time, actually, so will be exploring more around GaPa and then across the border in Innsbruck.
"The love of wilderness is more than a hunger for what is always beyond reach; it is also an expression of loyalty to the earth, the earth which bore us and sustains us, the only home we shall ever know, the only paradise we ever need – if only we had the eyes to see." -Ed Abbey
"I get scared sometimes—lots of times—but it's not bad. You know? I feel close to myself. When I'm out there at night, I feel close to my own body, I can feel my blood moving, my skin and my fingernails, everything, it's like I'm full of electricity and I'm glowing in the dark—I'm on fire almost—I'm burning away into nothing—but it doesn't matter because I know exactly who I am." from The Things They Carried
"I get scared sometimes—lots of times—but it's not bad. You know? I feel close to myself. When I'm out there at night, I feel close to my own body, I can feel my blood moving, my skin and my fingernails, everything, it's like I'm full of electricity and I'm glowing in the dark—I'm on fire almost—I'm burning away into nothing—but it doesn't matter because I know exactly who I am." from The Things They Carried
Re: Hiking in Germany
Yes, it's s a big county (by European standards at least), but the trains are fast (180+ mph). I was surprised how fast we could get around there.
===================
Anyway, I have done a bit of hiking in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen/Zugspitze area if the OP is interested in that part. It's a really spectacular area and the trails are great. It's popular and really developed so you won't have solitude (maybe you would have chance in October), but the scenery is beautiful.
I'm old, slow and fat. Unfortunately, those are my good qualities.
Re: Hiking in Germany
Anna, ever been to the Betten Struwer store in Garmisch? They sell the worlds best goose down bed comforters! I need to go back to Garmisch just to get a new one, they don't do internet sales...AnnaG22 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 03, 2019 12:26 pm I did some really random adventuring there last October. They had a hot summer, so even though leaves were turning, it was still very much summer conditions. Don't know what the next six weeks will hold, though.
One great adventure: when I went to look at Neuschwanstein from Fuessen, I went up to the Marienbrucke (bridge) and then kept going once across. Continuing to follow that trail took me up and over a peak called Tegelbergkopf and to the top of one called Branderschrofen above a ski resort/berghaus. I was able to take a tram back down (couple euros) to the town of Schwangau. From Hohenschwangau/Neuschwanstein, it was about 5 miles to the top of Branderschrofen. It's a beautiful hike with a little bit of mild class 3 scrambling.
In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Wank is a great hike with a variety of ways to get up to the berghaus. Also second the recommendation of Zugspitze via Reintal if it's summery. I wrote a trip report on that route. There's an obscene amount of hiking along the German-Austrian border, though, so really you can just pick a town and find hikes or klettersteigs. There's a really solid phone app called Alpverein that you can use to download GPX tracks and follow.
I'll be in Germany around the same time, actually, so will be exploring more around GaPa and then across the border in Innsbruck.
Re: Hiking in Germany
Nope. I was only there for 2 days, so basically all I did was hike/run, eat, have dinner with other folks at my hostel, and sleep.
"The love of wilderness is more than a hunger for what is always beyond reach; it is also an expression of loyalty to the earth, the earth which bore us and sustains us, the only home we shall ever know, the only paradise we ever need – if only we had the eyes to see." -Ed Abbey
"I get scared sometimes—lots of times—but it's not bad. You know? I feel close to myself. When I'm out there at night, I feel close to my own body, I can feel my blood moving, my skin and my fingernails, everything, it's like I'm full of electricity and I'm glowing in the dark—I'm on fire almost—I'm burning away into nothing—but it doesn't matter because I know exactly who I am." from The Things They Carried
"I get scared sometimes—lots of times—but it's not bad. You know? I feel close to myself. When I'm out there at night, I feel close to my own body, I can feel my blood moving, my skin and my fingernails, everything, it's like I'm full of electricity and I'm glowing in the dark—I'm on fire almost—I'm burning away into nothing—but it doesn't matter because I know exactly who I am." from The Things They Carried
Re: Hiking in Germany
I used to live there, so many great places to hike. You can message me which area you'll be in and I can give you some recommendations. There is an awesome beer hike too if you like tasty beverages :D
- bjkent76
- Posts: 49
- Joined: 7/7/2011
- 14ers: 50 1
- 13ers: 10
- Trip Reports (0)
Re: Hiking in Germany
Thanks everyone for the guidance! I will be working out of the Düsseldorf area, but open to traveling around the country for a great experience.
Re: Hiking in Germany
Assuming you're looking more mountains (alps) centric, I would suggest booking your travel open jaw. If the forests and hills are more your thing, in and out of DUS may make sense. Or you can fly DUS to somewhere with some mountains. A lot of time if you're talking about leaving the US on a friday, you arrive on a saturday, hike Sunday, back for conference (6 or 8 hours on a "high speed" train) Monday morning. You really only have half a day to "hike." I'm just assuming this schedule, you may be able to squeeze an extra day on the way back with the way the time zones are and/or by a couple days you mean you don't have to paint within the lines if M-F/8-5...All this is to say, you may not have as much time as you think.
Re: Hiking in Germany
Wow, that's really far north. I loved my time in Germany, but I went south every opportunity I had and I was in Stuttgart. Jump on the ICE train and head south to the alps...
Re: Hiking in Germany
There is a lot of hiking around Düsseldorf and the area is famous for rock climbing, even if the mountains/hills aren't big.
Unfortunately I don't have first hand experience for that part of Germany, but I know that a lot of northern Europeans visit that area to go rock climbing before and after the Alps are out of season. It should be a good bet.
Here is a map of the rock climbing areas of Germany:
The same areas that are good for rock climbing are the same areas that are good for hiking. Just google those areas and there is a lot of information available.
I'm old, slow and fat. Unfortunately, those are my good qualities.