The Feldberg Steig in the southern black forest is one of the nicest hikes in the area with great views to the suisse alps, weather permitting. The Feldberg mountain is the second highest peak in Germany after the Zugspitze near Garmisch in Bavaria.
The hike starts at the “House of Nature” at the top of Feldberg Pass at a height of approx. 3.800 ft and leads in an almost straight line up to the first hill to the Bismark Monument at a height of approx. 4.300 ft. From there, the trail leads through a wide open area to the top of the Feldberg at approx. 4.400 ft. At nice weather the view on the alps from this point at nice weather is amazing.
When I did this hike, the clouds were unfortunately not permitting the view, but it was nice nonetheless.
Typical flowers at the edges of the trail.
The path up to the Feldberg peak tower
Clouds moving in quickly
From the peak of the Feldberg, the trails leads down gently through grassy fields with cows and the typical vegetation in the area. It is typical in the southern black forest to walk straight through the cow herds on the fields.
The first stop is recommended at the Zastler Hütte where you can have a hearty second breakfast or lunch.
The trail now leads through narrow forest trails with lots of roots and rocks on the trail. Good shoes are required.
After about 2,5 hours I reached the Feldberg lake with a nice setting in a wooded area and cliffs going up to the Feldberg mountain on one side.
After enjoying the scenery of the Feldberg lake, the trail leads back up to the base of the mountain where I had parked the car and started the tour.
Facts of the trail:
Length approx. 13 km
Time required. 3 to 3,5 hours
Recommended time for the hike: May through October at early morning when the view is best. In the summer month, the trail can be crowded due to lots of visitors from France, Netherlands, Belgium and of course locals.
Parking in the new parking structure near the “House of Nature”. Cost roughly 6 Euro for 3 hours
For those of you, that want to shorten the hike, the first part up to the Bismark Monument, can be done via gondola as well.
Bernd
Bernd's Travel 