Reach for the Top

Our tour starts behind the Kurhaus and the path meanders along the Zartenbach brook to Wolfsgrund, forking at the playground onto a narrow trail through spruce trees and the mixed forest. We continue to Säbelthoma and follow the path as it climbs to Windeckkopf, where an extraordinary view is your just reward. Then we go on to Fürsatz and further left to Fürsatzmoos. The simplest route is to stay on the trail after Säbethoma to get to Fürsatzmoss via the Häuselbauer. We keep hiking on Emil-Thoma Weg to Feldberg via Rufenholzplatz. The wide forester’s path again turns into a romantic route that takes us to Grüble-Sattel. Once we’ve made it to the top, the Bismarck monument (view over Feldsee) is on the left and the Feldberg tower to the right. With its turret made of stone, the Friedrich-Luisenturm, it is the highest point (1495 m) in the Black Forest. Once we’ve reached the top, there are two possibilities: We can begin our descent on the nature trail to the lodge Zastler-Hütte and stay on the trail until Rinken. Or we can stay on the mountain ridge (blue route) and descend in the direction of the lodge Baldenweger Hütte. After food and drink at the lodge, we round the bend below the lodge and begin the challenging section of the Feldberg Rise. We walk over roots, walkways, and bridges until we reach the forester’s path that takes you to Rinken. From here, follow the beautiful hiking trail that starts to rise shortly after the houses at Spähnplatz. This is where we lay on the lookout – beside Wiesenwaldkopf, Hinterzarten’s highest mountain − and with a little luck, you will sight wood grouses. Afterwards we go down to Lochrütte. A well maintained forester’s path awaits us here that takes us all the way to Fürsatz. We range through the upper part of the Blisterwald woods and arrive at the Thoma lifts. Hinterzarten now lies in front of us. We hike back down to the village via Gaiserhöhe.