Hotzenwald Querweg trail – two stages in the southern Black Forest
Deep in the south of the Black Forest, just before the Swiss border, lies the Hotzenwald. Away from the hustle and bustle of the Feldberg and Schluchsee, you can experience the quiet and unspoilt Black Forest on the Hotzenwald Querweg: Small villages, rustic farms, wide Alpine meadows, densely wooded valleys and unspoilt forests are waiting to be discovered by you. The long-distance hiking trail is only two stages long and is therefore perfect for a weekend in the nature of the Black Forest. And what's particularly practical, you can plan both walks independently or shorten them in the event of a sudden change in the weather thanks to the great rail and bus connections en route.
The Hotzenwald Querweg is signposted with a black and white diamond and leads you from Schopfheim an der Wiese to Waldshut am Rhein. In contrast to many other regions of the Black Forest, it is still quite quiet here and so you enjoy the picturesque cultural landscape of the Hotzenwald mostly all to yourself. By the way, the Hotzenwald owes its name to the traditional costume of its inhabitants: the sweeping pluderhose, which has been worn here by the rural population for centuries, is called "Hotze" for short.
As the two stages are well over 12 miles (20 kilometers) long and include quite a bit of elevation, the Hotzenwald Cross Country Trail is particularly suitable for enduring, experienced hikers. In addition, you should plan provisions and sufficient water for the hikes, as places to stop for refreshments are rare. In the stage town of Herrischried at the end of the first stages, you can choose between a guesthouse and several holiday apartments for your overnight stay.
The start and end points of your hike can be easily reached by bus and train. Also a bus stops at the stage destination of Herrischried once a day, so you can easily plan both Tours as a day-hike.
On The Map
The two stages of the Hotzenwald Querweg trail
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In Herrischried your second stage starts on the Hotzenwald Querweg. Over wide meadows and through a small wooded area, the trail leads you into the vast valley of the Upper Murg. Small villages, isolated farms and wide, lush meadows characterize the landscape here.Immediately afterwards, it's a bit uphill. But the climb is well worth it, because up on the Gugel awaits you a lookout tower with fantastic views over the Black Forest and up to the rugged Alpine peaks. In the summer months, you can also eat cakes, drinks and small delicacies in the Gugelstüble at the foot of the tower.From the Gugel the Hotzenwald cross-country path leads almost exclusively downhill - perfect to enjoy the idyllic landscape and the magnificent views. On a beautiful dirt road, you first walk along the edge of the forest until it crosses the Rohrbach and follows a trail through a primeval forest.After leaving the forest, the small town of Görwihl awaits you - with bakery, café and pizzeria the perfect place for a break. Freshly strengthened, the path then leads you through the romantic and densely wooded Höllbachtal. After you have followed quiet forest roads for awhile, the forest opens on the edge of Unteralpfen and you walk with fantastic views over open, wide mountain meadows to the stage destination Waldshut.Once there, you can enjoy the view of the Rhine, stroll through the tranquil Old Town and taste Black Forest specialties again, before you start your journey home by train.From Waldshut you can take the train from Hochrhein to Bad Säckingen and from there take bus 7328 to the starting point Herrischried. From Bad Säckingen the bus line 7335 takes you to Schopfheim, the starting point of the Hotzenwald Querwegs.All timetables can be found at wtv-online.de/fahrplaene/nach-linie or rvl-online.de/liniennetz-fahrplan/linien.
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Collection Stats
- Tours2
- Distance30.8 mi
- Duration14:43 h
- Elevation4,750 ft4,875 ft
