The lake and waterfalls of Sankenbach

de fr

A lovely hike in the Black Forest without any major difficulties. It takes us along wooded paths past Lake Sankenbachsee, the Sankenbacher Waterfalls, the Glasmännlehütte refuge and a short detour into the town of Baiersbronn.

Details

n°23143269
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.17 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 429 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 435 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 820 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 544 m
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Description of the walk

Wildgehege/Sankenbachsee car park.

(S/E) Descend towards the stream and cross it once to reach a fork.

(1) Take the Seensteig trail on the left along the stream and after 2 km you will reach Lake Sankenbachsee and the waterfalls. This is a great place to relax by the water and go for a swim.

(2) Go around the lake on the left and head towards the Sankenbach Wasserfall waterfall 300 m further on.

(3) From there, continue along the small zigzag path.

(4) Pass the Wasserfallhütte refuge and continue along a path with roots for a few hundred metres.

(5) Further on, turn left and continue for about 3 km towards the Glassmännlehütte, a refuge that is open during the day.

(6) Behind the refuge, take the narrow path downhill, then head towards Baiersbronn.

(7) Turn left onto Sankenbachstrasse heading towards the lake. Follow the route for about 3 km and rejoin the fork you passed on the way there.

(1) Turn left, cross the stream and arrive at the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 631 m - Wildgehege/Sankenbachsee car park
  2. 1 : km 0.32 - alt. 625 m - Crossroads of the circular loop
  3. 2 : km 1.8 - alt. 690 m - Sankenbachsee
  4. 3 : km 2.54 - alt. 771 m - Sankenbacher Wasserfall
  5. 4 : km 2.82 - alt. 807 m - Wasserfallhütte
  6. 5 : km 3.38 - alt. 791 m - Fork in the road
  7. 6 : km 6.82 - alt. 788 m - Glassmännlehütte
  8. 7 : km 8.71 - alt. 544 m - Baiersbronn
  9. S/E : km 11.17 - alt. 630 m - Wildgehege/Sankenbachsee car park

Notes

(2) At the lake (2 km after the start), there is a drinking fountain, benches and tables, as well as barbecue grills.
(6) The Glassmännlehütte refuge is a good place to eat and is open during the day. There are toilets outside.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 6 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
Michel et France
Michel et France

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike! The only downside in my opinion: too much tarmac!

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User 26003033

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Lovely route, accessible even to occasional hikers. Up to the waterfall and the wasserfallhutte, the explanations were accurate. But then it was all a blur. We had to follow glassmannlehutte, but there were no signs indicating this destination. And finally the hut was closed for good. Apart from that, it was a great hike.

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canardo
canardo
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The climb up to the lake and then to the waterfalls is very pleasant, but the return along the forest paths is less interesting, apart from the view from the glassmanhütte, which was closed at the time of our visit (Good Friday).

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buchmann
buchmann
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

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SM BISCHE
SM BISCHE

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

We did the route from BAIERSBRONN.
The lake and waterfall at SANKENBACH are very nice places to visit.
As we were in good form, we made a diversion to FRIEDRICHSTAL to see the superb MICHAELSKIRCHE (small octagonal church), which made the route about 2 km longer.

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neudorfois2
neudorfois2

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very nice walk with steep climbs, gentle descents, a beautiful lake, deer, a superb waterfall and well-marked paths. Only drawback: most of the route was on asphalt. We didn't come across a single car, but the ground is harder than a dirt track.

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