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: 6.94 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,407 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,427 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,690 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,785 ft
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Description of the walk

Wildgehege/Sankenbachsee car park.

(S/E) Head down towards the stream and cross it once to reach a fork in the path.

(1) Take the Seensteig path on the left, following the stream, and after 2 km you will reach Sankenbachsee and the waterfalls. A spot set up for relaxation by the water’s edge; swimming is possible.

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

(3) From there, continue along the narrow, zigzagging path.

(4) Walk past the Wasserfallhütte mountain hut, then continue along a root-covered path for a few hundred metres.

(5) Further on, take the path on the left and continue for about 3 km towards the Glassmännlehütte, a mountain hut open during the day.

(6) Behind the hut, take the narrow path that descends, then head towards Baiersbronn.

(7) Turn left onto Sankenbachstrasse heading towards the lake. Follow the route for about 3 km and return to the junction you passed on the way out.

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

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 2,070 ft - Wildgehege/Sankenbachsee car park
  2. 1 : mi 0.2 - alt. 2,051 ft - Junction of the circular loop
  3. 2 : mi 1.12 - alt. 2,264 ft - Sankenbachsee
  4. 3 : mi 1.58 - alt. 2,530 ft - Sankenbacher Wasserfall
  5. 4 : mi 1.75 - alt. 2,648 ft - Wasserfallhütte
  6. 5 : mi 2.1 - alt. 2,595 ft - Junction
  7. 6 : mi 4.24 - alt. 2,585 ft - Glassmännlehütte
  8. 7 : mi 5.41 - alt. 1,785 ft - Baiersbronn
  9. S/E : mi 6.94 - alt. 2,067 ft - 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 is a good place to stop for a bite to eat, open during the day. There are outdoor toilets.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 7 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.1 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
User 29148908

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 08, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The walk is lovely, but the route description could do with some improvement at point 4. When climbing the path alongside the waterfall and arriving at the Wasserfalhütte, you come to a tarmac road where there are no signposts. Take this road to the left, following it slightly downhill to the next junction, where the Glassmännlehütte is signposted.

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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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