Schluchtensteig – 6 stages through the southern Black Forest

The Schluchtensteig trail leads in 6 stages over 119 km from Stühlingen to Wehr across the southern Black Forest.
"Exposed paths along steep rock gorges with some spectacular views down into the depths. Wutachflühen, Wutach Gorge, Schleifenbach Falls, Haslach Gorge, Windberg Waterfall, Hohwehraschlucht and Wehraschlucht are destinations for anyone who enjoys hiking through wild gorges, marvelling at thundering waterfalls, enjoying the natural silence and wanting to escape everyday life for a week," according to the Schluchtensteig website, and the trail delivers what it promises.
We have changed the third stage slightly to save you the mountain between Lenzkirch and Fischbach. Instead, we hike in Schluchsee to the Riesenbühlturm tower with its panoramic view.

Photos

Stages of the route

This route needs several days, find the details below:

1. S
   

   Gorge Trail Stage 1 – from Stühlingen to Blumberg

   18.37 km 634 m 385 m

   The Schluchtensteig trail leads in 6 stages over 119 km from Stühlingen to Wehr across the southern Black Forest. The first stage takes us from Stühlingen to Blumberg along the Wutachflühen. High above the Wutach, we hike on narrow paths and exposed trails. We pass the Sauschwänzlebahn railway line several times and, with a bit of luck, we will see the museum train steam past. The Buchberg with its long ascent challenges us in the last third of the tour before we descend to Blumberg.

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2. 2
   

   Gorge Trail Stage 2 – from Blumberg to Schattenmühle

   20.70 km 636 m 666 m

   The Schluchtensteig trail leads in six stages over 119 km from Stühlingen to Wehr across the southern Black Forest. The second stage leads from Blumberg via the Schleifenbach waterfall to the Wutach, through the magnificent Wutach Gorge, past the former spa town of Bad Ball and several waterfalls, ending at the Schattenmühle inn.

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3. 3
   

   Gorge Trail Variation Stage 3 – From the Lotenbachklamm gorge to Lenzkirch

   14.45 km 391 m 362 m

   The Schluchtensteig trail leads in 6 stages over 119 km from Stühlingen to Wehr across the southern Black Forest. Our third stage starts at the upper entrance to the Lotenbachklamm gorge and ends in Lenzkirch, where there are numerous accommodation options and a bus connection to the start of stage 4. Alternatively, you can spend the night in Schluchsee and climb the Riesenbühlturm tower, see the corresponding tour. If you want to hike all stages of the Schluchtensteig, you can stay overnight in the Schattenmühle between stages 2 and 3. From there, you can tackle the Lotenbachklamm gorge and hike up to the starting point of this hike.

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4. 4
   

   Schluchtensteig supplement Stage 3 – Up to the Riesenbühlturm

   3.43 km 147 m 141 m

   The Schluchtensteig trail leads in 6 stages over 119 km from Stühlingen to Wehr across the southern Black Forest. If you are staying in Schluchsee between stages 3 and 4, you should definitely climb the Riesenbühlturm tower and enjoy the magnificent view of Schluchsee and the Alps.

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5. 5
   

   Gorge Trail Stage 4 – from Fischbach to St. Blasien

   19.98 km 444 m 718 m

   The Schluchtensteig trail leads in six stages over 119 km from Stühlingen to Wehr across the southern Black Forest. The fourth stage of the Schluchtensteig is almost completely free of gorges and therefore quite easy to walk. However, you should not underestimate the altitude difference, especially after Unterkrummenhof, where a long climb awaits hikers, and after St. Blasien, where the forest road descends for a long time and is quite steep in places. The southern Black Forest with its isolated farms shows its charming side on this stage, offering frequent views of the Alps. At the end, you can enjoy the Windeck waterfalls above St. Blasien. Thanks to good bus connections, this stage can also be hiked very well as a single stage.

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6. 6
   

   Gorge Trail Stage 5 – from St. Blasien to Todtmoos

   18.53 km 595 m 558 m

   The Schluchtensteig trail leads in six stages over 119 km from Stühlingen to Wehr across the southern Black Forest. In the fifth stage, the trail climbs 300 metres immediately after the start to the Lehenbachkopf. The trail continues to climb steeply. A new route now leads along the monastery pond and briefly along the mining trail. Then it goes over the Horbacher Heide and the Ibacher Höhe, from where you can see as far as the Swiss Jura on clear days. The crowning glory of this stage is the beautiful Hochwehraschlucht gorge.

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7. 7
   

   Gorges Trail Stage 6 – from Todtmoos to Wehr (bad weather alternative)

   21.96 km 475 m 933 m

   The Schluchtensteig trail leads in six stages over 119 km from Stühlingen to Wehr, right across the southern Black Forest. The last stage is the longest at almost 22 km. In case of continuous or heavy rain or other incidents, this is an easy alternative if you want to get to Wehr somehow and cannot walk through the Wehraschlucht gorge. While the first half of the stage to Gersbach offers some variety, the hike to Wehr is exclusively downhill on a gravel forest path.

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8. E
   

   Gorge Trail Stage 6 – From Todtmoos to Wehr

   23.84 km 744 m 1,211 m

   The Schluchtensteig trail leads in six stages over 119 km from Stühlingen to Wehr, right across the southern Black Forest. The last stage is the longest at almost 24 km and takes us through the wonderful Wehraschlucht gorge and later high above the Wehra river and then down to the Wehrastausee lake. Along the Wehra, we hike directly into the centre of Wehr.

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