Schluchtensteig – 6 stages through the southern Black Forest

The Schluchtensteig trail runs in 6 stages over 119 km from Stühlingen to Wehr, right across the southern Black Forest.
“Exposed paths along steep rocky gorges, some offering spectacular views down into the depths. The Wutachflühen, the Wutach Gorge, the Schleifenbach Falls, the Haslach Gorge, the Windberg Waterfall, the Hohwehras Gorge and the Wehras Gorge are destinations for all those who enjoy hiking through wild gorges, marvelling at thundering waterfalls, savouring the natural silence and wanting to switch off from everyday life for a week,” as stated on the Schluchtensteig website – and the trail certainly lives up to its promise.
We’ve tweaked the third stage slightly, so you’ll avoid the hill between Lenzkirch and Fischbach. Instead, we’ll hike up to the Riesenbühlturm in Schluchsee, which offers a panoramic view in all directions.

Photos

Stages of the route

This route needs several days, find the details below:

1. S
   

   Gorge Trail Stage 1 – from Stühlingen to Blumberg

   11.41 mi 2,080 ft 1,263 ft

   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

   12.86 mi 2,087 ft 2,185 ft

   The Schluchtensteig trail runs for 119 km in 6 stages from Stühlingen to Wehr, right across the southern Black Forest.The second stage leads from Blumberg past the Schleifenbach waterfall to the River Wutach, through the magnificent Wutach Gorge, past the former spa town of Bad Ball and several waterfalls, and ends at Gasthof Schattenmühle.

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3. 3
   

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

   8.98 mi 1,283 ft 1,188 ft

   The Schluchtensteig trail runs for 119 km in 6 stages from Stühlingen to Wehr, right across the southern Black Forest. Our third stage starts at the upper entrance to the Lotenbach Gorge and ends in Lenzkirch, where there are plenty of places to stay and a bus service to the start of stage 4. Alternatively, you could stay overnight in Schluchsee and climb the Riesenbühl Tower – see the relevant tour.Anyone wishing to hike all the stages of the Schluchtensteig can stay overnight at the Schattenmühle between stages 2 and 3. From there, you can tackle the Lotenbach Gorge and hike uphill to the starting point of this walk.

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4. 4
   

   Schluchtensteig supplement Stage 3 – Up to the Riesenbühlturm

   2.13 mi 482 ft 463 ft

   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

   12.41 mi 1,457 ft 2,356 ft

   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

   11.52 mi 1,952 ft 1,831 ft

   The Schluchtensteig trail runs for 119 km in 6 stages from Stühlingen to Wehr, right across the southern Black Forest.On the fifth stage, the route climbs 300 metres in altitude straight after the start to the Lehenbachkopf. And the route continues to climb steeply as it progresses.A new route now runs alongside the Klosterweiher pond and briefly follows the Bergbaurundweg circular trail. It then crosses the Horbacher Heide and the Ibacher Höhe, from where, on clear days, you can see as far as the Swiss Jura. The crowning glory of this stage is the stunning Hochwehraschlucht gorge.

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7. 7
   

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

   13.65 mi 1,558 ft 3,061 ft

   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

   14.81 mi 2,441 ft 3,973 ft

   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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