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Best Forest Hikes in Bavaria

78 routes in Bavaria qualify, ranked below by how much walkers rate them. They average 19.6 km and 431 m (1,414 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 176 km.

That is 2 percent of the 3,807 routes we map in Bavaria.

Forest trails are the dependable choice: shade when it is hot, shelter when it is not, and a completely different character once the leaves turn. The mix is broad: 29 are rated easy and 21 are hard or harder, so there is something here whether you have two hours or a full day. A good share of them are loops, so you can park once and finish where you started.

Trails

Easy

Eibe

Bavarian Forest National Park · Bavaria

Distance
4.2 km
/ 2.6 mi
Elevation gain
92 m
Typical duration
1 hr 1 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Haselhuhn

Bavarian Forest National Park · Bavaria

Distance
3.3 km
/ 2.1 mi
Elevation gain
73 m
Typical duration
48 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Heidelbeere

Bavarian Forest National Park · Bavaria

Distance
8.2 km
/ 5.1 mi
Elevation gain
181 m
Typical duration
1 hr 59 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Linde

Bavarian Forest National Park · Bavaria

Distance
8.8 km
/ 5.4 mi
Elevation gain
193 m
Typical duration
2 hr 7 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Luchs

Bavarian Forest National Park · Bavaria

Distance
4.7 km
/ 2.9 mi
Elevation gain
103 m
Typical duration
1 hr 8 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Luchsfährte

Bavarian Forest National Park · Bavaria

Distance
24.8 km
/ 15.4 mi
Elevation gain
546 m
Typical duration
6 hr 17 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Rhön-Rennsteig-Weg

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
100 km
/ 62.2 mi
Elevation gain
2,203 m
Typical duration
26 hr
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Wallfahrtsweg Ebern Kreuzberg

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
97.5 km
/ 60.6 mi
Elevation gain
2,146 m
Typical duration
26 hr
  • Forest
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Baierweg

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
110 km
/ 68.2 mi
Elevation gain
2,415 m
Typical duration
29 hr
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Burgenweg

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
176 km
/ 109 mi
Elevation gain
3,864 m
Typical duration
47 hr
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Baierweg CZ

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
49.2 km
/ 30.6 mi
Elevation gain
1,082 m
Typical duration
12 hr
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Pfreimd-Schwarzach-Weg

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
35.4 km
/ 22.0 mi
Elevation gain
778 m
Typical duration
9 hr 9 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Velden-Roßköpfl

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
7.2 km
/ 4.4 mi
Elevation gain
158 m
Typical duration
1 hr 44 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Zlatá stezka

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
18.9 km
/ 11.8 mi
Elevation gain
417 m
Typical duration
4 hr 41 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Naturpfad Ahornreitweg

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
5.8 km
/ 3.6 mi
Elevation gain
128 m
Typical duration
1 hr 24 min
  • Mountain
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Naturlehrpfad Bernloher Wald

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
3.1 km
/ 1.9 mi
Elevation gain
68 m
Typical duration
45 min
  • Forest
  • Wildlife watching
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Kulturweg Alzenau 2

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
8.3 km
/ 5.2 mi
Elevation gain
183 m
Typical duration
2 hr
  • Forest
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Altdorf 1

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
4.6 km
/ 2.8 mi
Elevation gain
101 m
Typical duration
1 hr 6 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Altdorf 4

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
5.8 km
/ 3.6 mi
Elevation gain
128 m
Typical duration
1 hr 24 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Bad Bocklet - Rundweg BB8

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
10.3 km
/ 6.4 mi
Elevation gain
227 m
Typical duration
2 hr 29 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Blauring

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
3.5 km
/ 2.2 mi
Elevation gain
78 m
Typical duration
51 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Burgholz-Runde (Passau)

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
4.1 km
/ 2.6 mi
Elevation gain
91 m
Typical duration
1 hr
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

DAV Gablonzer Rundwanderweg

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
8.4 km
/ 5.2 mi
Elevation gain
185 m
Typical duration
2 hr 2 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Dinkelsbühl Nr. 7

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
10.6 km
/ 6.6 mi
Elevation gain
233 m
Typical duration
2 hr 33 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Durch Wald und Flur

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
18 m
Typical duration
12 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Erzweg Rundwanderweg Plech

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
13.0 km
/ 8.1 mi
Elevation gain
285 m
Typical duration
3 hr 8 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Extratour Wald-Brand

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
11.8 km
/ 7.3 mi
Elevation gain
259 m
Typical duration
2 hr 50 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Felsensteig

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
6.8 km
/ 4.3 mi
Elevation gain
151 m
Typical duration
1 hr 39 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Forest Adventure Trail

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
3.7 km
/ 2.3 mi
Elevation gain
82 m
Typical duration
54 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Frutschbrunnen Runde

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
8.1 km
/ 5.0 mi
Elevation gain
178 m
Typical duration
1 hr 57 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
European long distance path E6, Germany, Alternative Bavarian ForestBavarian Forest National Park40.6 km894 m10 hrExpertApril to October
European long distance path E6, Germany, OberpfalzBavaria130 km2,862 m34 hrExpertApril to October
EibeBavarian Forest National Park4.2 km92 m1 hr 1 minEasyApril to October
HaselhuhnBavarian Forest National Park3.3 km73 m48 minEasyApril to October
Hauptwanderweg (Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald)Bavarian Forest National Park41.9 km922 m10 hrExpertApril to October
HeidelbeereBavarian Forest National Park8.2 km181 m1 hr 59 minModerateApril to October
LindeBavarian Forest National Park8.8 km193 m2 hr 7 minModerateApril to October
LuchsBavarian Forest National Park4.7 km103 m1 hr 8 minEasyApril to October
LuchsfährteBavarian Forest National Park24.8 km546 m6 hr 17 minHardApril to October
Rhön-Rennsteig-WegBavaria100 km2,203 m26 hrExpertApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with European long distance path E6, Germany, Alternative Bavarian Forest, European long distance path E6, Germany, Oberpfalz, Linde. Those are the routes people come back to. Every route on this page links through to a full guide with the map, elevation profile, seasonal advice and what to bring.

Frequently asked questions

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