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Best Forest Hikes in Germany

We track 323 routes that match this search in Germany. They average 13.6 km and 299 m (981 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 235 km.

That is 1 percent of the 24,726 routes we map in Germany. They run noticeably longer than average for the area, 13.6 km against 10.9 km, so budget more daylight than a typical outing here.

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: 170 are rated easy and 45 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

Expert

Jakobsweg Hegau

Baden-Württemberg · Germany

Distance
68.2 km
/ 42.4 mi
Elevation gain
1,500 m
Typical duration
18 hr
  • Forest
  • Castle and ruins
  • Pilgrimage route
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

Graue Stämme Zwenzow

Müritz-Nationalpark · Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Distance
5.1 km
/ 3.1 mi
Elevation gain
111 m
Typical duration
1 hr 13 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
Easy

Lila Pilz Userin

Müritz-Nationalpark · Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Distance
3.1 km
/ 2.0 mi
Elevation gain
69 m
Typical duration
46 min
  • Lake
  • Forest
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

Bezirksrundweg Möhne

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
131 km
/ 81.3 mi
Elevation gain
2,879 m
Typical duration
35 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

SaaleHorizontale

Thuringia · Germany

Distance
90.3 km
/ 56.1 mi
Elevation gain
1,986 m
Typical duration
24 hr
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Schwäbischer-Wald-Weg

Baden-Württemberg · Germany

Distance
85.9 km
/ 53.4 mi
Elevation gain
1,890 m
Typical duration
22 hr
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Stromberg-Schwäbischer-Wald-Weg

Baden-Württemberg · Germany

Distance
164 km
/ 102 mi
Elevation gain
3,612 m
Typical duration
44 hr
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Upland-Weserbergland-Weg

Lower Saxony · Germany

Distance
128 km
/ 79.8 mi
Elevation gain
2,826 m
Typical duration
34 hr
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Easy

Dahmer Kurz-Route

Schleswig-Holstein · Germany

Distance
3.2 km
/ 2.0 mi
Elevation gain
70 m
Typical duration
46 min
  • Coastal
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Leuchtturm-Wald-Route

Schleswig-Holstein · Germany

Distance
7.3 km
/ 4.5 mi
Elevation gain
161 m
Typical duration
1 hr 46 min
  • Coastal
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Baierweg CZ

Bavaria · Germany

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

Doktor-Wald-Weg

Thuringia · Germany

Distance
13.2 km
/ 8.2 mi
Elevation gain
291 m
Typical duration
3 hr 11 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Guxhagen-Wellerode

Hesse · Germany

Distance
10.2 km
/ 6.4 mi
Elevation gain
225 m
Typical duration
2 hr 28 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Kaufunger Waldweg

Lower Saxony · Germany

Distance
21.5 km
/ 13.4 mi
Elevation gain
473 m
Typical duration
5 hr 23 min
  • 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
Expert

Rennstieg

Lower Saxony · Germany

Distance
34.8 km
/ 21.6 mi
Elevation gain
766 m
Typical duration
9 hr
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Thüringer Drei-Türme-Weg

Thuringia · Germany

Distance
25.6 km
/ 15.9 mi
Elevation gain
562 m
Typical duration
6 hr 29 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
Expert

Wald-Wasser-Wildnis-Weg

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
56.0 km
/ 34.8 mi
Elevation gain
1,233 m
Typical duration
14 hr
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Expert

X6 Niedersachsenweg

Lower Saxony · Germany

Distance
51.4 km
/ 31.9 mi
Elevation gain
1,130 m
Typical duration
13 hr
  • 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

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
Jakobsweg HegauBaden-Württemberg68.2 km1,500 m18 hrExpertApril to October
European Long distance path E1 - part Germany, Baden-Wuerttemberg (region Forest of Odes south)Baden-Württemberg105 km2,320 m28 hrExpertApril to October
European Long distance path E1 - part Germany, Hessen (region Forest of Odes north)Hesse95.4 km2,099 m25 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
Graue Stämme ZwenzowMüritz-Nationalpark5.1 km111 m1 hr 13 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

If you only have time for one, start with European long distance path E6, Germany, Alternative Bavarian Forest, Jakobsweg Hegau, European long distance path E6, Germany, Oberpfalz. 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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