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Best Lake Hikes near Hamburg

8 routes near Hamburg qualify, ranked below by how much walkers rate them. They average 42.9 km and 944 m (3,097 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 265 km.

That is 5 percent of the 169 routes we map near Hamburg. They run noticeably longer than average for the area, 42.9 km against 20.0 km, so budget more daylight than a typical outing here. The climbing is steeper too: 944 m (3,097 ft) on average versus 441 m (1,447 ft) across the wider area.

Lake routes give you a natural halfway point, somewhere to swim in summer, and the calmest reflections of the whole week if you get there before the wind picks up. The mix is broad: 3 are rated easy and 3 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

Eulenweg erlebnisreich-Wildpark

Schleswig-Holstein · Germany

Distance
5.7 km
/ 3.6 mi
Elevation gain
126 m
Typical duration
1 hr 23 min
  • Lake
  • Wildlife watching
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Wandertour Orangener Till-Schuh

Schleswig-Holstein · Germany

Distance
19.1 km
/ 11.9 mi
Elevation gain
420 m
Typical duration
4 hr 44 min
  • Lake
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Gudow-Sarnekower See (1)

Schleswig-Holstein · Germany

Distance
6.3 km
/ 3.9 mi
Elevation gain
138 m
Typical duration
1 hr 31 min
  • Lake
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Rundweg Großer Segeberger See

Schleswig-Holstein · Germany

Distance
7.5 km
/ 4.7 mi
Elevation gain
165 m
Typical duration
1 hr 49 min
  • Lake
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Rundweg Muggesfelder See

Schleswig-Holstein · Germany

Distance
3.4 km
/ 2.1 mi
Elevation gain
74 m
Typical duration
49 min
  • Lake
  • 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
Wanderweg Schlei-Eider-Elbe / Fernwanderweg E1, Schleswig-Holstein, WestvarianteHamburg265 km5,835 m71 hrExpertApril to October
Eulenweg erlebnisreich-WildparkSchleswig-Holstein5.7 km126 m1 hr 23 minEasyApril to October
Wandertour Orangener Till-SchuhSchleswig-Holstein19.1 km420 m4 hr 44 minHardApril to October
Gudow-Sarnekower See (1)Schleswig-Holstein6.3 km138 m1 hr 31 minEasyApril to October
Nordpfad 'Vörder See - Osteland'Lower Saxony21.1 km465 m5 hr 17 minHardApril to October
Rundweg Großer Segeberger SeeSchleswig-Holstein7.5 km165 m1 hr 49 minModerateApril to October
Rundweg Muggesfelder SeeSchleswig-Holstein3.4 km74 m49 minEasyApril to October
Rundweg Segeberger Flüsse und SeenSchleswig-Holstein15.0 km330 m3 hr 37 minModerateApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with Wanderweg Schlei-Eider-Elbe / Fernwanderweg E1, Schleswig-Holstein, Westvariante, Wandertour Orangener Till-Schuh, Eulenweg erlebnisreich-Wildpark. 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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