Expert
Bavarian Forest National Park · Bavaria
- Distance
- 40.6 km / 25.3 mi
- Elevation gain
- 894 m
- Typical duration
- 10 hr
- Forest
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Hard Hiking Trails in Germany
There are 3,417 hikes in Germany in our database that fit. They average 51.1 km and 1,124 m (3,688 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 581 km.
That is 14 percent of the 24,726 routes we map in Germany. They run noticeably longer than average for the area, 51.1 km against 10.9 km, so budget more daylight than a typical outing here. The climbing is steeper too: 1,124 m (3,688 ft) on average versus 240 m (787 ft) across the wider area.
Hard routes mean sustained ascent, long descents and a real need to watch the clock and the forecast. These lean toward the demanding end, so plan for a full day and check the forecast before you commit.
Trails
Expert
Nationalpark Schwarzwald · Baden-Württemberg
- Distance
- 64.5 km / 40.1 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,419 m
- Typical duration
- 17 hr
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Saxon Switzerland National Park · Saxony
- Distance
- 263 km / 163 mi
- Elevation gain
- 5,775 m
- Typical duration
- 70 hr
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee · Hesse
- Distance
- 64.9 km / 40.3 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,428 m
- Typical duration
- 17 hr
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee · Hesse
- Distance
- 68.5 km / 42.6 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,507 m
- Typical duration
- 18 hr
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Saxon Switzerland National Park · Saxony
- Distance
- 92.9 km / 57.7 mi
- Elevation gain
- 2,043 m
- Typical duration
- 24 hr
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Hard
Bavarian Forest National Park · Bavaria
- Distance
- 27.0 km / 16.8 mi
- Elevation gain
- 595 m
- Typical duration
- 6 hr 53 min
- Waymarked route
Expert
Nationalpark Harz · Lower Saxony
- Distance
- 34.7 km / 21.6 mi
- Elevation gain
- 764 m
- Typical duration
- 8 hr 58 min
- Waymarked route
Hard
Nationalpark Schwarzwald · Baden-Württemberg
- Distance
- 27.9 km / 17.3 mi
- Elevation gain
- 613 m
- Typical duration
- 7 hr 7 min
- Waymarked route
Hard
Nationalpark Berchtesgaden · Bavaria
- Distance
- 16.0 km / 9.9 mi
- Elevation gain
- 352 m
- Typical duration
- 3 hr 53 min
Expert
Saxon Switzerland National Park · Saxony
- Distance
- 74.9 km / 46.6 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,648 m
- Typical duration
- 19 hr
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Bavarian Forest National Park · Bavaria
- Distance
- 62.3 km / 38.7 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,371 m
- Typical duration
- 16 hr
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Nationalpark Harz · Lower Saxony
- Distance
- 90.6 km / 56.3 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,993 m
- Typical duration
- 24 hr
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee · Hesse
- Distance
- 83.0 km / 51.6 mi
- Elevation gain
- 5,945 m
- Typical duration
- 28 hr
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Müritz-Nationalpark · Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
- Distance
- 173 km / 107 mi
- Elevation gain
- 3,805 m
- Typical duration
- 46 hr
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Nationalpark Eifel · North Rhine-Westphalia
- Distance
- 83.9 km / 52.2 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,846 m
- Typical duration
- 22 hr
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Hamburg · Germany
- Distance
- 47.8 km / 29.7 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,052 m
- Typical duration
- 12 hr
- Coastal
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Bremen · Germany
- Distance
- 291 km / 181 mi
- Elevation gain
- 6,394 m
- Typical duration
- 78 hr
- Coastal
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Hard
Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee · Hesse
- Distance
- 16.6 km / 10.3 mi
- Elevation gain
- 365 m
- Typical duration
- 4 hr 3 min
- Waymarked route
Hard
Nationalpark Hainich · Thuringia
- Distance
- 29.9 km / 18.6 mi
- Elevation gain
- 657 m
- Typical duration
- 7 hr 39 min
- Waymarked route
Hard
Nationalpark Harz · Lower Saxony
- Distance
- 15.7 km / 9.8 mi
- Elevation gain
- 346 m
- Typical duration
- 3 hr 49 min
- Waymarked route
Hard
Nationalpark Schwarzwald · Baden-Württemberg
- Distance
- 23.6 km / 14.7 mi
- Elevation gain
- 520 m
- Typical duration
- 5 hr 58 min
- Waymarked route
Expert
Nationalpark Eifel · North Rhine-Westphalia
- Distance
- 58.4 km / 36.3 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,296 m
- Typical duration
- 15 hr
- Waymarked route
Expert
Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee · Hesse
- Distance
- 42.1 km / 26.2 mi
- Elevation gain
- 927 m
- Typical duration
- 10 hr
- Waymarked route
Hard
Šumava National Park · Bavaria
- Distance
- 16.2 km / 10.1 mi
- Elevation gain
- 356 m
- Typical duration
- 3 hr 57 min
- Waymarked route
Expert
Šumava National Park · Bavaria
- Distance
- 42.6 km / 26.4 mi
- Elevation gain
- 936 m
- Typical duration
- 11 hr
- Waymarked route
Hard
Šumava National Park · Bavaria
- Distance
- 17.3 km / 10.7 mi
- Elevation gain
- 380 m
- Typical duration
- 4 hr 14 min
- Waymarked route
Hard
Šumava National Park · Bavaria
- Distance
- 17.8 km / 11.0 mi
- Elevation gain
- 391 m
- Typical duration
- 4 hr 22 min
- Waymarked route
Hard
Šumava National Park · Bavaria
- Distance
- 27.4 km / 17.1 mi
- Elevation gain
- 604 m
- Typical duration
- 7 hr
- Waymarked route
Expert
Hesse · Germany
- Distance
- 50.9 km / 31.6 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,120 m
- Typical duration
- 13 hr
- Castle and ruins
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Hesse · Germany
- Distance
- 39.1 km / 24.3 mi
- Elevation gain
- 860 m
- Typical duration
- 10 hr
- Castle and ruins
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
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
Expert
Rhineland-Palatinate · Germany
- Distance
- 148 km / 92.2 mi
- Elevation gain
- 3,266 m
- Typical duration
- 39 hr
- Pilgrimage route
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Baden-Württemberg · Germany
- Distance
- 105 km / 65.5 mi
- Elevation gain
- 2,320 m
- Typical duration
- 28 hr
- Forest
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Hesse · Germany
- Distance
- 95.4 km / 59.3 mi
- Elevation gain
- 2,099 m
- Typical duration
- 25 hr
- Forest
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Saxony · Germany
- Distance
- 116 km / 72.3 mi
- Elevation gain
- 2,561 m
- Typical duration
- 31 hr
- Pilgrimage route
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Saxony · Germany
- Distance
- 105 km / 65.1 mi
- Elevation gain
- 2,305 m
- Typical duration
- 27 hr
- Pilgrimage route
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Bavaria · Germany
- Distance
- 130 km / 80.8 mi
- Elevation gain
- 2,862 m
- Typical duration
- 34 hr
- Forest
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Saxony · Germany
- Distance
- 79.7 km / 49.5 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,753 m
- Typical duration
- 21 hr
- Pilgrimage route
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Saxony · Germany
- Distance
- 96.3 km / 59.9 mi
- Elevation gain
- 2,119 m
- Typical duration
- 25 hr
- Pilgrimage route
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Saxony-Anhalt · Germany
- Distance
- 70.2 km / 43.6 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,545 m
- Typical duration
- 18 hr
- Pilgrimage route
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Saxony-Anhalt · Germany
- Distance
- 71.8 km / 44.6 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,579 m
- Typical duration
- 19 hr
- Pilgrimage route
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Hesse · Germany
- Distance
- 97.5 km / 60.6 mi
- Elevation gain
- 2,145 m
- Typical duration
- 26 hr
- Pilgrimage route
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Rhineland-Palatinate · Germany
- Distance
- 162 km / 100 mi
- Elevation gain
- 3,555 m
- Typical duration
- 43 hr
- Pilgrimage route
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Rhineland-Palatinate · Germany
- Distance
- 157 km / 97.5 mi
- Elevation gain
- 3,454 m
- Typical duration
- 42 hr
- Pilgrimage route
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Bavaria · Germany
- Distance
- 508 km / 316 mi
- Elevation gain
- 11,181 m
- Typical duration
- 137 hr
- Pilgrimage route
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Lower Saxony · Germany
- Distance
- 303 km / 188 mi
- Elevation gain
- 6,662 m
- Typical duration
- 81 hr
- Pilgrimage route
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Saxony-Anhalt · Germany
- Distance
- 71.2 km / 44.2 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,565 m
- Typical duration
- 18 hr
- Pilgrimage route
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
The shortlist, side by side
The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.
| Route | Distance | Ascent | Time | Difficulty | Best season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| European long distance path E6, Germany, Alternative Bavarian ForestBavarian Forest National Park | 40.6 km | 894 m | 10 hr | Expert | April to October |
| North South Trail, Section Forbach - HarkNationalpark Schwarzwald | 64.5 km | 1,419 m | 17 hr | Expert | April to October |
| Fernwanderweg Zittau – Wernigerode (Sachsen Ost)Saxon Switzerland National Park | 263 km | 5,775 m | 70 hr | Expert | April to October |
| Hessenweg 8 (Teilstück Korbach - Bad Wildungen)Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee | 64.9 km | 1,428 m | 17 hr | Expert | April to October |
| Hugenotten- und Waldenserpfad (Hauptweg - Teilstrecke Frankenberg - Naumburg (Hessen))Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee | 68.5 km | 1,507 m | 18 hr | Expert | April to October |
| Lausitzer Schlange 2: Rathen – ValtenbergSaxon Switzerland National Park | 92.9 km | 2,043 m | 24 hr | Expert | April to October |
| Goldsteig N16: Großer Falkenstein - RachelBavarian Forest National Park | 27.0 km | 595 m | 6 hr 53 min | Hard | April to October |
| Harzer Hexenstieg BrockenumgehungNationalpark Harz | 34.7 km | 764 m | 8 hr 58 min | Expert | April to October |
| Westweg [04. Unterstmatt→Alexanderschanze]Nationalpark Schwarzwald | 27.9 km | 613 m | 7 hr 7 min | Hard | April to October |
| Via Alpina Purple A41Nationalpark Berchtesgaden | 16.0 km | 352 m | 3 hr 53 min | Hard | April to October |
If you only have time for one, start with European long distance path E6, Germany, Alternative Bavarian Forest, North South Trail, Section Forbach - Hark, Lausitzer Schlange 2: Rathen – Valtenberg. 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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