Westweg · Stage 4
Westweg Stage 04: Unterstmatt – Alexanderschanze
The stage across the Grinden Black Forest leads over the highest peaks of the northern Black Forest. At an altitude of over 1,000 meters, hikers follow the main ridge of the northern Black Forest as it rises and falls. The unique Grinden landscape and breathtaking views of the Rhine Valley, almost 1,000 meters below, make this stage one of the highlights of the Westweg trail. Grinden is the name given to the bare, high moorland plateaus on the peaks of the northern Black Forest. They were created in the Middle Ages by intensive grazing and are covered with matgrass, heather, and mountain pines. Today, the Grinden are preserved through targeted clearing and a revival of livestock farming. From Unterstmatt, a narrow path winds its way to the Ochsenstall inn and then climbs up to the mighty television tower on the high plateau of the Hornisgrinde, the highest mountain in the northern Black Forest. The small Bismarck Tower stands at the highest point of the plateau. At the southern end of the moor, above Lake Mummelsee, the Black Forest Association erected the large Hornisgrinde Tower in 1910, which has been open to visitors again since 2005 following the withdrawal of the French military. Behind the mystical Mummelsee, the Westweg trail crosses the slopes of the Altsteigerskopf, which were stripped bare by Storm Lothar. The cozy Darmstädter Hütte hut tempts you to stop for a bite to eat. Just under a kilometer further on, the dark Wildsee lake in the Bannwald forest shines like one of the eyes of the northern Black Forest. The nature center at Ruhestein vividly explains the history of the Grinden landscape, which is typically presented on the flat Schliffkopf (1,055 m). The Lotharpfad trail impressively demonstrates the unimaginable force with which Storm Lothar swept across the Black Forest on Christmas Day 1999. The small circular trail climbs over the broken trees and winds its way through the regrowing undergrowth. The Röschenschanze at the refuge and the Alexanderschanze from the 18th century bear witness to stormy times of a completely different kind in the northern Black Forest.
- Length
- 27.8 km
- Walking time
- approx. 8:45 h
- Ascent
- 709 m
- Descent
- 670 m
Walking time as stated by the operator.
Elevation profile calculated by Fairvisit from satellite elevation data. Ascent and descent usually differ by up to about 10 %, more on steep terrain.
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Nearby
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