The 7 most beautiful autumn hiking trails in Germany

Indian summer, golden autumn, golden October: whatever the colorful time after summer is called, it is the highlight of the hiking season. Because the temperatures are no longer so hot and the clear and spicy autumn air is not only good for the body, soul and spirit, but often also enables good distant views. Therefore: Get out into nature, listen to the rustling of the leaves under your feet, enjoy the warming rays of sunshine and the riot of colors! We show seven wonderful autumn tours – from Lower Saxony to Chiemgau.

1. Lower Saxony: Pleasure hiking on the northern paths

Let’s start off easy, after all, there are many people who like to walk, long and persistent, but please not uphill. Your paradise lies in the lowland hiking region of Rotenburg (Wümme) in Lower Saxony. Nordpfade are the names of the 24 circular hiking trails that lead through the gently undulating landscape between the cities of Hamburg, Hanover and Bremen. North German expanse, no mountains, just enjoyment. From the six kilometer long half-day hike to the 32 kilometer long multi-day hike, everything is on offer, always according to the motto: flat, wide, idyllic – enjoyable hiking the North German way.

The paths, certified by the hiking association, lead through large forest areas, moors, heathland, river valleys, past natural lakes and into small farming villages. Particularly beautiful in autumn: thousands of cranes and migratory birds rest in the area between the Elbe and Weser before moving on.

2. Sauerland: Uplandsteig in the Rothaar Mountains

In northern Hesse, around 60 kilometers west of Kassel, is the community of Willingen with its many hiking trails in the Rothaar Mountains. To be more precise: with 42 circular hiking trails and a 300 kilometer long network of paths. Our favorite is the Uplandsteig. Over a length of 66 kilometers, ambitious hikers can enjoy the red and yellow leaves of the mixed forests, walk through fields, meadows, swamp landscapes and enjoy views from the high heaths.

The demanding Uplandsteig is suitable as a 3-day tour with stages of 22 kilometers each, because the circular route around Willingen is peppered with steep inclines and steep descents. And awarded the quality seal of the German Hiking Association.

3. Thuringia: “Indian Summer” in the UNESCO World Heritage Site

The largest contiguous deciduous forest in the country stretches between the cities of Bad Langesalzach, Eisenach and Mühlhausen. A jungle in the middle of Thuringia. Ash, beech and maple trees compete in autumn and can easily keep up with the play of colors of the famous “Indian Summer” on the North American continent.

The Hainich National Park with its ancient beech forests has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2011. The cherry on top, in the truest sense of the word, is a walk along the treetop path – a lovely autumn excursion for a few hours. The path at a height of 44 meters winds in two loops around a tree tower – over a distance of 540 meters. From up here the view extends to the heights of the Harz Mountains and the Thuringian Forest. There are also numerous species of birds, bats and even 60 wild cats to discover on the circular paths down in the forest – perfect for families with children.

4. Rhineland-Palatinate: On the Weinsteig through vines, forests and rocks

The The largest contiguous forest area in the republic is in the southwest: the Palatinate. In autumn the wine region has a very special charm. Because along the hiking routes, not only the leaves of the Palatinate Forest, but also the vines shine in shades of red and gold. In between there are a number of castles, ruins and picturesque villages. Federweißer is offered everywhere.

The 170 kilometer long Weinsteig is considered the most varied tour, which leads in eleven stages from Bockenheim via Bad Dürkheim, Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Burrweiler, Dernbach, Klingenmünster to Bad Bergzabern and finally toSilence-Rechtenbach. If you don’t have a lot of time and prefer to do day tours, try the 18.5 kilometer long Hauensteiner Höhenweg, the 20 kilometer long lake hike in Maimontland or the tour over the Großer Almersberg. The ideal combination for hikers who like wine.

5. Allgäu: Colorful sea of ​​leaves at Freibergsee

Oberstdorf is the southernmost municipality in Germany and lies at an altitude of 813 meters in the Allgäu. The seven-kilometer route to Freibergsee is considered one of the most beautiful autumn hikes. To get to the highest bathing lake in the Allgäu, you need sure-footedness and a bit of fitness.

But the reward is generous: colorful sea of ​​leaves as far as the eye can see, distant views as far as the Swiss Alps. From the west of Oberstdorf the path leads over the Bessernberg Bridge, the Waldesruhe and the Bergkristall up to the Edmung-Probst-Weg. At the lake, the right bank path leads to the next highlight, the Heini-Klopfer ski jumping hill, one of the largest ski jump facilities in the world. We continue along the steep but well-developed forest path to the lower Renkensteg and over meadow paths back to Oberstdorf.

6. Chiemgau: Exhilaration on the Hochplatte

Just a few kilometers from Lake Chiemsee lies the 1,568 meter high Hochplatte in the Bavarian Alps. It is a neighboring mountain to the Kampenwand, which is known for its jagged rocky ridge, the largest summit cross in the Bavarian Alps and the catchy rhyme “I like to go up the Kampenwand when I know my Wamp’n”.

The special thing about the two to three hour climb to the Hochplatte is the view: from the hiking car park in Rottau you go through meadows and colorful forests, with Lake Chiemsee to the north. To the east, after the Chiemgau mountains, the Berchtesgaden giants rise into the sky, to the west the rocks of the Kampenwand are enchanting. And if you stop at the Piesenauer Hochalm after climbing to the summit and sit on the south terrace, you will have the Austrian Kaiser Mountains in front of your nose. The view wanders in the clear autumn air to the Hohe Tauern, to the snow-covered Großglockner and the Großvenediger. If the 1000 meters of altitude are too much for you, you can take the Hoch Plattenbahn from Marquartstein and shorten the tour to an hour’s walking time.

7. Swabian Alb: Baden-Württemberg at its best

It doesn’t always have to be the Alps: the Swabian Alb is also a highlight for hiking. The 200-kilometer-long low mountain range in southern Germany attracts visitors with beech, oak, maple and ash forests, which reveal their true beauty in autumn. The small town of Wurmlingen lies between Rottenburg am Neckar and Tübingen at the foot of the UNESCO Swabian Alb Biosphere Reserve. The region is also called Fruchteaves – because of its orchard landscapes, vineyards, rivers and eaves heights and has a number of hiking trails that can be decorated with the Premiumweg hiking seal.

For families, for example, the promising Wurmlinger Kapellenwegle am Fruchteaufle is ideal. The walking trail can also be expanded into an easy circular tour, which begins and ends at the Rottenburg-Wurmlingen chapel car park. In the direction of Hirschau you go to a hairpin bend to the left into the forest, up to the Hohenzollernblick viewing point. With a view of Hohenzollern Castle, the path leads through vineyard terraces to an educational wine trail. A little further up and you will reach the highest point and the summit chapel, which is open on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is a fantastic panorama up here: from the Ammertal over the Neckar valley to the Albtrauf and the silhouette of Hohenzollern Castle – all bathed in the warm light of golden October.