The Westweg ("West Way" or "West Trail") is a long-distance hiking trail in Germany, running north–south through the Black Forest from Pforzheim to Basel. The trail is around 285 km long, and was founded in 1900. It is currently maintained under the auspices of the Black Forest Club. The trail symbol is a red lozenge on a white background. The Westweg is a part of the European Long-distance Trail E1 (North Cape, Norway - Sicily) The route passes through or near numerous villages or small towns, so there is no difficulty in finding overnight accommodation and meals along the route. It would actually require more planning to walk it while staying in youth hostel-type accommodation, or camping. There are a number of services that will transport your luggage to the next accommodation by vehicle, leaving the hikers with only their daypacks for the hike. The route can be accessed at several places along its length by road or public transport, so it is easy to walk part of it or to do day walks along its route.
Route Description
The Westweg begins in Pforzheim, then leads through the Enz valley to the Dobel, then through wide forests and moors to the Hohloh. After descending into the Murg valley, the trail climbs to the highest point in the northern Black Forest, the Hornisgrinde. The next section follows the Schwarzwaldhochstraße (Black Forest High Street) to Alexanderschanze, and then through the Kinzig valley to Hausach. After a steep climb the Westweg leads from the Martinskapelle (the source of the Breg) to Kalten Herberge, the European continental divide between the Rhine and Danube rivers. At the Feldberg saddle the Westweg forks into an eastern and a western section. The western route (Variation A) runs over the Feldberg, Belchen, and Blauen to Kandern, then through the Wolfschlucht to the Wiese valley, and on to Basel. The eastern section (Variation B) branches southward to the second highest mountain in the Black Forest, the Herzogenhorn, over the pass between the Wehra and Wiese valleys, toward the Hohe Möhr, by Weil am Rhein and down the Rhine valley to Basel.
History The current Westweg was created in 1900 by the Baden Section of the Schwarzwaldverein (Black Forest Society). Proposals for the creation of a north–south hiking trail along the crest of the Black Forest go back to 1894.
The Westweg, which was complemented by the Ostweg (East Trail) from Pforzheim to Schaffhausen and the Mittelweg (Middle Trail) from Pforzheim to Waldshut in 1903, has become the model for many other long-distance hiking trails.
On December 15, 2006 the Westweg was awarded the certification of "Qualitätsweg Wanderbares Deutschland".Description of qualification criteria and the certified paths at www.wanderbares-deutschland.de (Quality Trail of Hikable Germany). In order to meet a criterion for this certification, that no more than 20% of the trail could be paved, several stretches of the trail had to be relocated or rebuilt in a more natural setting.
Dayhikes/Stages
Stages Shared by Variations A and B
First Stage: Pforzheim–Dobel
Main Variant 24 km, c. 6 hours walking time Location/AttractionsDistance in kmElevation in metresAdditional Information Pforzheim-Kupferhammer 0 254 Starting point of the three Black Forest long-distance trails, the Westweg (Pforzheim - Basel), Mittleweg (Pforzheim - Waldshut), and the Ostweg (Pforzheim - Schaffhausen) Dillweißenstein 2.5 270 Schloss Neuenbürg 9.5 390 Neuenbürg, Marketplace 0.5 323 Buchberg, Adventure playground 0.5 460 to Neuenbürg Westweg rejoins the pre-2006 higher variation Schwanner Warte 3.0 480 to Straubenhardt Glider port Herzogswiesen 1.0 520 Dreimarkstein (Three March Stone) 3.5 660 Shelter hut Named because of the boundary stones for the communities of Dobel, Dennach (part of Neuenbürg), and Conweiler (part of Straubenhardt). Volzemer Stein 1.5 660 Boulder field Dobel 2.0 720 Observation tower
Higher Variant
In 2006 the first stage of the Westweg was relocated. The former stage is now marked as the "High Variation"
Location/AttractionsDistance in kmElevation in MetersAdditional Information Pforzheim-Kupferhammer 0 254 Starting point of the three Black Forest long-distance trails, the Westweg (Pforzheim - Basel), Mittleweg (Pforzheim - Waldshut), and the Ostweg (Pforzheim - Schaffhausen) Pforzheim-Dillstein 2.0 270 Sonnenberg 1.0 340 Birkenfeld 2.0 358 Wilhelmshöhe 6.5 429 to Neuenbürg Buchberg–Adventure playground 0.5 460 to Neuenbürg Higher variation rejoins the Westweg.
Second Stage: Dobel–Forbach 25 km, c. 6.5 hours walking time Location/AttractionsDistance in kmElevation in MetersAdditional Information Dobel 0 720 Observation tower Weithäusle 5.0 823 Shelter hut Schweizerkopfhütte 1.5 835 Observation pavilion Hahnenfalzhütte 4.0 876 Hut of the Bad Herrenalb ski club Absetze 1.5 917 Kreuzlehütte 2.0 852 Hohlohturm 2.0 986 Kaiser Wilhelm-Turm observation tower, Shelter hut 500m side trip to the Hohlohsee (a bog). Prinzenhütte 1.5 976 Shelter hut Latschigfelsen 2.5 762 Gausbach 3.0 306 Suburb of Forbach Forbach 1.0 303
Third Stage: Forbach–Unterstmatt 19 km, c. 5.5 hours walking time Location/AttractionsDistance in kmElevation in MetersAdditional Information Forbach 0 303 Auf Wegscheiden 5.0 751 Herrenwieser See 1.5 834 Glacial cirque from the last glacial period, c. 9 m deep, c. 600 m circumference. Bussemer Denkstein (Bussem Monument) 1.0 1003 Philipp Bussemer Badener Höhe 2.0 1004 Großherzog-Friedrich-Turm observation tower Herrenwieser Saddle 1.1 879 Sand 2.6 828 to Bühl Schwarzwaldhochstraße (B 500) Hundseck 1.8 856 Hochkopf 3.0 1041 Unterstmatt 1.0 928
Fourth Stage: Unterstmatt–Alexanderschanze 27.5 km, c. 7 hours walking time Location/AttractionsDistance in kmElevation in MetersAdditional Information Unterstmatt 0 928 Ochsenstall 2.0 1036 Inn for skiers and hikers Hornisgrinde 1.0 1164 Mummelsee 2.0 1034 Seibelseckle 1.5 956 Darmstädter Hütte 3.0 1020 Seekopf 0.5 1040 View of the Wildsee and the grave of Orientalist Julius Euting Ruhestein 2.5 915 Schwarzwaldhochstraße (B 500) Schliffkopf 4.0 1055 Zuflucht 7,5 963 Former hotel, then a youth hostel, currently closed Alexanderschanze 3,5 968 Crosses the B 28
Fifth Stage: Alexanderschanze–Auf der Hark 18 km, c. 4.5 hours walking time
This stage and the next can be completed in one day by experienced hikers. Location/AttractionsDistance in kmElevation in metresAdditional Information Alexanderschanze 0 968 Am kalten Haupt 2.5 936 Hildahütte 2.0 914 Lettstädter Höhe 3.0 968 Lake-level above the Glaswaldsee 1.5 960 Side trip to viewpoint over the Glaswaldsee Freiersbergsattel 2.0 752 Crosses the pass road Schapbach–Bad Peterstal Littweger Höhe 2.5 843 Shelter hut. Crosses the Gengenbach–Alpirsbach Black Forest Trail Auf der Hark 4.5 700 Farm bed and breakfast– to Oberharmersbach
Sixth Stage: Auf der Hark–Hausach 16.5 km, c. 4 hours walking time
This stage and the previous one can be completed in one day by experienced hikers. Location/AttractionsDistance in kmElevation in MetersAdditional Information Auf der Hark 0 700 Kreuzsattelhütte 3.0 738 Trail forks to Brandenkopf 0.2 735 Marked variant: The Brandenkopf is about 3.5 km from the Westweg. Hirzwasen 1.8 735 Crosses the Great Hansjokob Path Ebenacker 2.0 620 Hohenlochen-Hütte 2.5 689 Simple hiker's hut Käppelehof 0.3 640 Farm bed and breakfast Weißes Kreuz 0.2 570 Spitzfelsen 2.0 580 Schutzhütte Hausach 4.5 237
Seventh Stage: Hausach–Wilhelmshöhe (above Schonach) 21.5 km, c. 5.5 hours walking time Location/AttractionsDistance in kmElevation in MetersAdditional Information Hausach 0 237 Husen Castle ruins 0.5 288 Farrenkopf / Hasemann Hut 5.5 790 Shelter hut named after artist, Wilhelm Hasemann Büchereck 3.0 651 Haselberg 2.0 760 Crosses the Rottweil–Lahr Black Forest Trail Prechtaler Schanze 0.5 820 Huberfelsen 1.0 745 Viewpoint Fährlefelsen 0.5 755 Crosses the Rottweil–Lahr Black Forest Trail Karlstein 1.5 970 also: Hauenstein Named for the visit of Karl, Duke of Württemberg in 1770 Formerly a Vierländereck (Corner of Four Countries) - Baden, Württemberg, Fürstenberg and Vorderösterreich Schöne Aussicht 1,0 915 Inn Rensberg 3,0 940 Wilhelmshöhe 3,0 980 to Schonach
Eighth Stage: Wilhelmshöhe–Kalte Herberge 23.5 km, c. 6 hours walking time Location/AttractionsDistance in kmElevation in metresAdditional Information Wilhelmshöhe 0 976 Wolfsbauernhof 1.5 1023 Blindensee 1.5 1000 Bog Weißenbacher Höhe 2.5 1016 Martinskapelle 3.5 1094 The continental divide between the North Sea and the Black Sea. Near St. Martin's Chapel is the spring of the Breg, one of the sources of the Danube, and the Elz, one of the tributaries of the Rhine. Brend 3.0 1149 Highest point in the Central Black Forest. Observation tower Alte Ecke 2.5 1075 Winkel / Südlicher Staatsberg 2.0 1045 Beginning of a section shared with the Black Forest–Kaiserstuhl–Rhine Trail. Beim Staatsberghof 1.0 990 End of the section shared with the Black Forest-Kaiserstuhl-Rhine Trail Neueck 0.5 988 Saddle between Furtwangen and Glottertal Hausebene-Hof 2.0 940 Kalte Herberge 3.5 1029 Inn (on the continental divide: water flows off the roof in both directions.)
After the ninth stage these descriptions follow the pre-2006 route. Since then the fork between the eastern and western variations has moved to Titisee. The western branch leads from there over the ridge between Titisee and Hinterzarten toward Oberzarten. From there it follows the Emil Thomas Path to the peak of the Feldberg, where it rejoins its former route. After Kandern the trail now goes through the Wolfschlucht to Wollbach. The eastern variation follows its former path through the Bärental, the Zweiseenblick, the Cartitasheim, and then on toward Herzogenhorn
Ninth Stage: Kalte Herberge–Bärental (Pre-2006) 26.5 km, c. 6.5 hours walking time Location/AttractionsDistance in kmElevation in MetersAdditional Information Kalte Herberge 0 1029 Lachenhäusle 3.0 1080 Schweizerhof 3.5 1040 Inn Fürsatzhöhe 9.5 1071 Geigershof 1.5 940 Titisee 2.5 823 Crosses the Freiburg-Lake Constance Black Forest Trail Bärental 6.5 967 Highest Deutsche Bahn station on the trail
Variation A - Western Route
Tenth Stage: Bärental–Wiedener Eck (pre-2006) 24.5 km, c. 6 hours walking time Location/AttractionsDistance in kmElevation in MetersAdditional Information Bärental 0 967 Zweiseenblick 3.0 1284 Viewpoint over the Titisee and Schluchsee Feldberg-Caritasheim 2.5 1230 Plan time to stop at Feldsee (lake)! Feldbergerhof 1.5 1279 Bismarck-Denkmal 1.0 1448 View over the Feldsee Feldberg- Peak 2.0 1495 Highest point of the Westweg and the entire Black Forest. Stübenwasen 3.5 1241 Inn; incredible view about 1km toward Notschrei Notschrei 5.0 1121 Hotel; Nordic training area Am Trubelsmattkopf 2.5 1282 Wiedener Eck 3.5 1037 Hotel
Eleventh Stage: Wiedener Eck–Blauen (pre-2006) 21 km, c. 5.5 hours walking time Location/AttractionsDistance in kmElevation in MetersAdditional Information Wiedener Eck 0 1037 Krinne 4.0 1119 Belchen 2.0 1414 Café; view Hohe Kelch 1.5 1266 Haldenhof 3.5 900 Inn Sirnitz-Saddle 1.5 1073 Stühle 3.0 1049 Shelter hut Egerten-Saddle 3.0 927 Shelter hut Hochblauen 2.5 1167
Twelfth Stage: Blauen–Basel (pre-2006) 32.5 km, c. 8 hours walking time Location/AttractionsDistance in kmElevation in MetersAdditional Information Hochblauen 0 1167 Gasthause; Extensive views Hexenplatz 2.5 845 Sausenburg 3.5 665 Kandern 4.0 352 Egerten-Nebenau 6.0 456 Burg Rötteln 5.0 417 Castle; cafe Tüllingen 6.5 422 Suburb of Lörrach Basel 5.0 260
Variation B – Eastern Route
Tenth Stage: Bärental–Hochkopfhaus (pre-2006) 26.5 km, c. 7 hours walking time