Page Type Page Type: Mountain/Rock
Location Lat/Lon: 47.85790°N / 8.01070°E
Additional Information Elevation: 4898 ft / 1493 m
Sign the Climber's Log

Overview

The Feldberg is the highest summit of the Black Forest, twin mountain range of the Vosges located on either side of the Rhine valley.

With more enthusiasm than knowledge, it is called the highest mountain top in the Black Forest. Without a doubt it is the highest peak with its 1493 meters.

Yet a peak it is not – it is the highest elevation of a broad low mountain range, which is several kilometers long. Three round and wooded domes rise from this massif and the highest of the three is called "field mountain", Feldberg. On its top, there is a 21-meter-high tower with a radar station. There is also a meteorological station to be found here.

The mountain called "Baldenweger Buck" lies in the northeast of this dome. Aerials for NATO are installed here. In the southeast, you find the mountain called "Seebuck" (1448m), second highest mountain of the Black Forest, with a Bismarck memorial and a TV tower. On clear days you have a beautiful view as far as the Swiss mountain ranges.

Those mountains show no alpine characteristics. Roads lead up to all three of them. There are also a lot of hiking paths. In the eighteenth century Martin Gebert, the abbot of the monastery "St Blasien" mentioned that the mountain called "Feldberg" had better be called cattle mountain because there were so many rich pastures there. He added that herbs and specific roots grew among the grass especially in the higher region of these mountains which were useful both for curing and for fattening of the cattle.

In the year 1813 there were indeed six big shelters for animals near the top of the mountain. These shelters were not used only by cattle but also by hikers and people that gathered fungi when the weather was bad. Those shelters were replaced by houses made of stone which you find up there today. They are called the "Menzenschwander" or the "Todtnauer" house. Since the year 1891 people have gone in for winter sports in this region. There are 20 ski lifts around to take the skiers up the slopes.

The mountain has an excellent home page :Feldberg

Feldberg live cams

Black Forest

Until the Middle Ages the Black Forest was really and truly a dark forest- neither more nor less. It was as the Romans said a "silva nigra", a murky and almost impenetrable woodland. Only the highest mountains (the "Hornisgrinde" in the north, the "Feldberg" in the south) could be seen above the maze of trees.

This situation, however, changed in the late Middle Ages, when the huge fir trees and pine trees were all of a sudden used as lumber. The best tree trunks were tied together as huge rafts and taken down the River Rhine to the Netherlands.

A lot of wood was needed for the glass industry and for mining. The fuel to melt the minerals was cut down next to the mines.

That is why by the 17th century half of the forest was cut down and used as a source of energy. Many of the flourishing communities were turned into impoverished regions. Yet a positive side effect was that the region became more inviting and less hostile.

In the south more of the area is woodland again, consisting of different kinds of trees now, not only of fir and pine trees - and after the medieval phase of clearing the forest beautiful meadows have developed on slopes and in higher regions.

Thus after many changes the Black Forest presents itself as a collection of regions that are not distinctly separated from each other. In order to inform about this region, it makes things easier to divide the Black Forest up into three areas, the northern part, the middle and the southern part.

Getting There

By car or comfortably by bus:
Autobahn Stuttgart-Singen - exit Freiburg, take B 31 to exit Feldberg and take B 317 / B 500 to Feldberg

Autobahn Frankfurt-Basel, exit Freiburg-Mitte, take B 31 in the direction of Donaueschingen, exit Waldshut/Feldberg and take B 317 / B 500 to Feldberg

By train:
to Freiburg Hauptbahnhof and then take the famous Höllentalbahn (runs hourly) directly to Feldberg-Bärental (Germany's highest train station) or Feldberg-Altglashütten.

By plane:
Stuttgart, Basel oder Zurich airports, approx. a 1-hour-drive from Feldberg. Approx. 2,5 hours from Frankfurt airport.

Red Tape

No permits required!
Feldberg is the largest nature reserve in Baden-Württemberg.

 

When To Climb

It is always possible!

In Winter, the climb up to busy Seebuck (also used as Ski slope) can be rewarding. Unfortunately, it can get quite filled up with people and snowboard maniacs, who have to race through the restricted Plant & Tree area to get their extra kicks.

If you are looking for something like the "Matterhorn-North-Route", you are wrong ... but ...

... but in Todtnau, about 10km from Feldberg you can find a special area for training and new adventures...
Different routes and different grades available ...

Mountain Conditions

Weather on Feldberg

Web cam of Feldberg

Hikes on the Feldberg

- Feldberg-Nature tour:
Bismarckmonument (Topstation chairlift, 1448 m), Grüblesattel, over Emil- Thoma-Weg (Hochmoor) to Felsenpfad (wild and romantic, leads through the Feldseekessel), back to the chairlift departure 2,5 h.

- Feldberg-Hut tour:
From Bismarckmonument (chairlift top) to Grüblesattel, Feldberg-summit (1493 m), Down to St. Wilhelmer Hütte (highest Almhut in the Black Forest), Zastlerhütte, Baldenweger Hütte, Gasthaus Raimartihof, Feldsee, return over the Karl-Egon- Weg to the chairlitf departure - 4 h

- Feldberg-Summit tour:
From Bismarckmonument (chairlift top), over Television tower, Grüblesattel, Feldberg-summit (1 493 m) and back. 1,5 h

- Feldberg-Descent
From Bismarckmonument (chairlift), Fernsehturm, Grüblesattel, Natosträßle (beautiful view to Wiesental), descent to Feldberg-Ort (village), Eberlinweg, Feldbergchurch "Verklärung Christi" (Highest church of Germany), chairlift departure - 2 h.

- Feldberg-Feldsee-Tour:
From Bismarckmonument (chairlift), over Grüblesattel, Emil-Thoma-path, Gasthaus Raimartihof, Feldsee (former glacier-lake), Karl-Egon-path, chairlift departure - 3,5 h

Summit view

In the south, wonderful view on the Alps
Most important summits visible from E to W : Schesaplana (Austria), Säntis, Dammastock, Titlis, Finsteraarhorn, Eiger, Mönch, Jungfrau, Blümlisalp, Wildstrubel, Wildhorn, Oldenhorn, Diablerets, Aiguille Verte, Mont Blanc, Dents du Midi.
In the front in S direction : Jura mountains, and nearer, Herzogenhorn with its big summit cross.

In the W : Belchen and Schauinsland. Behind the Vosges (France) with Grand Ballon and Hohneck.

In the N : Kandel, Hornisgrinde, Sankt Peter, Sankt Märgen, Turner

Walk around the Feldberg in 9 days

Day 1. Arrive in Hinterzarten.

Day 2. Climb gently through the forest to the Feldsee lake, ending high on the shoulder of the Feldberg (9 miles).

Day 3. Climb to the summit of the Feldberg, follow the Westweg to a nature reserve and to Notschrei (8 miles). You can walk on to the Schauinsland viewpoint if you have time.

Day 4. Head west to a valley noted for its capercaillie and then through the forest. Climb the Belchen before descending to Wieden (11 miles).

Day 5. Across meadows and through forests to the Todtnau Waterfall, one of the most dramatic in the country, before continuing to Todtnau (14 miles).

Day 6. Walk to a waterfall, then climb up to the Hof-Eck Pass. Follow the Westweg south to the summit of Hochkopf before descending to Todtmoos-Strick (11 miles).

Day 7. First to a gorge, then over a pass. Follow the Old Monk's Road down to St. Blasien (cathedral) before continuing to Höchenschwand (14 miles).

Day 8. Almost entirely through magnificent forests, passing the Schwarzabruck lake on the way to Rothaus (9 miles).

Day 9. Enjoy views of the Schluchsee lake and the Feldberg before dropping down to Lenzkirch. Climb to the top of the Hochfirst before descending to Titisee (13 miles).

Huts

- Todtnauer Hut

- Sankt Wilhelmer Hut

- Zastler Hut

- Baldenweger Hut

- Seebuck Hut 10 mn from Feldsee
Hubert Oberle Tel.: (0049) 7676 -258

- Berghaus Lörracher Hut 79868 Feldberg Tel.07676/234 Fax.07676/213

- Emmendinger Hut
Jörn-Michael Reick Grafenmattweg 3,
D-79868 Feldberg-Ort
Tel.: (49) 07676/236
Fax.: (49) 07676/261
email: info(at)emmendinger-huette.de

- Raimartihof
Gasthof zum Feldsee
Familie Bernhard und Ruth Andris
D-79868 Feldberg Schwarzwald
Telefon 07676 / 226
Fax 07676 / 249

Camping

Campingplatz Bankenhof

A.u.G. Schubnell
Bruderhalde 31
D-79822 Titisee
Deutschland - Germany

Tel. 0049 (0)7652 -1351
Fax 0049 (0)7652 - 5907
Info@Bankenhof.de

Ski resort Feldberg

Ski resort Feldberg : 29 lifts, 50 km slopes.

For many years a lot of tourists have gone skiing to the Black Forest. Skiing has got a long tradition: The first patented in the world was invented here in the Black Forest - as far as we know today.

It was invented in the winter of 1906/07 in Schollach, north of Titisee Neustadt. The lift was 280m long, covered a difference in height above sea level of 32m and it was operated by a water mill.

It was the physician, doctor Tholu, who got hold of the first pair of skis. Mr. Tholu had worked as a physician on a ship in Norway and he heard there that Frithjof Nansen, the explorer of the Arctic region, had walked across Greenland wearing snowshoes.

Thinking of his medical practice in the snow-covered Black Forest, the country doctor thought - What is good for Greenland cannot be bad for the Black Forest and in 1888 he ordered snowshoes in Norway.

Yet he could not get used to them and feeling disappointed he put them up into the attic. In the meantime, the inhabitants of Todtnau had a new idea. They wanted to climb the Feldberg in winter. The doctor got his skis down from the attic and tried them again, together with friends. Finally, Frithjof Nansen was personally asked to provide genuine Norwegian snowshoes - and in 1891 he did. Since then people have skied in the Black Forest. The Todtnau ski club was founded and Nansen became its first honorary member. In the following year, an obstacle race on skis took place and after that postmen were equipped with skis - following the doctor's example.

This skiing club was the forerunner of the Black Forest skiing club, which was turned into the German skiing association in 1905.

 

Lakes

- A romantic lake called "Feldsee" is situated in a height of 1111m above sea level in this massif. It was formed during the ice age The lake is 300m in diameter and 33m deep. Several creeks fill it with water. One rivulet called "Seebach" leaves the lake and connects it with the lake called "Titisee". In the area where this rivulet leaves the lake there are swamps.

- Windgfaellweiher approx. 5km is from the local part Feldberg Altglashuetten distant. The nice forest bathing beach is opened from June to end of the summer.

- The Titisee is probably the most well-known lake upper Black Forest.
You find Boats inviting to trips, nice Restaurants, Railwaystation and more...
The open-air swimming pool of the municipality (with heated basin) is opened the whole summer.

- The Schluchsee as the largest lake in the Black Forest, is an artificial lake.
Whether you like swimming, surfing, diving, fishing, sailing; the Schluchsee is in any case worth a daily trip. In most places of the lake you can jump in the cool wet, special mention earned here the leisure time swimming pool Aquafun which is in the municipality of the lake...

 

Todtnau Waterfall

The Waterfall at Todtnau is 97 metres high, and romantically embedded in nature. It is Germany's highest waterfall, and belongs to the 10 most beautiful works of nature in Germany.



Children

Children

Children refers to the set of objects that logically fall under a given object. For example, the Aconcagua mountain page is a child of the 'Aconcagua Group' and the 'Seven Summits.' The Aconcagua mountain itself has many routes, photos, and trip reports as children.

Parents 

Parents

Parents refers to a larger category under which an object falls. For example, theAconcagua mountain page has the 'Aconcagua Group' and the 'Seven Summits' asparents and is a parent itself to many routes, photos, and Trip Reports.