Day 1: Arrival

Make your own way by car to the first hotel of the walk in Stühlingen or Blumberg, or travel by train to Waldshut-Tiengen or Donaueschingen and continue by public bus or taxi to the first hotel. Free parking at the hotel.

Day 2: Walk from Stühlingen to Blumberg

The Schluchtensteig begins at the church in Stühlingen, right by the German-Swiss border, follows the Wutach and winds steeply through the Wutachflühen up to the Buchberg. Sheer rock walls up to 100 m high rise on either side of the path; from the top you enjoy deep views back over the section you’ve just walked, as well as far-reaching vistas towards the Feldberg and the Swiss Alps to the south. From the Buchberg it’s on to the end of the stage in Blumberg (approx. 540 metres of ascent, 19 km, 5½ hrs).

Day 3: Walk from Blumberg to Schattenmühle

Today’s strenuous stage begins with an impressive natural spectacle: the Schleifenbach plunges into the steep valley in several cascades. The trail first leads through a gentler valley landscape to Achdorf, but shortly after the Wutachmühle sawmill at the confluence with the Gauchach the character changes: the Wutach Gorge narrows and grows wilder, and the path becomes damp and slippery. Up and down, at times right beside the water and then high above on a narrow rocky path, the Schluchtensteig leads through this 13 km section, adventurous in parts, and finally ends at the Schattenmühle, which invites a well-earned rest (approx. 380 metres of ascent, 20 km, 6 hrs).

Day 4: Walk from Bonndorf to Schluchsee

After a short, gradual ascent the Schluchtensteig once again reaches meadows and fields, then returns to the Wutach and contours along the hillside to the Stallegger Brücke, where one of Germany’s oldest hydroelectric plants has been supplying power since 1895 (with a brief interruption from 1980-2000).

After the Gutach flows in, you walk through the Haslachschlucht and soon reach the spa town of Lenzkirch; the trail then climbs through spruce forest to Fischbach, a high-lying district of Schluchsee (approx. 600 metres of ascent, 18 km, 5 hrs).

Day 5: Walk from Schluchsee to St. Blasien

From the small mountain village of Fischbach the Schluchtensteig climbs briefly to the Bildstein, a superb viewpoint above the Schluchsee, then drops to the lakeshore, which it follows for a while. From the Unterkrummenhof, a beautifully situated Black Forest wayside inn, the Schluchtensteig now climbs steadily but not steeply to the Krummenkreuz, at 1148 m the highest point of the entire route; shortly afterwards you reach Muchenland, a high valley with isolated farmsteads.

Soon after, the trail reaches the hamlet of Blasiwald-Althütte; high pastures dotted with lingonberry and blueberry bushes line the way, which now descends steeply to the Windbergschlucht. Shortly afterwards you reach the stage end at St. Blasien, dominated by an imposing cathedral (approx. 550 metres of ascent, 20 km, 6 hrs).

Day 6: Walk from St. Blasien to Todtmoos

From the spa town of St. Blasien the trail climbs straight up to the Lehenkopf at 1039 m, where the view from the wooden lookout tower rewards the effort. Woodland and meadows now alternate, with isolated farms along the way, and the Schluchtensteig passes the high-plateau hamlets of Horbach and Ibach, then zigzags down into the Hohwehraschlucht. This small wooded gorge leads directly to the spa town of Todtmoos (approx. 560 m, 19 km, 6 hrs).

Day 7: Walk from Todtmoos to Wehr

The final stage of the Schluchtensteig now mostly follows the Wehra, gentle and pastoral at first. Beyond Todtmoos-Au the Wehraschlucht begins and the path changes character, running beside rock faces, at times a little alpine. Rocky slopes rise up to 200 m and the Wehra now roars powerfully to the Wehrastausee. Shortly after this the Schluchtensteig reaches the town of Wehr, where the day’s stage and, after a total of 120 km, the wonderful walk finally ends (approx. 460 metres of ascent, 22 km, 7 hrs).

Day 8: Departure

Departure by train (stations Wehr-Brennet or Schopfheim) or return to your car in Stühlingen or Blumberg; returning to your car by public bus and train is free of charge.

The Schluchtensteig runs in 7 stages from Stühlingen/Blumberg to Wehr. Along the Wutach and Wehra, narrow, sometimes slippery gorge paths alternate with open high-level trails, with views reaching as far as the Feldberg and the Alps. Stops include Wutachflühen, Schattenmühle, Lenzkirch, Schluchsee with Bildstein, St. Blasien with its cathedral, and Todtmoos. Around 120 km in the southern Black Forest. A linear walk with hotel changes. A good level of fitness and sure-footedness are required.