Join us today as we explore one of the most underrated National Parks in Germany: The Bavarian Forest. Whether you’re seeking a quick weekend escape or planning your annual summer vacation, hiking through the Bavarian Forest treats you to breathtaking panoramic views of the lush, dark green treetops, stunning lakes, and cascading waterfalls. The bonus? You can soak in all this beauty during the holiday season without dealing with the crazy crowds over in the Bavarian Alps.
In this blog post, we’re presenting a comprehensive hiking guide, showcasing the absolute best trail in the Bavarian Forest in an underrated Nationalpark in Germany. While it may no longer be a hidden gem, the hike to the majestic Großer Arber mountain is a bucket list experience on your journey through this part of Germany. We spiced things up by throwing in a detour and loop around the adorable kleiner Arbersee. We‘d totally pick the same route again without even hesitating.
Would you like to learn more about a short trip to the Bavarian Forest? Check out our blog post here with the 8 most beautiful destinations:
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Quick Overview: Hiking Guide for the Bavarian Forest National Park in Germany
- Where to Start & Finish: Park your car here in Bayerisch Eisenstein
- Parking Fee: 4 euros for an all-day pass
- Length: 14 km (8,7 miles)
- Time Needed: 3.5 to 4.5 hours (without breaks)
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Elevation Gain: 680 m (2.230 ft)
Pit Stops: Seehäusl by the kleiner Arbersee, Chamer Hütte, Arberschutzhaus, Eisensteiner Hütte, or the mountain hut Berghaus Sonnenfels
Starting Off in the Bavarian Forest National Park: Exploring kleiner Arbersee
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So, your adventure kicks off at the parking lot near the cable car station for Großer Arber. At the beginning, you’re treading the same path that leads to the top of Großer Arber. After around 20 minutes, you’ll take a right onto a forest trail, following the signs guiding you toward the charming kleiner Arbersee.
The signage along the trail to the Kleiner Arbersee is solid, most of the time you follow the red and white markers of trail Lo3. However, even with this assurance, we still rely on our trusty hiking app, Komoot, for guidance. (although, sometimes we still manage to go off-track – blame it on us, not Komoot).
The way to the Kleiner Arbersee gently winds through a beautiful forest. The trail is pretty easy to handle, though you might come across some rocky spots here and there. Besides the starting part, the uphill parts are quite doable.
Circular route around Kleiner Arbersee
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The most epic panoramic view in the Bavarian Forest National Park in Germany
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Moving on to the second part – this one’s a bit of a challenge. You’ll be going uphill almost the entire way. That’s why we recommend taking a break at the mountain hut Chamer Hütte, which is conveniently situated halfway between Kleiner Arbersee and the summit of Großer Arber. We kind of made a huge rookie mistake and indulged a bit too much at Seehäusl with schnitzel and dumplings. Let’s just say, the climb afterward was quite the workout.
After passing the Chamer Hut, the forest begins to thin out, and you can already see the peaks of the radar installation on Großer Arber. By the way, the radar installation was set up during the Cold War to monitor air traffic to the east.
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Reaching the Summit: The highlight of your hike in the Bavarian Forest National Park in Germany
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Upon reaching Großer Arber, we were absolutely amazed by the breathtaking view that greeted us. There’s a 2 km circular route on Arber that takes you past all five summit peaks: the main summit with its summit cross, the Bodenmaiser Riegel, the Kleiner Seeriegel, the Großer Seeriegel, and the Bärenriegel. Among them, our personal favorite was the Bodenmaiser Riegel, also known as the Richard-Wagner-Kopf due to its uncanny resemblance to Richard Wagner, a renowned German composer and writer.
Below the summit, you’ll also find the little Arber Chapel, which was initially built in 1806 and has been renewed numerous times since.
After enjoying the view, you can refuel at either the Arberschutzhaus or the Eisensteiner Hütte.
If you’re traveling with a group and in search of an exceptional experience, consider renting the Zwieseler Hütte. This mountain hut accommodates 30-35 people and is only available for groups. It’s a self-catering lodge, so you’ll be responsible for your culinary delights.
Making your way down from Großer Arber back to the valley
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We suggest kicking off this hike in the early hours. Not necessarily because it gets super crowded, but because you’ll have the flexibility to decide at the hike’s end whether to catch the cable car down from Großer Arber or go by foot. Our initial plan was to hop on the cable car, but we ended up running behind schedule and got even further delayed due to all the photo stops we couldn’t resist. That resulted in another hour of hiking down the gravel road to the valley station – but honestly, the stunning views more than compensated for the extra time.
One-way ticket: 12 € per person,
Round-trip: 15 € per person
Opening times in the summer: 9:00 am to 4:30 pm.
In search of a place to stay in the Bavarian Forest? Check out the options below. The link redirects you to booking.com (* Affiliate-Link):
We hope you have a fantastic time on this beautiful hike through this underrated National Park in Germany. Feel free to leave a comment or ask questions. And if you’re looking for more hiking and travel guides for Germany, consider subscribing to our newsletter so you never miss a blog post. Below you will find more blog posts about Germany, such as your short trip to the Bavarian Forest with the 8 most beautiful destinations or Panoramahotel Oberjoch, as a very nice wellness hotel in the Allgäu.
