Westweg hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The Westweg is the oldest and best-known long-distance trail in the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) in south-west Germany. It runs for about 285 km from Pforzheim, at the northern edge of the Black Forest, to Basel in Switzerland, mostly along the main ridge. The Schwarzwaldverein, the Black Forest hiking club, marked it in 1900, and it is still waymarked in both directions with a red diamond on a white background. It has been a certified quality trail ("Qualitätsweg Wanderbares Deutschland") since 2006. On the western variant you climb about 8,000 m in total, cross the highest summits of the Black Forest and pass through the Black Forest National Park. Most walkers go north to south and take 12 to 14 days.

The route

The trail starts at the Westweg portal at Kupferhammer in Pforzheim and climbs through the Enz valley past Neuenbürg castle to Dobel. The second day crosses the high moors of Kaltenbronn and drops steeply into the Murg valley at Forbach, with its old wooden bridge. From there the path climbs past the Schwarzenbach dam to Unterstmatt on the Schwarzwaldhochstraße, the scenic high road. Stage 4 is the wildest of the north: over the Hornisgrinde plateau, past the Mummelsee and through the Black Forest National Park to the Schliffkopf and the Alexanderschanze. The Westweg then follows quiet ridges to the Harkhof farm and down into the Kinzig valley at Hausach, the halfway point.

South of Hausach a long climb leads to the Wilhelmshöhe above Schonach, then over the Brend and past the Martinskapelle and the spring of the Breg, one of the sources of the Danube, to the old inn at the Kalte Herberge. Stage 9 descends to the Titisee, where the trail splits. The western variant, followed in this guide, goes over the Feldberg (1,493 m), the highest point of the walk, to the Notschrei and the Wiedener Eck, then over the Belchen and the Blauen with wide views of the Rhine plain and, on clear days, the Alps. It ends through the vineyards of the Markgräflerland, past Burg Rötteln and over the Tüllinger Berg into Basel. The eastern variant, about the same length, crosses the Herzogenhorn, the Hohe Möhr and the Dinkelberg and takes 13 stages in total.

This guide follows the western variant as mapped on OpenStreetMap and splits it into 12 official stages, about 23.7 km each.

Highlights

• Hornisgrinde and Mummelsee: open moorland, the highest point of the northern Black Forest and a dark legend-filled lake
• Black Forest National Park: storm-damaged forest left to grow wild along the Lotharpfad and the Schliffkopf ridge
• Hausach: the castle ruin of Burg Husen above a small town in the Kinzig valley
• Brend and the Breg spring: rolling high pastures and one of the sources of the Danube near the Martinskapelle
• Titisee: the glacial lake where the routes divide
• Feldberg: the highest mountain in Germany outside the Alps, with a nature reserve and views to the Alps
• Belchen and Blauen: two of the great Black Forest summits, with views over the Rhine valley to the Vosges
• Tüllinger Berg: the first view of Basel from the Ottilienkirche on the last day

When to walk the Westweg

The season is from May to October. In early summer the meadows are in flower, and September and early October bring clear air and the best long views. July and August are busy at weekends. On the high ridges snow can lie from November to April, many inns close for a few weeks in November, and the bookable trekking camps are open only from 1 May to 31 October. Thunderstorms are common on summer afternoons, and mist and wind can come in fast on the Hornisgrinde, the Feldberg and the Belchen.

How many days do you need?

The official planner has 12 stages on the western variant, from about 16 to 32 km a day; the eastern variant has 13. Fit walkers manage it in 11 or 12 days, but 13 or 14 days are more relaxed: many walkers split the long stages at Unterstmatt to Alexanderschanze (Ruhestein or Schliffkopf), Hinterzarten to Wiedener Eck (Notschrei) and Wiedener Eck to Kandern (Haldenhof). Because most stage ends have a bus or train station, the Westweg is also easy to walk in sections over several trips.

Getting there and logistics

Pforzheim has fast trains from Karlsruhe and Stuttgart. The trail ends at Basel Badischer Bahnhof, the German station in Basel, with trains back to Freiburg and Karlsruhe. Hausach (Black Forest Railway), Forbach (Murg valley railway) and Titisee and Hinterzarten (Höllental railway) are on railway lines, so you can join or leave the trail there. Many hosts in the Black Forest give you the free KONUS guest card, which lets you use buses and trains in the holiday region during your stay.

You do not need a permit, and walking is free. You sleep in village inns (Gasthäuser), small hotels, guesthouses and some walkers' hostels (Wanderheime); some stage ends, such as the Harkhof, the Wilhelmshöhe and the Kalte Herberge, are a single inn on the trail, so book them early and check their rest days and winter breaks. Wild camping is not allowed in the national park and the Feldberg reserve; use campsites or the trekking camps, which must be booked online. Several tour companies sell the Westweg with baggage transfer between inns.

Germany uses the euro and Basel the Swiss franc. Cards are widely accepted, but carry cash for small inns and farm cafés. Mobile signal is good on most ridges but patchy in deep valleys and forest. Pack waterproofs, a warm layer, sun protection, sturdy boots and two litres of water: there are long stretches without a shop.

Difficulty

The Westweg is a moderate to demanding walk. There is no climbing, but the daily climbs are big: stage 7 out of Hausach climbs more than 1,000 m, and the descents from the Hornisgrinde, the Belchen and the Blauen are steep and rocky in places. Paths are a mix of forest roads, narrow trails, roots and stony steps. Waymarking is very good. Ticks are common, and the Black Forest is a risk area for tick-borne encephalitis, so check yourself every evening. In an emergency call 112 for the ambulance and the Bergwacht Schwarzwald (mountain rescue).

History

The Schwarzwaldverein, founded in 1864, marked the Westweg in 1900 as the first long-distance trail in the Black Forest, followed by the Mittelweg and the Ostweg. The route has changed in many places since then, moving off roads onto paths. In 2025 the club celebrated 125 years of the Westweg with a stage walk from Pforzheim to Basel and a festival at St. Märgen.