Karlsruhe Ridge near Ottenhöfen

This is how you imagine the Black Forest 👍What a beautiful little circle I found there. At 27 degrees through shady forests, past picturesque waterfalls, I ran to Karlsruher Grad, a small 🧗‍♂️ via ferrata, which is the only one in the Black Forest. For a good 200m we scrambled over the rocky slope, with no need for safety. It was fun, but rather very easy. After 2 well-deserved licorice bargains, I treated myself to a victory pose 😅We went back through forests and over kitschy meadows to picturesque Ottenhöfen. Enjoyed a well-deserved beer in the sun at the campsite 🍻🌞

Even if there are many: one of Germany's most beautiful hiking trails in 2023, next to "HochGehAdelt". And I was there! 😄 Exhausting, hot, sweaty. We didn't miss a schnapps fountain and once again conquered the spectacular Eichhaldenfirst with climbing novices without falling. Check. And finally, in Ottenhöfen, a more than deserved cold glass. Brilliant!

The Karlsruher Grat is an approximately 700m long ridge near Ottenhöfen. It is not a classic via ferrata because there are no iron steps or guide ropes. In addition, the path over the rugged rocks is not marked, i.e. you have to be careful where you scramble along. Appropriate footwear makes climbing much easier! The climbing rocks were the highlight of today's tour, because we had a lot of fun when we slowly worked our way over the ridge, sometimes on all fours, over the rock with good grip. The Karlsruher Grat is part of the gourmet path of the same name. A premium tour that also has a gorge and waterfalls (Gottschlaegbach at the Edelfrauengrab) and the “Brennte Schrofen” viewing platform. The highest point of the tour is at 820m at the Gasthaus Bosenstein. We found the way down to the valley to be tedious. Almost 500 HM it was mostly steep and straight downhill. That went on knees and ligaments. On the other hand, the beginning of the tour is completely different, where the path leads through varied serpentines from Ottenhöfen to the noblewoman's grave.

You can get an Alpine feeling in the Black Forest on the "Karlsruhe Grat pleasure trail" in Ottenhöfen. The absolute highlight is the very cool via ferrata with a gigantic view and some exciting passages. The picturesque gorges and the Edelfrauengrab waterfalls also make you feel happy. Now in summer it is pleasant that large parts of the route run through the shady forest. It is still warm though and so hardly anyone can resist the cool drinks at the numerous huts. Tip: bring change with you, the appropriate amount will be put into a small box.

Very nice tour for everyone who is good on foot. Starting from the Murhof campsite in Ortenhöfen, we entered the official Karlsruher Grat gourmet trail. Beautiful circular tour with romantic waterfalls and krixel-kraxel paths over the Karlsruhe ridge. At several drinking points on the tour you can get water, shandy and a schnapps for little money. We recommend!

The official tour direction (as here) is recommended. Climbing up is much easier than climbing down. 🙂 You should not be afraid of heights and have some climbing experience. There is no rope safety, although you can see some metal eyelets in the rock from earlier times.

Please ignore the time spent moving and the average; my GPS doesn't mesh well with komoot. My time spent moving is almost 4 hours at 3.2 km/h.

As a "movement dyslexic" I read in the description that there is a short stretch of via ferrata without safety equipment... This leads to a rumbling stomach, even in the morning... what the heck, let's go on an adventure, there is an alternative way around. The breathtaking climb over the Edelfrauengrab waterfalls is a wonderful distraction... so worth seeing... but nothing helps, at some point we were at the top of the ridge... try it or go around it??? Let me put it this way, I do have a few mountain goat genes in me... and therefore certainly deserve the bronze medal... yes, yes, you climbing kings, it's all a piece of cake for you, but I'm a little proud of myself and of my better half, who said good things about me.