Mittelweg

Mittelweg
Trailheads
Historical signage on the Mittelweg near Furtwangen

The Mittelweg ("Middle Way") is a north–south long-distance path which runs through the Black Forest from Pforzheim to Waldshut. It is about 230 kilometres long and was established in 1903. Since then it has been maintained and sponsored by the Black Forest Club. Its waymark is a red diamond with a white bar on a white background.

Description

From Pforzheim the path initially runs over the plateau between the Enz and Nagold valleys. Passing the raised bogs of the Northern Black Forest it goes to Freudenstadt and continues through the Central Black Forest via the Fohrenbühl and St. Georgen to the Hochfirst. In the Southern Black Forest the ‘’Mittelweg’’ passes through the valleys of the Schwarza and Schlücht (western branch) or Mettma (eastern branch) and reaches the High Rhine at Waldshut.

Route

Overview of the stages of the Mittelweg
No. Start of stage End of stage Route
(km) 		Walking time
(h)
1. Pforzheim Bad Wildbad 23 5.5
2. Bad Wildbad Besenfeld 31 8
3. Besenfeld Oberzwieselberg 26 6.5
4. Oberzwieselberg Schiltach 25 6
5. Schiltach St. Georgen 30.5 7.5
6. St. Georgen Kalte Herberge 25.5 6.5
7. Kalte Herberge Lenzkirch 25.5 6.5
8.A Lenzkirch Häusern 20 5
9.A Häusern Waldshut 23 5.5
8.B Lenzkirch Rothaus 13 3.5
9.B Rothaus Waldshut 29 7

Common stages: Pforzheim – Lenzkirch

1st Stage: Pforzheim – Bad Wildbad

  • Distance: 23 km
  • Journey time: c. 5.5 hours
No. Place/Attraction Route
(km) 		Height
(m above NHN) 		Further information
1. Pforzheim-Kupferhammer 0 254 Start of the Mittelweg, Ostweg (to Schaffhausen) and Westweg (to Basel)
2. Dillweißenstein 2.5 285 District of Pforzheim
3. Büchenbronn 2.5 465 District of Pforzheim
4. Hermannsee 1 460
5. Büchenbronner Height 1.5 609 Büchenbronn Viewing Tower
6. Engelsbrand 1.5 547
7. Langenbrand 3.5 672 Village in the municipality of Schömberg
8. Charlottenhöhe 4 684 Vocational promotion centre building
9. Calmbach 2.5 399 Village in the municipality of Bad Wildbad
10. Bad Wildbad 4 426

2nd Stage: Bad Wildbad – Besenfeld

  • Distance: 31 km
  • Journey time: c. 8 hours
No. Place/Attraction Route
(km) 		Height
(m above NHN) 		Further information
1. Bad Wildbad 0 426
2. Fünf Bäume 4 784
3. Grünhütte 3.5 837 Ausflugslokal
4. Weißensteinhütte 1.5 883 Branch to the Wildsee
5. Kaltenbronn 4.6 869 Village in the municipality of Gernsbach, info centre
6. Hohlohsee 1.2 980 Hochmoorsee
7. Hohloh Tower 0.7 984 Viewing tower, refuge hut
8. Prinzenhütte 1.3 954 Refuge hut
9. Toter Mann 4.7 915
10. Schramberg 2.3 906 Log cabin
Memorial to Murg Navigation Forest Inspector, Arnsperger
The forest in the area belonged in the 18th century to the Murg Navigation, which sent wood from the Black Forest to Holland.
11. Neuhaus-Hütte 3.7 888
12. Besenfeld 3.5 782 Village in the municipality of Seewald

3rd Stage: Besenfeld – Oberzwieselberg

  • Distance: 26 km
  • Journey time: c. 6.5 hours
No. Place/Attraction Route
(km) 		Height
(m above NHN) 		Further information
1. Besenfeld 0 782
2. Ruine Königswart 3.5 790 Memorial site for Count Palatine Rudolf of Tübingen from the year 1209
3. Igelsberger Hardt 4.5 790
4. Frutenhofer Wald 4.5 700
5. Buschige Fichte 4 780
6. Freudenstadt 4.5 740
7. Oberzwieselberg 5 841 District of Freudenstadt

4th Stage: Oberzwieselberg – Schiltach

  • Distance: 25 km
  • Journey time: c. 6 hours
No. Place/Attraction Route
(km) 		Height
(m above NHN) 		Further information
1. Oberzwieselberg 0 841
2. Schmiedsberger Platz 8 773 Crosses the Little Hansjakob Way; refuge hut
3. Tor 3 705 Crosses the Gengenbach–Alpirsbach Trail
4. Bocksecke 1 810
5. Emil Hut (Emilshütte) 1.5 800
6. Salzlecke 1 760 Refuge hut
7. Teisenkopf 5 764 Viewing tower
8. Kuhberg-Mattenweiher 1.5 638
9. Schiltach 4 325

5th Stage: Schiltach – St. Georgen

  • Distance: 30.5 km
  • Journey time: c. 7.5 hours
No. Place/Attraction Route
(km) 		Height
(m above NHN) 		Further information
1. Schiltach 0 325
2. Dornacker 3.5 660
3. Bauernhof Grusenloch 2.5 770
4. Mooswaldkopf 4 879 SV Wanderheim Fohrenbühl
observation tower (planned by Paul Bonatz)
5. Fohrenbühl 1 787 Village in the municipality of Lauterbach and Hornberg (the boundary runs through the settlement.)
6. Falkenhöhe 4 858
7. Benzebene 3.5 896
8. Windkapf 1.5 928
9. Lindenbüble 3 885 SV-Wanderheim
10. Gasthof Staude 2 889 Crosses the Rottweil–Lahr Trail
11. Hochwälder Height 3 966
12. St. Georgen 3 862

6th Stage: St. Georgen – Kalte Herberge

  • Distance: 25.5 km
  • Journey time: c. 6.5 hours
No. Place/Attraction Route
(km) 		Height
(m above NHN) 		Further information
1. St. Georgen 0 862
2. Kreuzweg 4 951
3. Kesselberg Fuchsfalle 4 1.010
4. Triberg Gallows (Triberger Galgen) 1 1.020
5. Stöcklewald Tower 1 1.069 SV Wanderheim
observation tower
6. Fürsatz 3 1.036
7. Furtwangen 5 872 Crosses the Black Forest–Kaiserstuhl–Rhine Trail
8. Hohles Bildstöckle 5 1.060
9. Kalte Herberge 2 1.029 Gasthof

7th Stage: Kalte Herberge – Lenzkirch

  • Distance: 25.5 km
  • Journey time: c. 6.5 hours
No. Place/Attraction Route
(km) 		Height
(m above NHN) 		Further information
1. Kalte Herberge 0 1.029
2. Hochberg 3 1.130 Gasthof Engel
3. Margrutt 2 1.049
4. Ferdinandshöhe 4.5 1.031
5. Am Wiedenkreuz 3 1.010
6. Neustadt 3.5 828
7. Saiger Kreuz 3 1.028
8. Hochfirst 1 1.190 Crosses the Freiburg–Lake Constance Trail
SV Wanderheim
observation tower
9. Hierabrunnen 2.5 1.114 Refuge hut
10. Lenzkirch 3 808 Crosses the Schluchtensteig

Western branch: Lenzkirch – Waldshut

8th Stage: Lenzkirch – Häusern

  • Distance: 20 km
  • Journey time: c. 5 hours
No. Place/Attraction Route
(km) 		Height
(m above NHN) 		Further information
1. Lenzkirch 0 808
2. Brisgowenkapelle 4.5 1.075
3. Schluchsee 3.5 951
4. Seebrugg railway station 3 932
5. Schluchsee Dam 1 931
6. Eisenbreche 1.5 914
7. Blasiwald-Althütte 2.5 1.088 Village in the municipality of Schluchsee
Crosses the Schluchtensteig
8. Häusern 4 891

9th Stage: Häusern – Waldshut

  • Distance: 23 km
  • Journey time: c. 5.5 hours
No. Place/Attraction Route
(km) 		Height
(m above NHN) 		Further information
1. Häusern 0 891
2. Höchenschwand 3 1.010
3. Kreuzstein 1 968 Forest car park
4. Fohrenbachmühle 7 600
5. Nöggenschwiel 1.5 719 Village in the municipality of Weilheim
6. Heubach 2 737
7. Indlekofen 3.5 540 District of Waldshut-Tiengen
8. Waldshut 5 343

Eastern branch: Lenzkirch – Waldshut

8th Stage: Lenzkirch – Rothaus

  • Distance: 13 km
  • Journey time: c. 3.5 hours
No. Place/Attraction Route
(km) 		Height
(m above NHN) 		Further information
1. Lenzkirch 0 808
2. Kinderheim Dresselbach 7 1.064
3. Dürrenbühl 4 1.028 St. Cyriakus pilgrimage church
4. Rothaus 2 971 Village in the municipality of Grafenhausen

9th Stage: Rothaus – Waldshut

  • Distance: 30 km
  • Journey time: c. 7 hours
No. Place/Attraction Route
(km) 		Height
(m above NHN) 		Further information
1. Rothaus 0 971
2. Schaffhauser Säge 3 800
3. Klausenmühle 3 1.090
4. Buggenrieder Mühle 3 730
5. Lochmühle 4.5 608
6. Mettmamündung 2.5 520 Mouth of the Mettma on the Mettma Reservoir
7. Witznau 4 436
8. Gutenburg 4.5 390 District of Waldshut-Tiengen
9. Gurtweil 2.5 373 District of Waldshut-Tiengen
10. Waldshut 3 342
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