Schluchtensteig: 6 stages and when to book
Germany’s gorge walk: six days from the Swiss border at Stühlingen to Wehr, threading the Wutachschlucht and four more ravines on ladders, stairs and walkways beside running water, with the Schluchsee and the high Hotzenwald forest between them. A Top Trail of Germany, waymarked to match, and every night in a village with a Gasthof. It asks for sure-footedness and a head for heights rather than any alpine skill, and it is the natural step up from a first multi-day walk: five hours from Brussels, and nothing in it that a fit walker cannot do.
Start: Stühlingen. Finish: Wehr.
The 6 stages
| Day | Stage | Distance | Climb |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stühlingen → Blumberg | 17.9 km | 552 m |
| 2 | Blumberg → Schattenmühle | 20 km | 347 m |
| 3 | Schattenmühle → Fischbach | 17.9 km | 612 m |
| 4 | Fischbach → St. Blasien | 19.5 km | 377 m |
| 5 | St. Blasien → Todtmoos | 18.5 km | 551 m |
| 6 | Todtmoos → Wehr | 22.9 km | 454 m |
The line is the trail’s own six official stage relations, measured at 99.8% of the published distance with zero seams and zero invented connector. Elevation comes from a terrain model, so ascent figures are computed rather than surveyed.
Book these first
The organisation recommends booking at least a week ahead, and earlier for holidays and weekends.
- Schluchsee and Todtmoos in the school holidays: these are holiday villages first, trail stops second
- Schattenmühle, which is one house at the bottom of a gorge
No central system: each guesthouse takes its own booking.
Schwarzwald-Gepäcktransport runs a luggage transfer along the trail, arranged separately.
When to go
The organisation’s own season is the beginning of May to the end of October; from November to May the trail is in Winterschlaf and the guesthouses are shut. May for meltwater in the gorges, September for the quiet, and the middle of summer for the swimming.
- JanuaryWinterschlaf
- FebruaryWinterschlaf
- MarchStill hibernating
- AprilBefore the season opens
- MayThe season opens, and the water is loud
- JuneLong days, full forest
- JulyHigh summer, and thunderstorms
- AugustHoliday season
- SeptemberThe quiet best month
- OctoberColour, and the season closing
- NovemberWinterschlaf begins
- DecemberWinterschlaf
Schluchtensteig in Treksup
Schluchtensteig is a paid route in Treksup: its full plan, with every stage, water, where to sleep and weekly trail conditions, comes with the paid tier. 7 routes are open in full for free.
See Treksup on the App StoreYour first multi-day trek
More routes
Page updated 30 September 2026.