Black Forest: Overview

Bilberries under the trees The Black Forest is Germany's largest and tallest low mountain range. It is located in the German South-West, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. To the West there is the Rhine valley, and on the other side of the valley the French Vosges.

The Feldberg is the highest peak at 1493 m above sea level. It is located in the Southern half of the range. Other high peaks in the South include the Herzogenhorn (1415 m) and the Belchen (1414 m). The highest peak in the North is the Hornisgrinde (1163 m), a 2 km crest. The top is an upland moor. With more than 2000 mm of precipitation per year it's one of the rainiest places in Germany. The Black Forest National Park (founded in 2014) includes the Southern Hornisgrinde, parts of the Murg valley and the Schwarzwaldhochstraße.
Radio tower on the Hornisgrinde

Larger towns in the Black Forest include Freudenstadt, Villingen-Schwenningen and Titisee-Neustadt. On the Western side in the Rhine valley you can find Baden-Baden, Offenburg and Freiburg.

The longest rivers are the Enz with 105 km, Kinzig, Elz, Nagold and Wutach with about 90 km each and the Murg with a length of 80 km.

The region isn't only famous for the forests, but also for its cuckoo clocks, Black Forest cherry cake, ham, and its traditional costumes.

Traffic tends to be low, the exception being some through roads, notably the E531 from Offenburg past Hausach, Triberg, Villingen-Schwenningen to Donaueschingen. In the wider valleys good bike routes often avoid the heavy traffic.

Schwarzwaldhochstraße The Schwarzwaldhochstraße (Black Forest High Road) from Baden-Baden is heavily frequented on weekends. Roads to popular tourist destinations (Titisee, Schluchsee etc) should also be avoided on weekends. A lot of climbing is possible on small roads with low traffic. But don't underestimate the elevation totals. And gradients above 10% are common.

The environs of Freiburg are popuar with pro cyclists. There are optmial conditions for road training, The flat Rhine valley, rolling hills and the tough climbs of the Black Forest.

There are many hiking paths.	Hornisgrinde
	Waterfall near Heiligenzell.
Dead tree / Lotharpfad.	Old town of Gengenbach.
Cows.	Winding road.
Dead trees on Hornisgrinde.	Farm in winter.