Gera Valley Viewpoint – Highest Point of the Rennsteig loop from Naturpark Thüringer Wald

Hiking trails & Routes

Gera Valley Viewpoint – Highest Point of the Rennsteig loop from Naturpark Thüringer Wald

Moderate

4.8

(94)

285

hikers

Gera Valley Viewpoint – Highest Point of the Rennsteig loop from Naturpark Thüringer Wald

03:22

12.2km

210m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: October 9, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

Naturpark Thüringer Wald

Waypoints

Start point

Bus stop

Get Directions

5.71 km

Meininger Hütte

Alpine Hut

7.35 km

View of the Schneekopf summit and observation towers

Highlight • Viewpoint

Grandiose view of Oberhof and the Thuringian Forest.

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7.59 km

Neue Gehlberger Hütte on Schneekopf

Highlight • Mountain Hut

The Neue Gehlberger Hütte is located on the 978-meter-high Schneekopf mountain and is the highest-altitude serviced hut in Thuringia. It offers a cozy hiking hostel with shared rooms and a restaurant serving traditional Thuringian cuisine.

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7.74 km

Schneekopf Summit and Observation Tower (Thuringia Stamp Point No. 68)

Highlight • Summit

At 978 meters, the Schneekopf is the second highest elevation in Thuringia after the Großer Beerberg (983 meters). From here you can enjoy magnificent views all around. Visiting the top …

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7.78 km

Gera Valley Viewpoint

Highlight • Viewpoint

Spot with a view of the Geratal. The A71 can be seen very small

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8.96 km

Carved tree trunk with face (Wurzelstamm)

Highlight • Monument

One of several carved figures along the way. Really beautifully designed!

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9.57 km

Rosenkopf (938 m) – Boundary Stones on the Rennsteig

Highlight • Historical Site

Here you can find a lot of information about the history of the boundary stones and thus also about the origins of the Rennsteig.

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10.9 km

Plänckner's viewpoint (Großer Beerberg)

Highlight • Viewpoint

Did you know that there were volcanoes in the Thuringian Forest? There was! The Great Beerberg was once one. These are the remnants of it and at 982.9 meters they …

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11.2 km

Highest Point of the Rennsteig

Highlight • Summit

The highest point is a must when you are in the vicinity. An even better view is only a few meters further along the path along the viewing platform.

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12.2 km

End point

Bus stop

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

11.8 km

309 m

< 100 m

Surfaces

8.75 km

2.04 km

1.36 km

< 100 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (970 m)

Lowest point (830 m)

Weather

Saturday 10 October

8°C

3°C

53 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 21.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

April 26, 2025,Wanderung - Runde vom PP Suhler Ausspanne zum Schneekopf - Großer Beerberg (TS 68 Schneekopf - 69 Großer Beerberg)

At 978 meters, the Schneekopf is the second-highest mountain in Thuringia. However, if you climb the observation tower with its 126 steps, you reach a height of over 1,000 meters.

The Großer Beerberg is Thuringia's highest mountain at almost 983 meters. The summit itself is off-limits for nature conservation reasons. There is a viewing platform below the summit, Plänckner's View, …

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April 26, 2025,Wanderung- 26.04.2025- 12,8km- Runde vom 🅿️ Suhler Ausspanne- Schneekopf TS 68 - Großer Beerberg TS 69

Foreign stamps (touring stamps) 😁 in beautiful Thuringia 😉🥾 in glorious weather. 🌞☀️

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July 9, 2023,Sommermorgen☀️🐕🐾am Schneekopf ❤️

🐕🐾 For love❤️ got up really early today and used the cool morning hours 😁 as a reward there was a wonderful morning atmosphere with beautiful views and a happy 🐕Labrador 😅😍

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February 6, 2022,Auf Schusters Rappen um und auf dem Schneekopf ❄️☃️🌬🏔

A hike to the Spitterfall near Tambach-Dietharz was originally planned. But there was only slush on site and there was only rain from above ☔️. Since we had almost 70 km to get there, it should be a hike through and with snow ❄️❄️❄️. So we had to go higher. Get in the car and back to Ohrdruf and on …

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January 30, 2022,🇩🇪 TH ~ Hüttenrunde um den Schneekopf

Started at the Schneekopf parking lot, we first went to the Bratwurst to eat. Strengthened, we hiked through a beautiful winter landscape, first up to the Schneekopf and then past the Meininger Hütte, Erfurter Hütte and Dürrenberger Hütte (all unserviced) back to the parking lot. In between, the sun even came out 🤗

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