Hochgehlautert – HOCHGEHBERGE on the Swabian Alb

The first 7 km could actually be skipped, as they are relatively unspectacular (apart from the view from Maisenburg Castle). Once you reach the Lauter Valley, it becomes very beautiful and also quite challenging, at least if you choose the narrow, steep path to the Monsberg ruins instead of the shortcut along the Lauter River. The route then continues to the Wartstein ruins, from the tower there you have a magnificent view over the Lauter Valley, into which a steep path leads back. From here, the trail follows the Lauter River, passing a small waterfall and several rocks back to the starting point.

Unfortunately, I had to schedule a mandatory training course right in the middle of a beautiful day today. Afterwards, I made the most of it with a short hike. A few impressive ruins, breathtaking viewpoints, and the Lauter River—what more could you want? ☺️ At the end, I almost got stressed because I absolutely wanted to collect wild garlic before sunset (unfortunately, there wasn't any on the tour). Otherwise, I would have liked to have taken the time to visit another ruin and a nearby cave. Oh well, I guess I'll have to come back soon ☺️

The "Hochgehlautert" premium hiking trail leads from the Grosses Lautertal valley, past the Maisenburg estate and castle ruins, to the Alb plateau. The following, longer ascent along barren, rocky fields through an avenue of apple trees is very beautiful. On the plateau, we enjoy the wonderful peace and panoramic views of the Alb – a stunning contrast to the landscape opposite the Lautertal valley. 🤩 We descend again into the Grosses Lautertal valley through fields and small forests. On the other side of the valley, we climb a challenging, steep path, past the Monsberg ruins, and reach the Wartstein ruins. The view from the observation tower into the Grosses Lautertal valley is breathtakingly beautiful! 🔝👌 The following descent into the valley, with its alpine character, is also very steep and challenging! Once you reach the Lauter Valley, a narrow path initially leads along the meandering Lauter River and imposing rock formations (luckily not on the busy cycle path on the other side of the river! 🙏). The contrast to the previous hiking trail on the plateau and the alpine trail before it could hardly be greater! Fantastic! 🤩👍 The comfortable (less frequented) hiking trail leads you back to the starting point past the "Hoher Gießel" waterfall, rock formations, caves, and always along the idyllic Lauter River. We thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful circular hike, with three completely different route characteristics! ⭐⭐⭐ https://hochgehberge.de/touren/hochgehlautert-premiumwanderweg-hayingen-anhausen/ 🅿️: 48.285379, 9.500518 (Anhausen hiking car park, Ölmühle 3, 72534 Hayingen) - Day ticket €3, including portable toilet! 👍

A wonderful hiking start to the new year 2024 🥂!

Today's tour we started at the hiking car park in Anhausen. This has a capacity of approx. 30 cars. Right next door is a large playground with plenty of seating. There is a ToiToi in the parking lot. About 100 m from the barbecue area on the access road you can stock up on drinks and Lautertal ice cream. The costs for the cup of ice cream are currently €2.50. Today, however, the round was to be enjoyed with caution in some places (slippery). The Hofgut Maisenburg section in the direction of the Lauterdörfle holiday park in Hayingen is currently closed at around 550 m due to construction work. Due to the subsoil conditions, it was possible to walk across the meadow area today (the construction site was closed). You can also shorten the way back on the right side of the Große Lauter via the ruins of Monsberg Castle and the ruins of Wartstein Castle directly in the valley section (signposted). The round is worth seeing and at the same time varied (castle ruins, caves, steep sections, waterfall, etc.).

We're back for a hiking weekend in the Swabian Alb and on the premium trails of the Hochgehberge range. The premium trail "hochgehlauert" leads from the hiking car park in Anhausen via the Hofgut Maisenburg and the enchanted ruins of Monsberg to the ruins of Wartstein 🏰. We climb the castle keep via the spiral staircase and enjoy a breathtaking view over the Great Lautertal 🏞. We hike along the Lauter back to the parking lot, past a small waterfall and impressive rock colossuses and caves. The highlight at the end: Lautertal ice cream 🍦 from the freezer and your feet in the Lauter 🌊. Attention: At 5.6 km we let ourselves be tempted by the Albverein signposts and went downhill in the direction of Lauter. Here, simply follow the sign for the Hochgehberge to the right, slightly uphill. You can find the detailed hiking report on the blog: https://travelsanne.de/schwaebische-alb-geheimtipps-wandern-grosses-lautertal/

A wonderful hike through the beautiful Lautertal! Varied, beautiful landscapes, beautiful ruins! My highlights were the path along the Lauter, the Hoher Gießel waterfall and the Wartstein castle ruins with spiral staircase and view of the Lautertal! Unfortunately, there is not much left of the Monsberg ruins, but the Maisenburg ruins are also very beautiful! The paths are all easy to walk and well signposted. I really enjoyed the hike! Unfortunately, my pictures got mixed up...

Another dream tour! "Not louder but quieter you get along the HOCHGEHLAUTERT past rocks, idyllic nature and old castle ruins." We particularly liked the last section of this hike through the Lautertal, of course the Wartstein Castle ruins with the fantastic view of the Lautertal were great! And as a reward, there was a delicious Lautertal ice cream straight from the self-service freezer at the parking lot!