Oberammergau

The municipality of Oberammergau belongs to the Upper Bavarian district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen and is located in the Ammergau Alps Nature Park. Oberammergau is best known for the Passion Play, which was last organized in 2010. The artisans and the houses decorated with Lüftl painting are also known everywhere. Some examples of baroque painting are the facades of the Forsthaus, the Pilatushaus and the Mußldomahaus.

The glaciers from the Ice Age carved out the valleys and left behind glacier tongues and moraines. These glaciers melted and lakes formed from the meltwater from the Ammer glaciers. Flows of water that drained away created piles of rocky debris that sometimes piled up, forcing the flowing water to flow elsewhere. Places such as Ettal, Ober- and Unterammergau emerged from these rubble masses. Only approx.1km. The striking local mountain Kofel is located away from the town center.

Hiking in Oberammergau

Hiking around Oberammergau has many faces: the most famous destination in the region is of course the Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain. But the hiking trails around Oberammergau also take us to other places worth seeing. There are ridge hikes in the Ammer Mountains, but the artfully preserved baroque buildings in the middle of green forests are also great destinations. A little further to the north-east we can visit the largest moors in Central Europe and see a wide range of flora and fauna. Alternatively, we can also climb to the impressive Zugspitze, perhaps with a detour to Eibsee.

The 10 best hiking routes in Oberammergau

1-    Oberammergau – Graswang

The route starts at the “Ammergauer Haus” and we go south to the Ammer Bridge. We then cross the Ammer and stay on the hiking trail on the left after the bridge.

We walk past the tennis court, along the sharp right-hand bend to “Arme Seelen-Straße”. We continue on the path through the “Weidmoos” nature reserve and along the “Frauenwasserl” stream. Before we take the Ettal state road after approx.200m. We cross to the right onto the Sonnenweg, which begins behind the small Brückle above the “Frauenwasserl”. At the “Rahmbauern” we come to Graswang, where we stop at the “Fischerwirt” with its shady beer garden.

To the right on a forest path we go along the state road, then over a bridge and we leave the “Forsthaus Dickelschwaig” on the right and then go uphill and downhill through the Mühlwald. Now we come to the state road and cross it here.

The path then takes us past the “Frauenwasserl” through the “Weidmoos” nature reserve. The path will fork three times at a small bridge, where the left one branches off over the bridge and then leads back to the starting point via the “Poor Souls Street”.

2-    The Ettaler Mandl round tour

This route begins at the cemetery parking lot and we walk past the show dairy in Ettal. Soon we take the forest road into the mountain forest, where the forest road ends and turns onto the narrow hiking path. We now hike across the Tiefental forestry hut on steep serpentines uphill to the entry point along the large boulders of the Ettaler Manndl.

At the beginning of the rock you should test whether the path to the summit is safe enough for you. We climb along the fixed wire ropes to the small gap, follow the ledge uphill to the left over the wall and then climb steeply up to the pre-summit of Ettaler Weibl. It's only a few steps over the gap to the summit cross. The link chain is well attached, but is not suitable enough for self-belaying. Well secured again at the bottom, we go back to the main path and turn left to the alpine pasture.

Here we first reach the idyllic Karsee, then the Soilasee and from here in a few minutes we reach the Soila-Alm. The Soila-Alm is managed in summer, where we take our short rest. After the rest, we go into the valley in the direction of Oberammergau, along the valley station and Laber mountain railway to Aufackerstraße. There we turn left and walk outwards through the village, which we leave on the Vogelherdweg in the direction of Ettal. On this path we walk along the main road, back to the starting point in Ettal.

3-    Around Ettal Monastery

The promising route starts directly at the tourist information in Oberammergau. We follow from the tourist information upstream past the Ammer at the sports center.We leave Oberammergau and come to the B23 through the underpass. From here we are on the Ammergau Alps meditation path, on which there is a good red marking all the way to Ettal.Near the south entrance to Oberammergau we cross the B23 again through the upcoming pedestrian tunnel and follow the hiking trail for approx.1km. the B23 continues parallel. Then we turn left into the forest and briefly come uphill to the Vogelherdweg and shortly afterwards the mountain forest adventure trail.

At the crossroads we always follow the red signposts from the meditation path until we can see over the Ettaler Höhenweg to Ettal Monastery. Now we reach the cheese dairy via the mountain path and visit the monastery complex, the impressive inner courtyard and then follow the hiking trail on which we continue south of the Notalmweg past the monastery hotel "Ludwig der Bayer". Now we follow the yellow signs in the direction of Linderhof and arrive at the edge of the forest. We then follow the path on the right to the Ettaler Mühle and, just before the Ettaler Mühle inn, cross the asphalted road that leads us to Linderhof Castle.

Following the directions we now go back to Oberammergau. On this path we go over the Weidmoos nature reserve and over the Ammerquelle. Here we turn right on Armeseelenstraße so that we can return to Oberammergau. We follow this road past the climbing rock at Frauenwasserl and follow the road north until we reach the Ammer and simply follow the Ammer until we arrive at the starting point.

4-    The grinding mill chute - piston saddle round

The route starts at the hiking car park near Pürschling. Passing some waterfalls we come to the whetstone makers' former workplaces. At these grinding mills we continue hiking through the gorge until we reach the forest road and continue right towards Pürschlingshaus.

Be careful!! The path through the gorge is closed due to storm damage until further notice. However, you can also access the forest road starting at the Pürschling hiking car park in the direction of the Pürschlinghaus/Kolbensattel. After the Josephskapelle we turn left onto the high path in the direction of Kolbensattel. We always have beautiful views on the path in the direction of Aufacker, Hörnle and the foothills of the Alps. After we have crossed the mountain forest, another dream view opens up from the Kolbensattelhütte to the Laber and Oberammergau. We now continue down the valley on the comfortable hiking trail or with the Alpine Coaster.

If you set off directly from Unterammergau, you can now either hike from Oberammergau directly to Unterammergau or take the DB/RVO bus.

5-    The Teufelstättkopf, Sonnenberg and Kofel

The route starts at the Kolbensesselbahn and we either take the train up to the Kolbensattelhütte, or get to this point on foot. We then hike on wide and flat panoramic paths in the direction of Pürschling. At first it becomes steeper at the end of the climb and our path to the Teufelstättkopf is significantly more alpine than the previous route. The last 20m. require surefootedness from everyone. Here an alternative tour leads back along the easy ridge to the Kühalm and then on to Unterammergau. But we go back on the planned route from the Teufelstättkopf to the August-Schuster-Haus/Pürschlinghaus and have a snack on the terrace here before we start the strenuous route of the tour.

A little below the ascent path, a narrow path branches off to the right and leads us through the grassy slopes, where we shortly afterwards switch to the steep southern flank of the Sonnenberg. Our path then changes back to the mountain side and continues on the north side. Here, the small scrambling areas, the narrow paths and two chimneys secured by wire ropes ensure excitement. At the foot of Sonnenspitz you have to be careful not to miss the climb through the damp gully to the summit.

The deep view of the roofs of Graswang is delightful and you can bypass the tooth on the left or take it with you on the right. Now we come to the partly easier route and the serpentines lead us down to Kolbensattelhütte. The via ferrata on the Kofel attracts hikers who still have enough strength to Oberammergau's local mountain. Those who are already tired can take the Alpine Coaster directly down to the starting point.

6-    On the Enning Alm

We start on the path described under 10 towards the Reschbergwiesen. As soon as we arrive at the fork in the forest road in Reschberg, we have two options in front of us.

1. Possibility on the forest road:

We turn right on the forest road and stay on this road for quite a long time. We have to be careful not to get onto the branching road. In large loops we then reach after approx.1 H. the part of the road that now goes downhill. At this point we have approx. half way there. After the next approx.1.5 hours we reach the highest point of the road, a footpath branches off to the right and we arrive in 10 minutes. the Enning Alm. We should always use this road in bad weather.

2. Possibility of climbing on a mountain:

At the above-mentioned intersection we turn left on the forest road until it comes to the sharp left bend. Now the path begins that we follow, which is a bit wet and rough at the beginning. But it will soon be dry and nicer. After approx.40min. Walk, we reach the forest road, on which we go slightly downhill and follow to the left until we come to the barrier, which we cross. Shortly afterwards we turn right onto the path, which we follow and go uphill on the path just above the Lahnewiesgraben. After approx.1.5 hours We cross the mossy meadow and soon reach a forest road, which we follow uphill. After the upcoming right-hand bend, we turn left onto the path, which takes us after 10 minutes. leads to the Enningalm.

7-    Route Oberammergau - Bad Kohlgrub on the Ammergauer Wiesmahdweg

The route starts at the Wellenberg adventure pool in Oberammergau. We pass the pool on the right and follow a forest path straight ahead until a good dirt road appears in front of us. We keep left here and then follow this straight ahead across mountain meadows to the Berggasthof Romanshöhe. A cozy stop and enjoy the view over the Ammertal. After approx.300m. we keep left downhill in the direction of Unterammergau. After a short while the path turns into a small street and we turn right at the first intersection. At the stream we turn left and follow the hiking trail to the road. Here we keep left and after a while turn right downhill onto the field path to the Kappel pilgrimage church. From here we walk straight ahead to Wurmansau, where we can take a break at the Ammertalerhof inn. We follow the road, turn right onto a dirt road towards Kraggenau and reach the sanatorium. Before this place we keep right on the road and hike via “Sonnen und Linden” to Bad Kohlgrub.

8-    The forest view path from Ettal Monastery to Linderhof Castle

The route starts at Ettal Monastery. So that we can start the tour, we have to pay attention to the hiking signs on the way to Graswang or Linderhof. Now we leave Ettal and walk away from traffic in the direction of Graswang. Following the edge of the forest, we don't cross the road at the Ettaler Mühle!

On the way we go to Graswang and just before Graswang and the bridge we turn left and continue following the road. Walking through the shady forests, we have a while of walking ahead of us. It offers real refreshment in the summer heat until we arrive at a dry stream bed. Here we turn right and continue following the path. We now cross the stream bed on a bridge on the state road! Following the signs we continue in the direction of the Linderhof. Arriving shortly before Linderhof Castle, we have to cross the street once and we reach our destination. So that we can get back to Ettal, we can take the same route. But there are other options too, such as:b Walk along the Sonnenweg to Graswang and then follow the signs towards Ettal.

9-    To the August Schuster House (snowshoe hike)

The route starts at the parking lot and we follow the forest path. On 1.065m. On the left, a steep path branches off from the forest path, which goes back to 1.200m. Height, this one hits. Immediately afterwards we pass the pasture gate of the Langenthal Alm. After a few meters we turn right into the forest and walk across the clearings and the forest on the wide ridge up to the hut. Alternatively, we can stay on the wide forest path and keep left at the fork in the road immediately after the alpine pasture. After climbing another 100 meters, we reach the Josephs Chapel. Following the forest passage, we reach the view of the August Schuster House and the Teufelstättkopf.

Here we first go north, then northwest in the direction of the forest ridge. Here we climb up to the saddle between the Latschenkopf and the Teufelstättkopf. On the path we walk around a rock to below the summit structure. When we get there, we take off our snowshoes and climb the last, safe meters up to the summit.

On the eastern side of the hut is the slightly steep slope, which is great fun for touring skiers and snowshoe hikers. After a short while, we follow the Plattenberggraben first to the mountain rescue hut, then to the Langenthal-Alm and follow the well-known forest path down to the parking lot.

10- Circular hiking trail from Farchant over the Reschberg meadows

The route starts at Farchant train station. We leave in the direction of the town hall, walk past the town hall and follow the Spielleitenweg until we turn left onto the hiking trail. After crossing the Lahnenwiesgraben, we turn right onto the forest path and reach the “Scherer-Jakl”, the curve where a farmer died with his cart in 1913.

Now we continue uphill and after approx.20 min. the Reschberg meadows We now cross the Reschberg meadows and keep left at the fork in the road. We soon arrive at the end of the Reschberg meadows and here the path drops off to the left. We cross the Lahne and walk up and down the path to the Pflegersee. We follow the wide hiking trail downhill, keep left and arrive at the Werdenfels castle ruins. We follow the signs past the castle ruins and continue back to Farchant.

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Article written with support from Uwaldu.