St. Andreasberg high-altitude hiking trail

Short description

This circular hiking trail, which is just over 17 km long, offers constantly changing perspectives of Galgenberg and Glockenberg, as well as the mountain town of St. Andreasberg. It leads across fragrant mountain meadows and through high forests, passing by the winter sports and mountain biking highlight Matthias-Schmidt-Berg. Along the way, there are several places to stop for refreshments, worth a short detour if they are not directly on the path.

Route description

The starting point is the geology trail at Jordanshöhe. Initially, follow the dirt road in a westerly direction – passing by the mountain farm Neigenfindt. From here, there is a magnificent view over the mountain meadows and the mountain town of St. Andreasberg towards Galgenberg. Through the Sperrentaler meadows, it gently descends until reaching a high forest after about 2 km, and shortly after, the wayside cross Treibholz with the Kurt-Reulecke-Hütte is reached. Turn left here. Through a sparse high forest, it descends into the Sperrental. Upon reaching the bottom, cross the Sperrlutter on the small wooden bridge, then cross the gravel path and immediately turn right onto the Gerenner Weg. This path initially ascends slightly, offering another beautiful view towards Galgenberg, Glockenberg, and the lower town before gently descending towards the street Untere Grundstraße, which needs to be crossed. Initially, the ascent to Galgenberg follows a section of Mühlenstraße, then turn right onto Krumme Straße. The Fritz-Schlamelcher-Weg circles around Galgenberg. From Galgenberg, the hiker is presented with a splendid panoramic view: to the north are the Sperrentaler meadows, to the west is the Sieberberg with the nearby district of Silberhütte, and to the south are Stöberhai and the bell tower. Proceed on the street Auf der Höhe, which leads to Schwalbenherd. Between the houses Schwalbenherd No. 13 and 14, the path turns right, crossing a bridge to the Schiefe Halbe path. This path intersects with Hüttenweg (on the right), which steadily descends to the lowest point of the circular route (450m) – the street Wäschegrund. Turn left here and follow L520 to Forstweg Köhlergrund (on the right). After a rough ascent of about 3 km, the Matthias-Schmidt-Berg-Baude (663m) is reached, offering another unique viewpoint. The journey continues in an easterly direction, passing by the mountain stations of the cable cars and chairlifts. At the next fork and subsequent intersection, keep left and follow the path towards the valley station of the cable car for a short distance. Just above the first drag lift, turn right onto the path towards Beerberg. Shortly after, you reach the Jacober Halde, where a shelter, seating areas, and tables invite you to take a break. This part of the high-altitude trail also serves as the geological and mining historical trail, leading around Beerberg to the educational mine Grube Roter Bär. Past Grube Roter Bär, the path ascends over meadows. Next, you reach the Eschenberger Planweg (also known as Beerbergweg) and turn left towards Braunlager Straße, crossing it and ascending slightly towards the drinking water reservoir at Dreijungfern. Now, in a westerly direction, follow the Harzer-Hexen-Stieg for about 1 km (towards Rehberger Grabenhaus). The footpath merges into the street Am Gesehr, which later becomes the street Jordanshöhe and passes by the country boarding schools towards Clausthaler Straße, leading back to the geology trail.

Parking information

A parking lot is located right at the entrance.

Safety instructions

The tour is located in the following protected areas:

• Harz National Park
• Harz Nature Park

The following rules apply:

• Please respect local guidelines for nature protection.
• Do not walk off the designated paths.
• Avoid making noise.
• Do not collect stones or minerals.
• Do not collect mushrooms.
• Do not leave trash behind.
• Do not feed animals.
• Only camp in designated areas.
• No open fires.
• Do not pick plants.
• Do not relocate plants or animals.
• Keep dogs on a leash.
• Do not fly kites or model airplanes.