Westweg-Etappe 08: Wilhelmshöhe (Schonach) - Kalte Herberge

The gently undulating, broad ridge between Rohrhardsberg and Brend and on to Titisee forms one of the mightiest mountain ranges in the Central Black Forest. It is also the European watershed between the Rhine and the Danube. As gently as the heights rise from the east, the western flanks plunge abruptly and wildly into the low-lying Simonswäldertal valley, which provides magnificent views, especially at Brend.

At Wilhelmshöhe, hikers pass through the mighty portal made of boulders. Past the Wolfbauernhof farm with the Longinus cross, the western trail leads to the Blindensee lake. The plank path through the raised bog is particularly beautiful in the early morning, when the dewdrops of the night still cling to the cotton grass and the branches of the stunted pines in the first sunlight.After the Weißenbacher Höhe, the trail changes through the small hollow of the Elz valley over to the main ridge between the Danube and Rhine. Passing the small Elz spring, you reach a spring of almost historical significance at St. Martin's Chapel. The Breg rises here under a rock and joins the Brigach at Donaueschingen to form the Danube. The short detour to the source of the Breg is a must for every Westweg hiker! Back on the trail, the next destination is the Günterfelsen rock directly on the trail. The mighty granite rocks are hidden in the middle of the forest. There is no view here. You can get one from the nearby observation tower on the Brend (1,149 m). The view to the west of the mighty Kandel and to the south of the Feldberg in particular fuels anticipation for the upcoming stages. On particularly clear days, you can even see almost the entire western Alpine ridge from the Zugspitze to Mont Blanc.

Note: Shortly after the Brend observation tower, the path branches off to "Artwood". You can buy a special Westweg shirt there. see "Author's tip".

The Westweg continues to follow the European watershed between forests and meadows to Neueck. Here you meet the southern section of the B 500, which - like the Westweg - crosses the Black Forest from north to south. Nearby, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right, you pass the Hohle Bildstöckle and continue to the Kalten Herberge.