Family adventure in the "Rauener Bergen" - tour for late riser

Would you have thought that? In the Lakeland there are even mountains that you can climb and huge stones that you can only walk around 20 steps! On an exciting half-day tour near Bad Saarow, you will go out into nature together and look for traces. You should bring a little hiking experience and stamina with you for the family adventure in the Rauener Mountains, because it goes high!

Your mountain and lake experience:
Diverse: through moor meadows and forests up the Rauener Berge and back to Bad Saarow and to the Scharmützelsee Huge: touching the largest boulders in northern Germany Far-reaching view: enjoy the fantastic panorama over the wooded mountains and the Scharmützelsee from the very top Exciting: track down lost places in the thicket and discover new things on the nature trail Refreshing: ice cream and snacks or a swim in the clear Scharmützelsee as a reward
Start & finish: Bad Saarow train station
Length: 10.8 km / approx. 3.5 hours
How to get there by public transport: RE1 to Fürstenwalde, then RB35 to Bad Saarow
Departure public transport: RB35 from Bad Saarow

Directions
When you arrive at the historic train station, keep to the right and turn right at the "Neue Bühne" and then take the next immediate left onto Ringstraße. At the end of the Ringstraße, the entrance to an exciting family adventure awaits you.


A stone's throw to Bad Saarow and into nature
The RE1 and, after a short change, the RB36 take you out of the hustle and bustle of the city to Bad Saarow in well under an hour. The adventure can finally begin and you can immerse yourself in peaceful nature. The Scharwenkasteig first leads you to the moor and Wierich meadows. In this idyllic setting, moor is still extracted today and used as a remedy for the spa operation in the Saarow thermal brine and mud spa. Left and right there is a wonderful wide view of meadows that supply the grass and hay for the organic farmers from the nearby Marienhöhe for their animals. In May and June you might be lucky enough to spot orchids. Fun fact: you will also pass the Schmeling villa of the 1st German boxing world champion, Max Schmeling, who lived here in the 1930s.





Spectacular view
It now goes through the forest, which is partly equipped with very impressive oaks, towards the summit! Do you already notice the steady rise in your legs? Well worth the effort! Here at the top of the highest point of your late riser tour is a 40-meter-high observation tower, which young adventurers should definitely climb with its 209 steps - provided you are free from giddiness! Because up here, almost 200 meters above sea level, there is the best foresight in the whole of the Oder-Spree lake district. You look at a spectacular landscape like in the low mountain range, which the last ice age formed here. Small direction indicators tell you where you are looking and what can be seen on the horizon. If the weather and visibility are right, you can see Berlin on the horizon, look all the way to Frankfurt / Oder and marvel at the large Scharmützelsee.





Lakeland giants
The next highlight is just a few meters away. Just touch the huge margrave stones that were pushed here by the glacier masses as witnesses of the Ice Age. They are the largest erratic boulders in all of northern Germany! Do you feel this huge size and power that emanates from the stones? According to legend, the devil lived here. Resourceful architects, on the other hand, have split off parts of the stones and installed them in the Lustgarten in Berlin. Nevertheless, the circumference of the larger stone still measures 17m!





Discover the hidden and learn interesting facts
Do you still have a few grains left? Then the short detour to the remains of the Rauen ski jump is worthwhile. In the middle of the now overgrown, dense forest, the last ski jumpers sailed down here in 1988. Can you still imagine that today? The hill record is 33m! The tour now turns south and goes downhill again towards Bad Saarow and down to the lake. The nature trail that accompanies you at the beginning points out exciting stories and interesting plants along the way.





Bad Saarow and the Scharmützelsee
Back in Bad Saarow, you can end your tour in a relaxed manner. How about a few snacks and refreshing drinks in the beer garden and a view of the lake! If you want to romp around again, you can explore the playground at the jetty or jump into the clear waters of the Märkisches Meer.

Finally, in summer, the magic hut in the spa park on the wide lawn for sunbathing beckons. Mix your own ice cream creation and chill a bit on the relaxed lawn before the regional train takes you back to the big city.




Extra family tips:
Have € 1/50 cent pieces ready for the observation tower (machine for € 1 entry) Playgrounds: next to the harbor pavilion at the pier for the passenger ships and in the Bad Saarow castle park Bathing area with a small beach directly on the promenade Strandbad Mitte or bathing area Kleistpark (north-west bank) (Pedal) boat rental at the pier passenger ships Year-round toboggan run Scharmützelbob (only accessible by car) Dreißig bakery near the train station for emergency provisions Travel cheaply and in a climate-friendly way: with the Brandenburg-Berlin-Ticket for up to five people, the journey is particularly inexpensive for you (daily rate € 33). Up to three children between the ages of 6 and under 15 also travel free of charge.
Refreshment tips Bad Saarow:
Pizza in the amiceria, beer garden at Scharmützelsee, park café, Freilich am See, magic hut in the spa park (seasonal)