Junk Raft Pond Path KC 82

From Wilhelmsthal with the Schanzenbinder-Weg to the Lower Grümpelmühle (4.5 km):

From the parking lot at the Sparkasse, below the Gasthaus Hauptmann, we turn left and hike along the Stichstraße towards Grümpel. The former Floßbach of the same name accompanies us out of town. However, shortly before the town sign, we turn right onto a forest path and follow it parallel to the road and Grümpel for about a kilometer. At the edge of the forest, in a sharp right turn of the path, we reach a meadow path coming from Steffahof. It leads us across the Grümpel back to our valley road. We now hike steadily up the valley through the "main town" of the scattered settlement Grümpel to the Lower Grümpelmühle.

Along the way, we are greeted by houses of this scattered settlement from the steep forest slopes that border the quiet, idyllic valley. In the beautiful valley landscape, rafting paths remind us of the centuries-old craft of rafting.

From the Lower to the Upper Grümpelmühle to Hubertushöhe (8.5 km):

The Grümpel, a former Floßbach, originates on the plateau south of Tschirn and flows southwest through an almost untouched forest valley and merges with the Kremnitz at the Fehnenschneidmühle south of Wilhelmsthal to form the Kronach. It gave the scattered settlement and the two mills their name.

From the Lower Grümpelmühle, we continue with the Fronbauern-Weg up the forest-lined valley, then turn left towards the Upper Grümpelmühle. It is a two-story residential barn that probably dates back to the 19th century. We walk past the building on the left and hike up a natural, comfortable path to a slope path, which we follow to the right uphill, mostly through old spruce forests interspersed with deciduous trees and individual firs. This forest path leading along the steep slope between the valley of the young Grümpel and the heights meets the open air with the path coming from Effelter and leading into the Grümpel valley.

Here, the Fronbauern-Weg leads uphill to Effelter. However, its feeder path comes from the valley floor and joins the main path here. Even though our Grümpel-Rafting-Pond path leads down the valley, a short detour to the nearby mountain village of Effelter is recommended.

Otherwise, we turn right and continue straight ahead back into the quiet, well-maintained valley of the former Floßbach. We cross the Grümpel on a wooden bridge, walk briefly on a trail to a forest path, and continue with it to a forest road. We follow it moderately uphill - with occasional views of the Frankenwald stream and the Grümpel Rafting Pond, in the increasingly narrow and untamed valley floor.

We continue to hike slightly uphill through the forest and then on a flat path until we reach the Schanzenbinderweg just before the road. If we want to stop for a break, we follow this path straight to the road (Hubertushöhe-Birnbaum), and then follow it to the former forest house Hubertushöhe, located at 595 meters high on the Frankenwald High Road, to the left for about 400 meters.

If we do not want to stop, we can turn right into the Schanzenbinderweg right away, and thus "save" about 2 km of distance.

Hubertushöhe - AT - Birnbaum - Lower Grümpelmühle (7.5 km):

After the stop at Hubertushöhe, we return on the same path to this junction in the forest, then turn left and hike along with the Schanzenbinderweg on pleasant forest paths through forest sections with pure spruce forests, until we come back just before the road.

Then we walk on natural paths through various old forest sections with individual deciduous trees and small clearings until we finally reach a dirt road along the forest to the left, with a view of the lookout tower. We cover the distance to the "water tower" on the road and climb the tower on the external staircase.

From its platform, the view ranges from the Wetzstein (Altvaterturm) to the Döbraberg, making it clear that the district of Kronach is the most forested district in Bavaria. It is the final highlight of this hiking trail through the seclusion of the forests of our Franconian Forest homeland. At the tower, one might wonder how this combined water-view tower came about.

On the morning of August 2, 1983, the residents of Birnbaum stood horrified in front of the still smoldering, charred, and glowing remains of part of their property. The 18 fire brigades with more than 250 firefighters stood powerless in a fierce battle against a huge inferno, as the capacity of the water tank and the pipeline network were far from sufficient to extinguish the blazing flames.

Therefore, in 1985, the construction of a water tower with a capacity of 200 m³ was decided, and this was expanded into a lookout tower in this prominent location. The 31-meter-high concrete walls of the 6.6-meter x 6.6-meter water tower surround the outer facade, and steps lead to the extensive viewing platform, situated 638 meters above sea level. Distant view labels help visitors with orientation. With the roofing of the platform, the tallest observation tower in the Franconian Forest reaches a total height of 33.5 meters.

We walk about a kilometer on the road to Birnbaum. From the lower part of the village, we walk down the rarely traveled road along the village stream into the beautiful Grümpel valley, where soon the Upper Grümpelmühle greets us from the charming valley landscapeSträßlein in the valley until just after the Lower Grümpelmühle.

We already know this spot because this is where our path split. We follow the Grümpel downstream and return to our starting point in Wilhelmsthal.

Alternative starting points for the hike:

Effelter town center

Hubertushöhe