Hikes in Großaitingen

Three Stages on the Swabian-Allgäu Hiking TrailSince 1978, this trail connects Augsburg with Sonthofen, with a branch leading to the Kneipp town of Bad Wörishofen. It stretches for hours through extensive forests, the idyllic Anhauser Valley with its numerous fish ponds – one of the most beautiful valleys in the Augsburg Western Woods Nature Park – and along the forested upper edge of the Wertachleite. Benches with beautiful views are repeatedly found at forest edges – sometimes with a magnificent Alpine panorama during föhn winds. In Tussenhausen, we then leave the nature park and hike through the meadow and forest-rich gravel and old moraine landscape to the world-famous spa town of Bad Wörishofen.

​The start and finish of this varied loop hike are at bus turnaround loop 1 in Waldberg. There are a few parking spaces along the road there. We walk along the white-and-red posts, past the playground, and across a residential street. At the end of the neighborhood, we take the gravel path to the right uphill, then keep to the left. At the large tool shed, we walk straight toward the forest, where there are several hunting blinds. We do not go directly into the forest! Instead, we take the path on the right at the forest edge 2, which also leads into the forest after a few steps.   Once in the woods, we stay on the wide forest road and ignore all paths that appear to be less frequently used. In particular, we pay attention to two Y-junctions where parcel markers are attached to trees: “Bistum I/13 Kleinmösle” and “Bistum I/14 Bistumebene.” At both Y-junctions, we take the left path. This brings us to a junction with forestry, one of which resembles a witch’s cottage. Also note the beautiful cast-iron wayside cross a short distance off the path! Behind the “witch’s cottage,” we continue westward on a wide forest road—a straight stretch of path leads us to the memorial 4 for the slain district forester Josef Holl. At this historic wayside shrine, we turn left onto the path marked with a red hiking symbol and a bike path sign. We hike southward and ignore two paths branching off to the right—we take the third one with the signpost pointing to Mickhausen 5.Now the path on the right is the one we’re taking. We hike to a Y-intersection 6—a clearing is visible on the right. At this Y-intersection, we choose the left path, which is lightly overgrown with grass. Shortly before the edge of the forest, with a bit of luck, we finally spot another one of the rare hiking trail markers. We walk along the edge of the forest and turn right—the Herrgottsruh Chapel 7 is impossible to miss. In front of the chapel, built in 1685 by Paul Graf Fugger, there is a beautiful rest area with tables and benches; goats are often seen grazing in the pasture across the way.    From the Herrgottsruh Chapel, we climb slightly uphill on a gravel path and, after a right-hand bend, descend steeply to St. Wolfgang Church 8 in Mickhausen. This remarkable church is one of Bavaria’s protected historical monuments. At the square immediately south of the church, near the newly built kindergarten building, we find a bike and walking path—grass-covered only at the beginning—which leads us down to the main road. We walk to the left and then turn right in front of the former butcher shop. Passing a wayside chapel and the Sacred Heart wayside shrine, we reach Münster. Before the yield sign, we take the footpath to the right uphill and arrive at informationNo. 9 next to a wayside shrine in the center of town. The sign features a local history chronicle. If you’d like, you can visit the Church of St. Benedict and St. Vitus—just follow Klosterweg for a few meters. A few meters past the information board, we follow the red hiking trail markers to the left, walk downhill along Stiftsstraße, and follow the road signs toward Konradshofen. Just before the yield sign, near a double garage, we turn right and follow the narrow paved road, which soon becomes a gravel farm road. We hike above Schmuttertalstraße until we reach Rielhofen j. A few meters before the St. Johannes Chapel in Rielhofen—near an apparently abandoned house—we turn left off Schmuttertalstraße, cross the Schmutter River, and continue hiking to the right at the edge of the forest. We follow the edge of the forest only briefly and remain in the Schmutter Valley. At a bridge leading to a private property, we keep to the left and follow the edge of the forest, passing a bench. At the corner of the forest, we turn right toward a power pole and enjoy the views of the Schmutter Valley before reaching Hippoltsberg k. At the single-family home numbered 3a, we turn left and ascend steadily through the wide meadow valley. The power line runs initially to the left, then later to the right of our path. At the edge of the forest, we ignore the red-marked hiking trail branching off to the left and instead follow the bike path markers toward Birkach. At the highest point, we turn right and cross a road near a horse stable. Then we keep to the left as we descend toward Birkach. If you don’t mind the asphalt, you can also take the road down to the village from the horse stable. In any case, we follow the main road north toward Birkach until the fork leading to Froschbach. Passing the few houses in Froschbach and a barn ahead, we head north toward the forest. In the forest, we take the wider path to the right and stay on it—it runs close to the forest edge for quite a while and follows the Schwarzach River, after which the valley is named. Finally, we reach a road; we follow it carefully to the right and turn left before the first curve sign. The signpost “Eggerhof 0.6 km” points the way to the Eggerhof. It used to be a farm and an inn; later, it served as the home and workplace of the district forester. Today, the imposing building, situated in a picturesque location, unfortunately stands empty.

Start at Göggingen on the Wertach bridge Destination Reinhartshofen

​Our long-distance run through the Wertach Valley begins at the Schwabmünchen 1 train station on the Augsburg–Buchloe railway line. There are plenty of parking spaces there. We walk past the BayWa gas station and cross Hochfeldstraße into Anton-Maurer-Straße, which is designated as a “Zone 30.” At the end of that street, we’ll take the footpath between the barrier posts and run along behind the playground to Kroenstraße. Where it ends, we’ll keep left and, after a few meters, turn right onto Pfarrgässle, through which we’ll reach St. Michael’s Parish Church 2.  At Ludwig-Rößle-Platz in front of the church, we cross Fuggerstraße, which is essentially the “main artery” of Schwabmünchen. There are quite a few places to stop for a bite to eat and shops here—for anyone who still wants to stock up on provisions. From Ludwig-Rößle-Platz, we walk down Jahnstraße (“Bicycle Street”). ImmediatelyJust before the bridge over the Singold, we keep to the right and follow the river for a short distance. We cross a covered pedestrian bridge and, at the large pasture, keep to the right onto Singoldstraße. Next to the bridge on Apothekergasse, we turn left onto Wiesstraße and, after about 20 meters, turn right onto Parkweg. This walking and biking path leads us through a greenbelt. At the intersection of Hain- and Auenstraße, we pass a red bench and walk diagonally across to enter Luitpoldpark. How you walk through the park is up to you—our GPX track is just a suggestion. It passes by the Mariengrotte and what the locals call the “Schlittenberg.” In any case, you’ll end up at the Luitpoldpark 3 parking lot, not far from the low ropes course. We cross the street at the Luitpoldpark parking lot and look for the path that runs north of the sports facilities along an embankment, flanked by the Feldgriesgraben and a row of birch trees—hence its name: Birkensteig. We hike southwest along it and pass through the underpass of the Westentlastungsstraße. Then the Birkensteig turns northwest, and we walk for quite some along the Feldgriesgraben in that direction. Finally, we reach wooded and shrubby areas at the Wertach Reservoir in Schwabmünchen, which we skirt to the right. Passing through the area of a fish ladder, we arrive at the power plant on the Wertach Reservoir and at Wertach Bridge 4. After crossing the Wertach, we keep to the right immediately. We hike north along the river for more than two kilometers. A few meters before a fenced-in weir, we turn left (sign on a pine tree: “Stadtwald Schwabmünchen XVIII/1 Oberer Reitanger”). At the T-intersection with an unobstructed view to the west, we turn right. We follow the tree-lined avenue—the signs lead us up to Guggenberg Castle 5. The complex, which is primarily late Gothic in style, is privately owned and therefore not open to the public. In front of the castle, we keep to the right and follow the red-marked hiking trail as well as the bike path signs toward Reinhartshofen. At a parking lot, we turn left onto the road and then immediately turn right again on the hill. Hiking trail signs and other markers guide us to the Grüner Baum Inn 6 with its shaded outdoor dining area. About one-third of the way through the hike, we’ve earned a little refreshment. At the inn, we follow the hiking trail sign for “Hardt 2.0 km.” Through the valley of the Anhauser Bach, past fish ponds and a wayside cross, we reach Schloss Hardt 7. The core of the four-sided courtyard complex datesdates back to the late 15th century; in the 18th century, the castle served as the summer residence of an abbot from the St. Ulrich and Afra Monastery in Augsburg. Unfortunately, the complex, which is privately owned, appears to be increasingly falling into disrepair. From the castle, we follow Reinhartshauser Straße northward and turn right onto the street “Am Schlossanger.” At the junction with Mühlbergstraße, we turn left, then left again onto Großaitinger Weg. The path gradually climbs through the forest until we reach a prominent intersection with signposts. We follow the signs for the “Kneippweg” and the direction “Straßberg 4.0 km.” The markings lead us reliably to Metzgertafel 8 on the road between Straßberg and Reinhartshausen. Before reaching the road, we take the last possible path to the right so we don’t have to walk along the road itself (cyclists, however, can follow the road bike path). The “Kneippweg” takes us all the way to Straßberg. After passing the sports fields, we turn onto Wiesentalstraße at the TSV Straßberg building; this street runs alongside a ditch. At the yield sign, we follow the red hiking trail marker. Before the former Reichsadler inn, we turn left and head uphill onto Leitenberg Street. At the end of the street, we reach the beautiful picnic area at Leitenberg 9, featuring a barbecue pavilion, seating areas, and a fountain. It’s an ideal spot for a snack—we’ve covered about 19 km so far.

Beautiful, not very strenuous hike with only one boring straight section. Moderate ups and downs, passing by the fish pond. An interesting point is at the Justin Chapel.

Eine sehr schöne Wanderung mit nur einem längeren, langweiligen Abschnitt. Sie erscheint flach, hat aber doch ein paar Höhenmeter.  Früher Höhepunkt ist über Mickhausen die Herrgottsruhkapelle. Ein sehr meditativer Ort, speziell in den frühen Morgenstunden, den man unbedingt genießen sollte. Die Tour ist auch geeignet für ein entsprechendes Bike. Leider wurde der Übergang über die Schwarzach bei Km 14,7 beseitigt, so dass man entweder sehr sprungstark sein muss oder aber ab Km 13,3 leider auf de Straße gehen muss. Für bessere Vorschläge bin ich sehr dankbar.

Flache und langweilige Tour ohne echte Highlights. Geprägt durch überwiegend geschotterte Forstwege, die tw. endlos geradeaus gehen.

Wanderung vorwiegend auf den üblichen geschotterten Waldwegen, die von der Vielfalt der Waldvegetation, speziell auch vom Reichtum des Bodenbewuchses lebt.

Der Augsburger Jakobsweg mit seinen einzigartigen Naturräumen lädt zu einer kurzweiligen Wanderschaft durch Bayerisch-Schwaben ein. 

Unschwierige Wanderung, eher flache, größtenteils im Wald verlaufende Strecke auf meist geschotterten Wegen, deshalb aber nicht unbedingt langweiliger Verlauf. Kleine Highlights im östlichen Streckenteil ist die schöne Kneippanlage mit Barfußpfad, der ehemalige Bahnhof der früheren Munitionsfabrik und die Reste eines Bunkers.