Forest wilderness at its best

After a steep decline you have reached the "Hohnekamm" at nearly 900 m a.s.l. The ridge of mountains is three kilometres long and is covered with myriads of bizarre granite rocks. All of these rocks together are termed the "Hohneklippen", a whole sea, which impresses mainly by its bleakness. Directly in front of you towers the "Hohnekopf". Rocks and boulder fields like these are what make the Harz seem so unspoiled. But also the impression of the forest has changed. Look around you: A rough forest wilderness has replaced the monotonous spruce forest you've just been walking through. Up here, at 800 to 1 000 m a.s.l., is the realm of the mountain spruce. Only mountain ash, birch and a few willows can survive along with it. Grasses cover the ground, mosses and lichens, tree bark and boulders. In the light sections between the rocks grows a rare tree species: the Carpathian birch. The forest in the national park's "nature dynamic zoneH is left to its own resources. No silvicultural interference takes place here anymore. In the year 2022, at least 75% of the national parkHs area will be left to their own resources, meaning they will be attributed to the "nature dynamic zone". Therefore, the reserve fulfils the high international standards for the recognition as a national park.