From Bad Herrenalb to Ettlingen—Along the Alb through the Albtal Valley

​> The Albtalweg, also known as the Graf-Rhena-Weg, is the classic hiking trail in the Albtal valley. Along the way, there are several S-Bahn stations that allow us to shorten this rather long hike. The Albtalbahn, a museum train pulled by a steam locomotive, also runs along the route. It carries bicycles as well. The narrow-gauge railway was built in 1897 to connect Karlsruhe with the surrounding countryside. Today, it runs on standard gauge. In the health resort of Bad Herrenalb, known for its therapeutic climate, we start at Therme 1. We quickly spot the blue diamond marker and follow it past the “Schweizer Wiese.” After crossing a small bridge, we hike past the towering rocks of the Twelve Apostles and, shortly thereafter, pass the Kullenmühle train station, walking on asphalt until we reach the Kullenmühle 2 marker. Here we take a sharp right, climb briefly, and then hike along the Graf-Rhena-Weg into the forest. After a good forty minutes, we reach the Frauenalb Monastery 3. We’ll explore the old walls and perhaps stop for a coffee at the country inn “König von Preussen.” Then we’ll re-enter the forest; after a few meters, we’ll turn right onto Klosterstraße toward the Lickbrunnen and continue slightly to the right on the Graf-Rhena-Weg. Continuing steadily along the Alb, at the Neubruchwiese 4 fork in the trail, we go straight ahead. Finally, we walk along a small paved road to the outskirts of Marxzell 5. Here we can stop for a break at the Marxzeller Mühle or visit the vehicle museum. Just before reaching the Alb River, we turn left again after a few meters and follow the forest road. In the Moosalbtal valley, we cross the paved Moosalbtalstraße to the left, walk along the forest path, and—after crossing the Moosalb Bridge—turn right toward the Moosalb estuary 6. Continuing on our route, we reach the Graf-Rhena Spring 7 near Etzenrot after three-quarters of an hour. We continue downhill through the forest and past meadows. Passing the Ettlingen Spinning Mill 8 (train station), the trail crosses to the other side of the railroad tracks a short while later and runs alongside them for a bit. Soon after, we pass the tennis courts and head directly to Ettlingen’s Stadtgarten and the Ettlingen-Stadt train station 9.