From Bad Rippoldsau to the Teufelskanzel and the legendary Glaswaldsee

The hike starts at the bus stop Holzwald Bakery or the parking lot Wald-Kultur-Haus Bad Rippoldsau. What begins promisingly will unfortunately close in September 2024: the bakery with a small shop.

At the location „Holzwald storage area (596 m)” we turn right following the yellow diamond marker. The path continues over „Heimele“ to the Holzwälder Höhe parking lot. There, the previously asphalted hiking trail, now marked with a blue diamond, branches off to the right and climbs steadily for over 3 km on forest and field paths.

At „Wolfenberg (760 m)“ we have reached half of the ascent. At the Hildahütte (915 m) on the Holzwälder Höhe, we meet the Westweg and Renchtalsteig and follow them shortly to the right to „Graseck”. There we leave both and descend left via the „Obere Rankweg” to the „Teufelskanzelweg (810 m)”, where we meet the Renchtalsteig again. It leads us up over stone steps to the Teufelskanzel and further to the Lettstädter Höhe / Stone 77. With 966 m above sea level, it is the highest point of our hike. About halfway through the hiking route, a well-deserved rest is offered at the Lettstädter hut.

Soon after, we reach the rest area at Seeblick (937 m), which offers a splendid view over the Glaswaldsee. Shortly after, at the See-Ebene, we leave the Renchtalsteig and Westweg and follow the blue diamond on a rocky path of 1 km down to the Glaswaldsee (840 m), which lies 100 m lower.

It is worth walking the small, charming, and legendary karst lake without markers along the left shore and then following the path uphill to the left.

After a rest by the lake, the route continues along natural paths towards Bad Rippoldsau, passing the „Bruderhalde“ to the Green Bench with a shelter. From there, we head toward Mittelkopf with the yellow diamond. Here we turn right and reach the Annahütte via the Badwaldhöhe, which offers magnificent views. From here, a rewarding view awaits of the former Black Forest clinic of Bad Rippoldsau lying deep below. The about 2 km long, steep descent with 300 meters in elevation leads us via signposts „Rehgeißennest“, „Badwaldhütte“, „Bei der Gissbank“, and „Alter Kaffeegarten“. Passing the parking lot and dilapidated buildings, we reach the snack bar and Café „Alte Tränke“ with the „To-Go Hisle“. The path continues unspectacularly via the location Weihermatt toward Holzwald to the Weihermatt mill and finally back to the Waldkulturhaus.