Back

Plan a route here Plan similar route

recommended route Hiking Trail · Wutachschlucht

From Döggingen through the Gauchach Gorge

No ratings (yet)

Responsible for this content
Walter Biselli

Footbridge over the Gauchach
Photo: Walter Biselli, Walter Biselli

Map / From Döggingen through the Gauchach Gorge

Selected alternatives for you

This summer hiking trail follows the course of the wild Gauchach River through a shady ravine forest, past towering rock faces and across narrow footbridges.

moderate

Distance 10.6 km

3:00 h

175 m

350 m

785 m

569 m

This public transit-friendly tour begins at the Döggingen train station and initially follows the Gauchach Loop Trail down into the wild and romantic Gauchach Gorge. Here, the torrent has carved its way deep into the hard shell limestone. Three mills once harnessed the Gauchach’s water power. The superbly restored Guggenmühle was first mentioned as early as 1414 as a bannmill and is now privately owned. A devastating flood destroyed the Lochmühle in the “Teufels Loch” in 1804; killing three residents. In gratitude for his family’s rescue, the miller had a chapel built above the mill. The Burgmühle later became a popular Nature Friends lodge and, since 2020, has served as a sustainability-focused restaurant in the heart of the gorge.

Just before the Gauchach flows into the Wutach, we leave the WasserWeltenSteig and follow the ErlebnisTour Wutach to the Wolfgang Chapel at the Bruderhof. An information sign here commemorates the shelter provided to relatives of the Scholl siblings at the Bruderhof.

From the Wutach Mill, the local bus takes us comfortably back to the Döggingen train station.

Original tour description: https://www.schwarzwaldverein-tourenportal.de/de/tour/812054964/

Author’s recommendation

The hike through the shady gorge is perfect even on hot summer days. You can stop for refreshments at the former Burgmühle Nature Friends House.

Author

Walter Biselli

Responsible for this content
Walter Biselli

Difficulty

T2 moderate

Overall difficulty

moderate

Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.

Experience

Landscape

Highest point

785 m

Lowest point

569 m

Best time of year

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Track types

Asphalt

922 m

Dirt road

288 m

Forested/wild trail

2 km

Path

6.9 km

Road

458 m

Unknown

19 m

Show elevation profile

Rest stops

Burgmühle
Kiosk Wutachmühle

Safety information

The tour follows marked hiking trails throughout. It can therefore be completed without using a GPS.

The narrow paths through the Gauchach Gorge are often slippery, even in dry weather. Slippery and damp limestone can be dangerous even for experienced hikers. After prolonged rainfall, landslides, rockfalls, and trail collapses—and the resulting trail closures—are possible.

Sure-footedness and a head for heights are essential for this tour. It is recommended only for experienced hikers!

Tips and suggestions

www.wutachschlucht.de with up-to-date trail information from the Wutach Ranger

Wutach Gorge Nature Reserve: https://rp.baden-wuerttemberg.de/rpf/abt5/ref56/naturschutzgebiete/naturschutzgebiet-wutachschlucht

Recommended tours nearby:

Roadbook

From the Döggingen train station, we follow the yellow diamond—the Black Forest Association’s trail marker—toward “Posthaus (Gauchachschlucht)” through the lower and middle parts of the village. There, the“Gauchach Loop” trail branches off. We keep to the right and follow “Ignatz-Weißer-Straße” to the Döggingen School hiking parking lot. Passing through the schoolyard and turning left, we leave the village and climb gently to the Peace Cross at the tour’s highest point, 781 m. From here, there’s a beautiful view over Döggingen. After descending to the Kupferbrunnen, we reach the Gauchach Bridge at the Posthauskurve, where the WasserWeltenSteig trail joins our route.

Behind the Posthaus hiking parking lot, we pass through the entrance to the Gauchach Gorge. We hike through the wild and romantic gorge on narrow, winding paths that are nearly overgrown with butterbur in places. We cross the Gauchach five times on narrow footbridges before reaching the Guggenmühle.

We continue along the Rüsteig to the site of the former Lochmühle, of which only moss-covered wall ruins remain today. Above the ruins stands the Lochmühlenkapelle, restored in 2004. Passing the mouth of the Tränkebach, we reach the Burgmühle garden restaurant, idyllically situated in the gorge and formerly the Naturfreunde house.

After a break, we follow the WasserWeltenSteig trail onward to the impressive limestone sinter terraces. There, we turn left and follow the yellow diamond symbol on the ErlebnisTour Wutach. Passing the unassuming Geschwister-Scholl Spring, the forest trail leads uphill to the parking lot at the forest nature trail. We cross the L171 and hike in a wide arc to the Bruderhof trekking base.

Shortly before our destination, the Wutachmühle kiosk invites us to take another break. Afterward, the local bus takes us back to the Döggingen train station.

Rest stop

Tip

Nearby

Top Partner

Waypoint

Start point

End point

Low point

High point

Forecast

Today {low} to {high} and {precipitation} of {precipitation_type}

show {x} more

Photo

Video

Döggingen Bahnhof
Döggingen/Bahnhof
Döggingen/Bahnbrücke
Döggingen/Unterdorf
Döggingen/Mitteldorf
Döggingen/Ignatz-Weißer-Straße
Döggingen Schule
Beim Friedenskreuz
Posthaus/Am Kupferbrunnen
Busunglück im „Postloch“
Posthaus
Gauchachschlucht
Guggenmühle
Guggenmühle
Rüsteig
Lochmühle Chapel
Lochmühle
Grünburg
Gauchach Gorge
Tränkebachmündung
Burgmühle
Wanderheim Burgmühle
Burgmühle
Hüfinger Steg
Wilhelm Baur Denkmal
Bei den Sinterterassen
Parkplatz Waldlehrpfad
Trekkingstützpunkt -Bruderhof
Bushaltestelle Wutach Bruderhof
Kiosk Wutachmühle
Wanderparkplatz Wutachmühle
Wutach Wutachmühle

Public transport

Public-transport-friendly

Take the Breisgau S-Bahn S10 (Freiburg–Villingen/Schwarzwald) to Döggingen Station (hourly)

Return trip by bus 950 from Wutachmühle, Wutach, to Döggingen Station (hourly; on weekends, sometimes as an on-demand bus)

Timetable information: www.bahn.de

Directions

Take the B 31—exit at Bräunlingen/Döggingen—Freiburger Str.—turn left onto Gauchachstraße—turn right onto Ignaz-Weißer-Straße 7, Döggingen, 78199 Bräunlingen

Parking

Hiking parking lot at the Gauchach School in Döggingen (UTM 32T 457556 5304411)

Coordinates

47.893600, 8.440978

DMS

47°53'37.0"N 8°26'27.5"E

UTM

32T 458213 5304625

w3w

///storyteller.keeper.refutes

Get there by train, car, bike, or on foot!

Author’s map recommendations

Hiking map published by the Black Forest Association at a scale of 1:25,000: W259 Blumberg (Wutach Gorge, Donaueschingen), ISBN 978-3-86398-485-4

Book recommendations for this region:

Equipment

Sturdy hiking boots with good traction, telescoping hiking poles, and enough drinks and food for the hike

Human-created

The content was created entirely by a human without the use of AI. more

Localization

Parts of this content were machine translated from German.

User Questions

Don't see what you need here?

Ask a question and get an answer from the author, the official DMO or the community.

No ratings (yet)

Be the first to leave a rating or write a review!

Share your experiences and advice to help millions of people find and plan their next outdoor adventure.

Write a review

Rating submitted

Difficulty

T2 moderate

Overall difficulty

moderate

Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.

Distance

10.6 km

Duration

3:00 h

Ascent

175 m

Descent

350 m

Highest point

785 m

Lowest point

569 m

Public-transport-friendly Linear route Refreshment stops available Family-friendly Cultural/historical interest Geological highlights Flora

Weather at the starting point

10-day forecast

Statistics

Waypoints

Rest stops

Tips

My Map
Content
Show images Hide images

Features

Maps and trails

32 Waypoints

Nothing selected - click and drag in the elevation profile to zoom

Distance

Duration

Ascent

Descent

Elevation profile