Through the wild Ilse valley to the Brocken

The ascent to the Brocken via the Heinrich Heine path is one of the most impressive hikes in the Harz. The path initially leads through the wild romantic Ilse valley, where the Ilse rushes uphill between rocks, cascades, and dense mixed forest. The landscape shows its most spectacular side especially at the Ilse Falls. With increasing altitude, the scene changes significantly: the forest becomes sparser and wide areas of dead spruces dominate the highlands around the Brocken. A detour to the Obere Zeterklippe offers an impressive view of these contrasts of wild nature, moorlands, and the heights of the Brocken. The steam-powered Harz narrow-gauge railways, which work their way up to the summit, can be seen again and again. The final section leads up to the extensive summit plateau of the Brocken with its distinctive silhouette of the transmission mast and Brockenhaus as well as a wide view over the Harz and the North German plain.