Belchen mountain run

The starting shot for the Belchen mountain run takes place in the town center, between the Church of the Assumption of Mary and the town hall, directly on Talstraße by the savings bank. From here, the first few meters go gently uphill to the Parkhotel Sonne, before following the route slightly to the right. Here, the Felsenweg suddenly becomes steep but flattens again as we turn left into Felsenstraße after 350 meters. After a few meters, the road steepens again before crossing Schönenberger Straße, reaching tennis courts to the left and the golf course to the right. Now it becomes steep and demanding again, as the road leads us 0.8 km from the tennis courts steeply right for 500 meters to Entenschwand. Once the small hamlet is reached, there is a chance to catch one’s breath as it flattens again. Turning right, we pass through Entenschwand, passing Dreschopf and the playground before the route leads left in the center of the village Schönenberg. We pass the small Black Forest village and at the end keep left. Right at the beginning, two 180-degree turns await us, then it becomes extremely steep again. Then the Wildböllener Straße leads us 1.2 km steadily uphill to Sägeneck or the lower Stuhlsebene. Here at 3.5 km, we leave the paved road and take the second path on the right. The wide hiking trail soon becomes steep again. At 4.3 km, the incline is noticeable in the calves. A little reward is the view to our right, which awaits us before the Schönenbuchener hut as we emerge from the forest. But there is little time to fully enjoy the fascinating distant view of the Swiss Alps, as we want to reach Belchen as quickly as possible. This can then be made up for extensively there. Via Mittelbühl and past the Eisenbläue, the route now leads us through a shady mixed forest. We leave the forest path, reach the Belchenhotel Jägerstüble at 7.5 km and then the valley station of the Belchen cable car, before turning left onto the former, now car-free old Belchenstraße. Now the last 3.5 km lie ahead. It is necessary to mobilize all strength again and possibly increase the pace, as the moderate and steady incline is ideal for this. While the first section leads mainly through forest, below the Belchenhaus, before the long finishing straight, a spectacular panoramic view opens up. We grit our teeth again, give it our all, and after 11.5 kilometers happily reach the finish at the Belchenhaus.