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recommended route Thematic Trail · Nordschwarzwald

Panorama Trail at Wattkopf

4.5 ·2 ratings

Responsible for this content
Tourismusgemeinschaft Albtal Plus e. V.

White little house
Photo: CC BY-SA, Stadt Ettlingen

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The panorama trail at Wattkopf leads to viewpoints with views over Ettlingen, the Alb valley, and the Rhine plain. Experience stations and the Bismarck Tower make the round particularly varied.

easy

Distance 2.5 km

1:30 h

111 m

298 m

187 m

The panorama trail at Wattkopf is an easy circular hike that takes you about 2.5 km into the city forest of Ettlingen. The route runs along idyllic forest paths and offers wonderful views over the city, the front Alb valley, the Rhine plain, and – on clear days – as far as the Palatinate Forest and the Vosges in Alsace at several viewpoints.

The special feature of this themed trail is the 17 experience and information stations along the route. They explain landscape features, geological and cultural highlights and tell small stories about the region – from the wayside shrine on the "Weißen Bergle" to historic terrace vineyards to natural events such as the windthrow area on the Wattkopf slope.

A real highlight awaits at the Bismarck Tower: The 15 m high observation tower is one of the most distinctive points on the route. From up here, there is an especially wide view over Ettlingen and the surrounding landscape – a perfect spot for a break and your next photo.

Author’s recommendation

Climbing the tower: The key for the Bismarck Tower can be borrowed against a deposit at the Ettlingen Museum, Tel. 07243 101-273.

Author

Andrea Wagner

Responsible for this content
Tourismusgemeinschaft Albtal Plus e. V.

Difficulty

easy

Overall difficulty

easy

Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.

Experience

Landscape

Highest point

298 m

Lowest point

187 m

Best time of year

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

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Dec

Track types

Asphalt

490 m

Dirt road

719 m

Forested/wild trail

930 m

Path

332 m

Unknown

2 m

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Tips and suggestions

Tourist information Ettlingen

https://www.ettlingen.de/erleben/gaeste/tourist-info

Roadbook

Arriving at the old water reservoir, the path first continues to rise and leads over cobblestones towards the southeast through the terraced allotment gardens at Robberg. Following the upper Robberg, one reaches the "White Houselet", from where hikers enjoy an impressive view over the city and the Rhine plain. After about 300 m, you reach the large windthrow area on the Wattkopf slope formed by the storm "Lothar".

After a further ascent, you leave the open area and follow a narrow footpath in the shade of a beech and oak forest. Upon reaching the height, the panorama trail continues on level ground over the Friedrichhöhe to the Bismarck Tower. From here, it goes down further via switchbacks to the parking lot at Kaisereiche or past the former excursion restaurant "Vogelsang" back to the starting point.

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Photo

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Bismarckturm Ettlingen
Robberg
Beim/Weissen Haus
Kaisereiche
Am Bildstock
Hütte/Friedrichshöhe
Oberer/Mittelberg
Oberer/Robbergweg

Public transport

Public-transport-friendly

By train line S1 or S11 from Karlsruhe main station to Ettlingen Stadt or Albgaubad. From here, walk to the starting point.

Directions

Coming from Frankfurt, Basel or Stuttgart, take highway A5, exit Ettlingen.

Parking

Hiking parking lot Bismarckstraße Ettlingen
Alternatively: Hiking parking lot Vogelsangweg Ettlingen

Coordinates

48.942769, 8.418904

DMS

48°56'34.0"N 8°25'08.1"E

UTM

32U 457448 5421256

w3w

///outwit.tolls.these

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

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Equipment

Sturdy footwear

Localization

Parts of this content were machine translated from German.

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Difficulty

easy

Overall difficulty

easy

Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.

Distance

2.5 km

Duration

1:30 h

Ascent

111 m

Descent

111 m

Highest point

298 m

Lowest point

187 m

Public-transport-friendly Round trip Scenic Cultural/historical interest

Weather at the starting point

10-day forecast

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8 Waypoints

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