3 stages of summit happiness in Germany’s Allgäu – Heilbronner Way

The Heilbronner Way — in mountaineering circles the name alone brings smiles. The trail section is rightly a classic and is as exciting as it is beautiful. You walk a part of the Allgäu main ridge without needing any climbing skills and ascend some of the highest mountains in the region along the way.

This high-altitude trail was opened more than a hundred years ago in 1899 by the Heilbronn section of the German Alpine Club. On the route, you scramble along narrow paths, some of which are secured with ropes, including a ladder and a bridge at lofty heights above the main Allgäu ridge. The view and the thrill are incomparable so it’s no wonder that the Heilbronner Way is still so popular.

The trail itself leads from the Heilbronner Törle over several peaks to the Bockkarscharte and is only around 3 kilometres (1.8 mi). It starts high above the treeline and can be integrated into numerous adventures. I suggest a route with three stages that you can easily do over a long weekend.

The starting point is Oberstdorf, which you can easily reach by train. From there, you take a bus to Birgsau where you start your ascent to the Rappenseehütte, your first night's accommodation. The Heilbronner Way itself awaits you on the second day and the Kemptner Hütte is at the end of the stage. The descent on the third day takes you through the impressive Trettach valley down to Spielmannsau, where you can get back on a bus to Oberstdorf.

On the route, you can climb some of the highest peaks in the Allgäu Alps. From the Rappenseehütte, a nice loop leads over the Rappenseekopf and the Hochrappenkopf if you want. On the second stage, the Hohe Licht and the Mädelegabel are nice summit options. They are the second and fourth highest mountains in the Allgäu Alps.

Due to the rocky, narrow and partly exposed paths, the hike and especially the Heilbronner Way require surefootedness, absolute freedom from vertigo, a very good physical condition and experience in alpine terrain. If you fancy doing the trail but don't feel confident doing it alone, you can go with a local mountain guide.

As the Heilbronner Way is very popular, it is best to book your overnight stays in huts well in advance. It gets very busy here, especially at weekends. This is another reason why it makes sense to walk the trail in the standard direction described here. On the narrow paths, it’s difficult to get past each other.

The Heilbronner Way is usually open from the beginning of July to the end of September, as are the huts. However, snow and ice can persist on the shady northern slopes even into the summer. You can find out whether the route has already been cleared and is passable here: dav-heilbronn.de/de/aktiv/wandern/heilbronner-weg.html (in German). The hut keepers are also important sources of information about the conditions, you can ask them for advice. If the weather is right, there’s nothing standing in the way of an exciting hike across the Allgäu High Alps.