Winter hiking in the Thuringian Forest

For many hiking enthusiasts, winter hikes in the Thuringian Forest Nature Park are a special highlight. Not only do the forests and mountain ranges often appear as a romantic, snow-covered winter wonderland during these months. At this time of year, the nature park also captivates visitors with a new wealth of facets and its tangible unspoilt nature. To ensure that visitors can hike safely even in winter weather conditions, a network of winter hiking trails is prepared in the region every year, covering a total of 530 kilometres and with excellent signposting.

The groomed routes generally allow for sure-footed walking and therefore enable all guests to make comfortable progress. In addition, the official snow report of the town of Oberhof provides daily information on the current snowfall and offers further information on the usability of the individual hiking trails. This means that hikers can concentrate fully on the beauty of the unique landscape.

The range of winter hiking trails offers a variety of options for all levels of experience. There are a large number of easy and moderately difficult routes in the nature park, which are usually between 3 and 10 kilometres in length. Particularly popular in this category is the Rhön Rennstein winter hiking trail, which offers breathtaking views of the Rennsteig, the Bärenstein and the Spitziger Berg as well as the municipality of Zella-Mehlis.

Experienced guests, on the other hand, will find a wide selection of medium and difficult hiking trails, some of which are up to 30 kilometres long. These often lead to more remote parts of the nature park and allow you to immerse yourself completely in the unspoilt winter nature. Particularly recommended in this category is the winter hiking trail from Ilmenau to Schmücke, for example, which leads past the Marinenquelle spring and the Kickelhahnblick.

At its end point, hikers can also look forward to a unique view of the eastern part of the low mountain range and regional delicacies at the Schmücke restaurant. The respective highlights and difficulty levels of the individual routes can be easily determined in advance on the regional hiking platforms. The official tour portal for summer and winter hiking routes in the Thuringian Forest Nature Park is particularly helpful here.

Winter sports and their diverse disciplines have a long and successful tradition in Oberhof and the local area. The local winter sports club was founded back in 1905 and the first skiing championships were held under its leadership shortly afterwards. With the gradual construction of further winter sports facilities – such as the ski jumping facility on Wadeberg or the famous biathlon stadium on Rennsteig – Oberhof became a regular venue for international winter sports competitions in the years that followed. As an official Olympic training centre, many of Oberhof’s sports facilities are now also used to train top athletes.

But ambitious guests can not only test their skills themselves on some of these professional winter sports facilities. Thematically designed hiking trails also invite you to explore Oberhof’s rich winter sports history. Particularly impressive is the newly created Allee der Olympiasieger und Weltmeister (Avenue of Olympic and World Champions) circular hiking trail, which stretches for more than 7 kilometres through the Oberhof countryside and has a difference in altitude of around 206 metres to overcome.

Your efforts will be rewarded with charming scenic views as well as direct impressions of the most important winter sports facilities. For example, the route passes the traditional Oberhof sports high school, the Wadeberg ski jump, the starting point of the historic Wadeberg bobsleigh run, the lift and toboggan facilities on the old golf meadow and the sports facilities in the Harzwald forest. For all visitors who prefer a longer hiking route, the circular hiking trail can also be easily combined with other routes. In addition to the forest nature trail on the Schlossberg, the historic sports facilities trail is also directly connected to the circular hiking trail.