huckepack

Albsteig (HW1)

Length

Stated
360.1 km, the sum of the 16 main stages (Schwäbische Alb Tourismus)
Map line
359.5 km, OpenStreetMap along the official track
Used for
The charts on this page, and comparing trails in the search

360.1km

Ascent · descent

This trail
8,527 m up, 8,244 m down
Source
The sum of the 16 main stages (Schwäbische Alb Tourismus)

8,527m ↑8,244m ↓

Difficulty

What
How hard the trail is, in three ways: the terrain, the climate in season and the length of the days
Scale
Easy to Hard, with the same thresholds for every trail; each takes its hardest measure
Keep in mind
It describes the trail, not how it will feel to you: that depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather you get
  • Terrain: ModeratePath grade: ≈ T2
  • Climate: Moderate in Sep–OctCold: 3 °C at night (October)
  • Effort: HardLongest day: 8 h 03 (stage 10)

All measures

Terrain: Moderate; Climate: Moderate in Sep–Oct; Effort: Hard

Days

This trail
16 days, one per main stage
Why
No source suggests a number of days

16days

Per stage

How
The 16 main stages' totals over their number
Source
Schwäbische Alb Tourismus, so the averages come from one source

22.5km· 530 m ↑
Season

Landscape

Source
ESA WorldCover satellite land cover, along the main route
  • Forest: 76%
  • Grassland and shrubs: 14%
  • Farmland and villages: 10%

Landscape along the route

Mostly Forest

Photos

Photos from Wikimedia Commons by qwesy qwesy; each photo's licence in the gallery

Location

Country
Germany
Regions
Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg
Start
Donauwörth
Finish
Tuttlingen
Route type
Point to point
Travel hubs
  • Donauwörth1.2 km by road · 2 min
  • Tuttlingen234.6 km by road · 175 min
  • Stuttgart Airport (STR)182.6 km by road · 110 min
Protected areas
Swabian Jura Biosphere Reserve
Managed by
Schwäbischer Albverein, Schwäbische Alb TourismusOfficial website
Waymarking
A red triangle pointing towards Tuttlingen
GPX
GPX trackOur tracing from OpenStreetMap
  • Trail
  • Start
  • Stage start
  • Finish
  • Contour lines

Difficulty

Terrain

Rates
How hard is the ground to walk: the path, the climbing, the steep bits, the ground underfoot?
How
Rated over the whole main route.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Path grade
the trail's SAC grade, stated, converted or estimated
  1. EasyT1
  2. ModerateT2
  3. DemandingT3
  4. HardT4 to T6
Climbing
ascent of the main stages over their length
  1. Easyunder 15 m per km
  2. Moderate15–30 m
  3. Demanding30–50 m
  4. Hard50 m or more
Steep stretches
share of the route steeper than 15 %, up or down (terrain model)
  1. Easyunder 5 %
  2. Moderate5–15 %
  3. Demanding15–30 %
  4. Hard30 % or more
Natural ground
share on footpaths and trails (OpenStreetMap); never Hard on its own
  1. Easyunder a third
  2. Moderatea third to two thirds
  3. Demandingtwo thirds or more

Moderate

  • SAC hiking scale

    This trail
    T2 (our estimate)
    Basis
    Stages graded "leicht", "mittel" and "schwer", up to 880 m of climbing a day along the Swabian Jura's escarpment (the Albtrauf), with steep climbs to its rim, rocky viewpoints and castles. Mountain hiking on paths (T2).
    Scale
    The Swiss Alpine Club's hiking scale, from T1 (easy) to T6 (very hard)
    Why
    Trails rate difficulty in many local scales, or only in words; we translate each into this one so trails compare
    Keep in mind
    An estimate: how hard a trail feels depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather
    T1 · Hiking
    Well-made paths, mostly flat or gently sloping. No risk of falling; trainers are enough.
    T2 · Mountain hiking
    A continuous path, steep in places, where a fall can't be ruled out. Be sure-footed; wear hiking boots.
    T3 · Demanding mountain hiking
    The path is not always visible; exposed spots may have chains or ropes, and you may need your hands for balance.
    T4 · Alpine hiking
    Often no path. Hands are needed in places, terrain is exposed, and there can be easy snowfields.
    T5 · Demanding alpine hiking
    Mostly pathless, with easy climbing and exposed, demanding terrain. Needs alpine experience.
    T6 · Difficult alpine hiking
    Pathless, very exposed, with climbing and glaciers. For experienced mountaineers only.

    The scale at the Swiss Alpine Club

    estimated T2
  • Climbing24 m per km
  • Steep stretches8 % of the way
  • Natural ground44 %

Climate

Rates
How hot, cold, wet and windy does it get?
How
From 30 years of daily weather (ERA5), rated per month. Without months picked: the trail's best run of at least two season months, each measure at its hardest month. Pick months in the search to rate it for yours.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Heat
mean daily high at the lowest point
  1. Easyunder 22 °C
  2. Moderate22–27 °C
  3. Demanding27–32 °C
  4. Hard32 °C or more
Cold
mean nightly low at the highest point
  1. Easy8 °C or more
  2. Moderate3–8 °C
  3. Demanding−2 to 3 °C
  4. Hardbelow −2 °C
Wet days
days a month with 1 mm of rain or more, the wetter of both points
  1. Easyunder 10
  2. Moderate10–14
  3. Demanding14–18
  4. Hard18 or more
Snow
days a month with 1 cm of snow or more at the highest point
  1. Easyunder 1 day
  2. Moderate1–3 days
  3. Demanding3–6 days
  4. Hard6 days or more
Wind
mean of the day's strongest wind (hourly mean, 10 m above ground), the windier of both points; over land: a point whose 25 km weather cell is mostly sea takes the nearest mostly-land cell's
  1. Easyunder 15 km/h
  2. Moderate15–20 km/h
  3. Demanding20–25 km/h
  4. Hard25 km/h or more

Moderate in Sep–Oct

  • Heat · September19 °C by day
  • Cold · October3 °C at night
  • Wet days · October13 days
  • Snow · October1 day
  • Wind · October14 km/h

Effort

Rates
How long are the days?
How
Rated by the longest main stage; a time range counts its upper end.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Longest day
walking time of the longest main stage, stated or by DIN 33466
  1. Easyup to 4 h
  2. Moderate4–6 h
  3. Demanding6–8 h
  4. Hardmore than 8 h

Hard

  • Longest day · stage 108 h 03

Climate

Days in season · lowest point
4–24°C
Nights in season · highest point
−6 to 11°C
Wet days a month
11–16
Daylight
8.3–16.1h
SeasonDay high and night low−10 °C0 °C10 °C20 °C30 °CWet days, at the highest point5101520Daylight8.7 h10.1 h11.7 h13.6 h15.2 h16.1 h15.7 h14.3 h12.5 h10.7 h9.1 h8.3 hJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Climate by month, 1995–2024 average
MonthLowest point, day high / night low (°C)Highest point, day high / night low (°C)Wet daysSnow daysFrost nights at the highest pointDaylight (h)
January4 / -2.20.2 / -6.512.78.7288.7
February6 / -1.62 / -5.911.47.124.810.1
March9.9 / 15.7 / -3.112.95.523.711.7
April14.3 / 4.610.1 / 0.412.82.413.113.6
May18.3 / 9.114 / 4.8160.41.915.2
June22 / 12.717.8 / 8.614.60016.1
July23.6 / 14.519.4 / 10.314.80015.7
August23.6 / 14.519.4 / 10.514.10014.3
September19.3 / 10.715.2 / 6.611.80.10.512.5
October14.9 / 7.211.2 / 3.211.90.75.810.7
November8.4 / 2.34.8 / -1.712.14.418.79.1
December4.8 / -0.61.1 / -4.713.78.426.28.3

Climate by month

Source
ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, averages for 1995–2024
Places
The trail's lowest and highest point, adjusted to their height
Bars
From the mean night low to the mean day high
Wet days
At least 1 mm of rain; snow days at least 1 cm of snow
Daylight
Sunrise to sunset in the middle of the month
Shading
The trail's season

Stages

RouteDistanceAscentDescentElevationTime
1Donauwörth Harburg17.4 km270 m ↑200 m ↓410 → 480 m4 h 32
2Harburg Mönchsdeggingen11.9 km152 m ↑160 m ↓480 → 480 m3 h 15
3Mönchsdeggingen Bopfingen27.8 km474 m ↑450 m ↓490 → 490 m7 h 45
4Bopfingen Aalen-Unterkochen26.8 km467 m ↑440 m ↓490 → 470 m7 h 35
5Aalen-Unterkochen Heubach24.2 km542 m ↑564 m ↓460 → 470 m7 h 15
6Heubach Kuchalb (Donzdorf)27.2 km822 m ↑620 m ↓470 → 680 m8 h 00
7Kuchalb (Donzdorf) Boßler24.9 km880 m ↑780 m ↓680 → 810 m7 h 45
8Boßler Burg Teck23.3 km500 m ↑527 m ↓800 → 740 m6 h 45
9Burg Teck Bad Urach23.3 km486 m ↑776 m ↓730 → 460 m7 h 00
10Bad Urach Honau26.1 km857 m ↑550 m ↓470 → 760 m8 h 03
11Honau Willmandingen21.1 km553 m ↑536 m ↓770 → 780 m6 h 32
12Willmandingen Jungingen24.1 km465 m ↑633 m ↓760 → 620 m7 h 00
13Jungingen Burgfelden22.1 km664 m ↑338 m ↓610 → 910 m6 h 30
14Burgfelden Ratshausen21.8 km729 m ↑978 m ↓910 → 670 m7 h 00
15Ratshausen Risiberg (Dürbheim)25.8 km589 m ↑411 m ↓680 → 850 m7 h 30
16Risiberg (Dürbheim) Tuttlingen12.3 km77 m ↑281 m ↓850 → 650 m3 h 15

Totals and averages count the main stages only. ≈ marks our estimates where the source gives no figure: heights from the terrain model (Copernicus DEM, 30 m grid, sampled every 100 m), to the nearest 10 m.

Terrain

Highest · lowest point
1,026m high382m low

Gradient

Steepest climb
27 % (15°), 135 m up over 500 m, stage 6
Steepest descent
−27 % (15°), 136 m down over 500 m, stage 14
Gradient
Height per distance: 20 % is 20 m up per 100 m forward; 100 % is 45°, not 90°
Keep in mind
Averages over 500 m from a 30 m terrain model: steps and ladders within them are steeper
GradientAngleFeels like
10 %6°Noticeable on a road
20 %11°A steep path, slow going
30 %17°Very steep, often steps
100 %45°Scrambling

27% ↑−27% ↓

Steep stretches

This trail
14.6 km up, 14.2 km down: the darkest parts of the profile
Steep
15 % or more (9°, 15 m of height per 100 m), in 200 m stretches
Why it matters
Slow going uphill, hard on the knees downhill

28.8km

Surfaces

  • Natural ground: 44%, 155.3 km. Earth, grass, rock and roots: footpaths and forest trails. Can be muddy after rain.
  • Gravel: 42%, 147.7 km. Gravel, compacted and stony surfaces: mostly forest roads and farm tracks.
  • Paved: 15%, 52.9 km. Asphalt, concrete and cobbles: roads and village streets.

44% natural42% gravel15% paved
400 m600 m800 m1,000 m1,026 m12Stage 3Stage 45Stage 6Stage 789Stage 101112131415160 km356 km

Terrain along the route

Heights
Copernicus terrain model, 30 m grid, every 100 m along the main route; in forests it reads the treetops
Colours
Each 200 m by its gradient in walking direction: climbs warm, descents violet, darker when steeper (to ±30 %)
Ground
The strip below, from OpenStreetMap; the 22% without a surface tag is read from the way type (footpaths natural, tracks gravel)

Landscape

Forest76%Grassland and shrubs14%Farmland and villages10%123456789101112131415160 km356 km

Landscape along the route

Source
ESA WorldCover 2021, a 10 m satellite map
Points
Every 100 m along the main route; each takes the most common class within 30 m, so the path itself doesn't count as bare ground
Groups
Its eleven classes, folded into the six shown
Keep in mind
What the landscape looks like, not which plants grow there

Sleeping

39.8 km without a bedCamping8Huts10Hostels5Rooms20123456789101112131415160 km356 km

Places to sleep along the route

Ticks
One per place to sleep: 8 campsites, 10 huts, 5 hostels, 20 guest houses
Counted
Within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end (stage towns often lie off the trail); no hotels or day shelters
Shaded
The longest stretch without any, km 28.6–68.4
Source
OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list closed ones, so book or check locally

Water & Supply

Clean water

This trail
29.3 km without clean water, km 39.1–68.4, stages 3–4
Rating
  1. Frequentup to 10 km
  2. Regularup to 20 km
  3. Scarcebeyond
Counted
Within 500 m: 35 taps, fountains and drinking springs, 2 places to sleep with drinking water, 28 refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites
Refills
Guests come first and many close out of season: ask, and carry a little extra. Places marked without drinking water are left out
Source
OpenStreetMap; the counts include the approach and variant, the chart shows the main route

29.3kmScarce

Any water

This trail
22.2 km without any water, km 39.1–61.3
Rating
  1. Frequentup to 10 km
  2. Regularup to 20 km
  3. Scarcebeyond
Counted
Clean water, plus the 75 springs within 500 m
Keep in mind
Spring water's quality is unknown: filter, boil or treat it, and expect some springs to run dry in late summer

22.2kmScarce

Shops

This trail
44.8 km without a shop, km 229.2–274
Counted
76 supermarkets, convenience and general stores and petrol station shops, within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
Keep in mind
Small village shops are often missing in OpenStreetMap, and opening hours vary: check before relying on one

44.8km
Water · 22.2 km withoutPublic drinking water · 50.4 km withoutSprings (treat before drinking) · 22.7 km withoutRefills at places to sleep · 39.8 km withoutShops · 44.8 km withoutSupermarkets · 46.3 km withoutConvenience and general stores · 103.6 km withoutPetrol station shops · 149.6 km without12Stage 3Stage 45Stage 6789101112131415160 km356 km

Water and shops along the route

Ticks
One per place along the main route
Counted
Drinking water and springs within 500 m; refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites within 500 m; shops within 1 km, or 3 km of a stage's end
Shaded
Each lane's longest stretch without. "Water" counts every kind and opens into one lane per kind, each with its own
Source
OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list ones that have closed or run dry, so check locally

Wildlife

Wildlife

Shows
Animals that can be dangerous to hikers on this trail: large animals, venomous snakes, scorpions and spiders, ticks, and plants that harm on touch
Level
Ours, read from the official source
High
A bite of a species it calls common can be life-threatening within hours
Moderate
It warns of attacks or serious harm, or places the trail in a risk area for tick-borne encephalitis
Low
The harm is mostly minor or treatable, or avoidable by how you behave
What to do
From the official source: Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung (infektionsschutz.de)
Pictures
Silhouettes from PhyloPic, not to scale, each maker named with its advice; the landscape is the trail's own, drawn by us

Ticks Low

Ticks (Lyme disease)

Low danger

Ticks that carry Lyme disease live all over Germany, in forests and meadows; about one tick bite in 100 leads to the illness, which antibiotics treat well when caught early.

If you meet one

  • Wear closed shoes, long sleeves and long trousers, the socks pulled over the trouser legs; light clothes show ticks
  • Use a tick repellent as its maker directs; it protects only for a while, and not fully
  • After the walk, search your body: the hollows of the knees, the groin, the armpits, behind the ears, the head and the hairline
  • Remove a tick as soon as you can: grip it by its head close to the skin with tweezers or a tick card, pull it slowly and straight out, then disinfect the bite
  • See a doctor if a red ring at least 5 cm across spreads around the bite within 3 to 30 days, or fever and aching follow a bite

Don't

  • Treat the tick with oil or cream, or squeeze it: it may release more germs

Advice: Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung (infektionsschutz.de). Level: ours. Silhouette: Guillaume Dera (Ixodes ricinus), PhyloPic, public domain.