15 - At the Imperial oak

Discover our 5 premium hiking trails Grafensteige: Wasserfallsteig, Hohenurachsteig, Hochbergsteig, Hohenwittlingensteig or Seeburgsteig. All premium hiking trails are suitable for sporty and sure-footed hikers and lead you to the most beautiful places in Bad Urach.

Before we hike into the forest, we should enjoy the view from the car park, below us lies the Bad Urach district of Wittlingen (689 m) in a volcanic maar and the wittlinger fields. The antenna mast in Mäuerlen (762 m) is a real landmark, on the right is the Bad Urach district of Hengen, in the distance the highest elevation in the Middle Alb, the Römerstein (874 m) with its lookout tower. The deeply incised, rocky Ermstal valley can also be seen below and above it the Uracher Galgenberg (827 m).

A narrow meadow path behind the car park leads us to the forest path at the edge of the forest, into which we turn left. After just a few meters, it changes direction and leads into the Hockenloch forest. We now hike more than 700 m on the straight, slightly sloping path through the woodlands. 

At the crossroads we turn right and continue on a wide path between two forest districts to the Kaisereiche, it is the center point of a crossroads. We choose the path half-left, walk along the Scheuerlen forest section and after a few meters we come to a forest clearing.

To the right of our path is a forest hut with a canopy, in front of it are two giant sequoias. Suddenly, the wide gravel path soon leads into Katzental valley. The winding route, which is very well adapted to the topography of the landscape, shows that this forest road was not only used for forestry operations, but it earlier was one of the transport connections from the Ermstal to the plateau.

We hike along a small stream through the short valley gorge towards the Ermstal. Suddenly rock faces narrow the valley. When we have passed this narrowing, we are on the slope above the Ermstal. There we turn right into the marked forest path. Under a rock face we cross the trickle coming from the Katzental, the narrow slope path climbs up the slope above the Ermstal. Passing the Rabenfels (natural landmark) we reach a dead-end path that branches off to the left. It leads downhill to the Baldeckfels. Past a rock needle we come to the main rock face on which the castle of the Lords of Baldeck, who were loyal vassals of the Counts of Württemberg, once stood.

The meadow valley of the Erms below us is just wide enough to accommodate the river, the green path and the main road. Only a few traces of the Baldeck Castle are recognizable even for the expert. For the way back we do not use the steep mountain path on the mountain spur, but the more comfortable path that leads into the slope path.

We continue our hike to the left and after about 150 m we turn right onto an uphill footpath. On the ridge we come to the plateau. A level forest path leads us further into the Hochwald Hockenloch.

Then a wide woodland path branches off to the right to the Imperial Oak. At the crossroad by the oak we turn left and half a kilometer later we come to the edge of the forest. Via the Wittlinger meadow orchards, we turn right onto the access road to the sports grounds with a car park and arrive back at our starting point. 

Sturdy shoes, hiking poles and sure-footedness are recommended for this tour.

Our circular tours are not walking, but hiking trails. Sturdy shoes, hiking poles and sure-footedness are recommended for all tours, particularly after and during rainfall and in the winter months, the limestone rock and soil can be very slippery, especially on slopes. We also point out the presence of natural forest hazards. We ask you to exercise caution.

In an emergency, always dial the number 112. If necessary, please mention that the people involved in the accident are in inaccessible terrain, so that the Bad Urach mountain rescue service is also informed and there is no unnecessary loss of time during the rescue.

On the hiking signposts of our trails, you will find a plaque with the exact location number on it. The location number consists of the letters BU and a max. 4-digit number. Communicating this number to the control centre in an emergency, helps to provide assistance faster.

Please note the current safety instructions