The former residential town of Bad Urach is located in the middle of the UNESCO Swabian Jura Biosphere Reserve. Spectacular natural landscapes, clean air and the picturesque half-timbered town, ensure for a relaxing and refreshing holiday.
Autorentipp
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.
Wegbeschreibung
From the Wilhelmsplatz car park, we follow Ulmer Straße to the round tower of the Webervorstadt. There, opposite the tower, we turn into the street Am Hochberg, which we follow up to a sharp left turn at the tree line. Here begins a hiking trail uphill through the forest, it leads us on the wide path to the sanatorium. We cross this path and then follow the route that joins here, for 200 m to the Oberen Kaiserweg, which then branches off to the right. At this junction, a zigzag path begins on the left that runs along the slope of the Hochberg to the Michelskäppele secenic viewpoint.
From Michelskäppele (615 m) we have a beautiful view of the historic old town of Bad Urach and its surroundings. Our path continues to the right of the benches, winding moderately uphill past rocks to the wooded ridge of the Hochberg (667 m). There we turn right after about 200 m and soon reach the Albtrauf, where the path turns left again. From this bend in the path, a short cul-de-sac leads to the first high mountain rockface lookout point. From there, the view down into the Erms Valley and Bad Urach is even more spectacular and comprehensive than from Michelskäppele.
We finally go back to the main path, which now leads fairly flatly along the Albtrauf (edge of the mountain) A large part of the high mountain rocks to the right of the path have been declared natural monuments and are protected as rock biotopes. Therefore setting foot in these biotopes is prohibited (no climbing), however the most beautiful and interesting lookout points are exempt from the ban. Behind a shelter on the way we have a beautiful vista again which only improves the further we move towards the Kunstmühlefels. The Kunstmühlefels (684 m) lie on a mountain outcrop that is created by the Mohrenteich, a small narrow side-valley to the Ermstal. The panoramic view from the Kunstmühlefels starts with a glimpse of the Mohrenteich, through which we will then descend to the Oberer Kaiserweg.
Opposite we see the Schorrenfels (710 m) and to the right of it the Nottental with the rock wreath above the Hanner Steige. A striking point is then the antenna mast behind the eastern Hanner Fels (669 m) on the elongated Tiergartenberg, on whose mountain nose the white building of the house on the Alb (conference center of the state center for political education) cannot be overlooked.
The town of Dettingen spreads out in the bend of the Ermstal. The Eichhalde stretches to the right above the old town of Bad Urach. Below us in the Ermstal we see the buildings of a former cotton mill and the art mill in the district of Georgiisiedlung. From the Kunstmühlefels, we continue on the eaves above the Mohrenteich until a path turns right.
We descend through a ravine forest on a zigzag path to a forest path running along the slope. Here we meet the Oberen Kaiserweg, into which we turn right. It leads first as a narrow forest path, then as a wide forest path almost level along the slope of the wooded Hochberg and ends in the Sanatoriumsweg.
On the path that led us up from the city at the beginning of the circular hike, we return to the starting point past the thick tower.
Ausrüstung
Sturdy shoes, hiking poles and sure-footedness are recommended for this tour.
Sicherheitshinweise
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
