Stage 1 - From Donauwörth to Harburg
The first stage of the Albsteig is leisurely. In doing so, you master about 230 meters of altitude. First you hike along the river Wörnitz through the Ried to Wörnitzstein. The highlight of the stage comes at the very end: the Harburg - one of the best preserved and largest Staufer castles north of the Alps. If you started early and still have fit legs, you can also take on the second stage directly.
Stage 2 - From Harburg to Mönchsdeggingen
On the shortest Albsteig stage, the focus is on enjoying nature. You hike on field, forest and meadow paths along the Bockberg nature reserve. The trail finally leads through the forest to Mönchsdeggingen. Here, a visit to the impressive monastery and church is worthwhile.
Stage 3 - From Mönchsdeggingen to Bopfingen
Forest paths and narrow trails alternate on the third stage of the Albsteig for about 27 km. You will cross a game preserve, with a little luck you can spot deer. The stage destination is Bopfingen, an old imperial town with a beautiful core and a landmark visible from afar, the Ipf mountain.
Stage 4 - From Bopfingen to Aalen-Unterkochen
On the stage between Bopfingen and Aalen-Unterkochen you will pass two hydrological highlights, the Eger spring and the Kocher spring. The ascent from Bopfingen takes about 30 minutes. Once at the top, it is worth taking a short detour to the Schenkenstein ruins (about 300 m). Further on, the trail passes the idyllically situated Egerquelle spring. The beautiful view at the Tierstein is already rewarding for the efforts. On wider paths and trails you continue into the forest. Passing the village of Hülen, you reach a gravel path from which you have a beautiful view of Kapfenburg Castle. The route continues through the forest and finally downhill towards the Kocher.
Stage 5 - From Aalen-Unterkochen to Heubach
The fifth stage of the Albsteig runs over hill and dale. At numerous viewpoints you can let your eyes wander over the landscape. Two quite steep climbs at the beginning up to the observation tower Aalbäumle and onto the Rosenstein make this route an experience for hiking enthusiasts. A little more than 500 meters of altitude are mastered. In parts, surefootedness is required on the narrow paths.
Stage 6 - From Heubach to the Kuchalb (Donzdorf)
In the stage from Heubach to Kuchalb, we first hike up to the Scheuelberg, where beautiful viewpoints reward the ascent. Weißenstein with its church and the impressive castle marks about the middle of the route. Finally, you hike to the Albtrauf, from which you pass numerous viewpoints: the Messelstein is certainly the most impressive of them.
Stage 7 - From Kuchalb (Donzdorf) to Boßler (Gruibingen)
On this varied hiking tour, you will hike through the valleys and heights of the Albtrauf - numerous beautiful views are guaranteed! So you have an impressively far view from the Fuchseck and the Rötelstein. But no view without some crisp ascents and descents. Almost 900 meters of altitude have to be mastered. The Boßler as the stage destination rewards with a view of the Three Kaiser Mountains and with a cool drink at the "Boßlerhaus".
Stage 8 - From Boßler (Gruibingen) to Teck Castle
On this varied hiking tour, the Albsteig leads to the Reußenstein ruin, the Randecker Maar, the Auchtert hill and the Rauber ruin. The highlights of this section are certainly the views from Breitenstein and Gelber Fels. Teck Castle finally marks the stage finish.
Stage 9 - From Teck Castle to Bad Urach
From Teck Castle, the route first goes downhill in the direction of Owen. This is followed by the first and only climb of this stage - up to the Bassgeige. After that, one highlight follows the next: vantage points with impressive views are the intro. The massive castle ruins of Hohenneuffen with the spectacular view, for which a short detour is worthwhile, is one of the highlights. Finally, the viewpoint "Buckleter Kapf" and the "Höllenlöcher" (hell holes) are worth seeing before descending to Bad Urach. The small spa town with thermal baths offers a beautiful old town with lots of half-timbered houses and numerous places to stop for refreshments and overnight stays.
Stage 10 - From Bad Urach to Honau
From Bad Urach, the route leads up to the Hohenurach ruins and on to an impressive waterfall. Passing two stud farms and an observation tower, you will reach Honau near Lichtenstein via the Übersberg. Once you have mastered the climbs at the beginning of the stage, the day becomes a real pleasure hike that offers a lot of variety.
Stage 11 - From Honau to Willmandingen
Along the edge of the Alb, you will encounter two special highlights on this stage: First, Lichtenstein Castle on a steep cliff above the Echaz Valley, which was built in 1837-42 after the novel "Lichtenstein" by Wilhelm Hauff. On the other hand, the Nebelhöhle (fog cave). The 400-meter-long dripstone cave offers a cool-down worth seeing, especially on hot summer days. Don't forget your sweater! The last climb of the day to the Bolberg is a real challenge. In Willmandingen, you can leave the Albsteig shortly to spend the night.
Stage 12 - From Willmandingen to Jungingen
Over the Riedernberg you pass Talheim and climb up to the Dreifürstenstein. In past times, three principalities clashed here: Württemberg, Hohenzollern and Fürstenberg. The view from the Dreifürstenstein ranges from the Raichberg with its high red and white transmission tower to the Hohenzollern castle and the 1005 m high Plettenberg. The trail continues along the Albtrauf before a steep descent takes you down to Jungingen.
Stage 13 - From Jungingen to Burgfelden
This stage takes you past some beautiful viewpoints. These include the Hohe Berg (854m), the Kohlwinkel and Backofenfelsen, the Zoller Blick, Blasenberg (886m) and Heiligenkopf (893m), Irrenbergblick and the Böllat (921 m). The special highlights of this hike are the Hangende Stein, the Zeller Horn and the Raichberg (956m) with the "Nägelehaus" which provides good food and drinks. The Hangende Stein (923m) is not only a vantage point, but a large rock block made of limestones of the Upper Jurassic, which has already split off dangerously far from the Alb ridge. Along the edge you then hike in the direction of Böllat and then the last piece on an asphalt path down to Burgfelden.
Stage 14 - From Burgfelden to Ratshausen
From Burgfelden you first hike downhill through the Albstadt suburb of Laufen. In serpentines you now go uphill through the nature reserve Hülenbuchwiesen and to the lookout point Hörnle (956 m). Then continue on a meadow path and again along the Trauf in the direction of Lochen, where you can make an additional detour up to the Lochenstein. The further views from the Gespaltenen Felsen and from the first "Albsteig-Tausender", the Plettenberg, make the second half of the tour no less spectacular. After the Plettenberg the trail follows the descent to the destination Ratshausen.
Stage 15 - From Ratshausen to Risiberg (Dürbheim)
At stage 15, another great tour with a lot of high altitude awaits you. After about 8 km you reach the highest mountain of the Swabian Alb, the Lemberg (1015 m). The Albsteig then leads from Gosheim to the Kehlen viewpoint (1001 m), then past the Gosheim chapel and from there to Klippeneck with its airfield. Then you hike on to the Dreifaltigkeitsberg, where you can make a detour to the Dreifaltigkeit church. The trail continues through fields and meadows to the hamlet of Risiberg, where the "Landgasthof Waldeck" is located directly on the trail and is an ideal place to spend the night.
Stage 16 - From Risiberg (Dürbheim) to Tuttlingen
The last and second shortest stage is coming up. There are no more big climbs to master. Right at the beginning the nature reserve Grasmutter is crossed, before it goes along the Trauf over forest and meadow paths. As you continue, you will pass the "Bettelmannskeller" cave before descending through the Tuttlingen city forest to Tuttlingen. There you can reflect on the Albsteig adventure in a café on the Danube. You made it - congrats!
