Long Distance Trails
Search long-distance trails in Germany.
AhrSteig
The AhrSteig ascends 3639m and descends 4070m over 108km from Blankenheim to Sinzig. Rated: 3 - Strenuous.
Diemelsteig
The Diemelsteig is a circular trail that ascends 1770m and descends 1636m over 62km from Heringhausen. Rated: 2 - Moderate.
Donauberglandweg
The Donauberglandweg ascends 2103m and descends 2330m over 61km from Gosheim to Beuron. Rated: 2 - Moderate.
Eggeweg
The Eggeweg ascends 1499m and descends 1509m over 71km from Externsteine to Marsberg. Rated: 2 - Moderate.
Harzer-Hexen-Stieg
The Harzer-Hexen-Stieg ascends 2647m and descends 2683m over 101km from Osterode im Harz to Thale. Rated: 2 - Moderate.
Hermannsweg
The Hermannsweg ascends 4347m and descends 4158m over 164km from Rheine to Leopoldstal. Rated: 2 - Moderate.
Rothaarsteig
The Rothaarsteig ascends 3894m and descends 4093m over 153km from Brilon to Dillenburg. Rated: 2 - Moderate.
Uplandsteig
The Uplandsteig is a circular trail that ascends 1857m and descends 1869m over 67km from Willingen. Rated: 2 - Moderate.
Long-distance Trails in Germany
In early winter 2023, when the hiking season had concluded, I compiled a spreadsheet of long-distance hiking routes in Germany. To qualify as a ‘long-distance hike,’ these routes had to involve at least one night’s camping, with a minimum length of between 50 to 60 kilometers.
While there are likely more trails than those on my list, I identified approximately 140 long-distance trails in Germany, averaging 163 km in length, with a median of 128 km. The longest trail measured 520 km, and cumulatively there was just over 22,700 km of trail.
However, a trail’s length tells only half the story; its elevation profile often defines its difficulty and rewards. The challenge though is that the elevation data of many websites can vary significantly. Additionally, the generic ratings of ‘easy’, ‘medium’, and ‘difficult’ are often misleading. How many times have you found a trail rated as medium more challenging than another similarly rated?
Motivated by my affinity for data, I decided to start compiling a list of German long-distance trails with accurate elevation profiles to objectively rate their difficulty from the perspective of a thru-hiker. This difficulty is distinct from that of typical German section hikers, who cover shorter distances each day, carry less, and stay in serviced accommodation. I plan to refine my formula and to add more trails to the website over time.
The list featured on this page includes routes I have either walked or have considered hiking, and for which I have created a GPX file with elevation data. You can search for long-distance trails in Germany by length, difficulty rating (from 1, being the easiest, to 5, the most difficult), by German state (Bundesland), or through a free-text search. Results are listed alphabetically by default, but you can also sort them by trail length or difficulty. Sorting by trail difficulty organizes the results from easiest to most difficult, allowing you to select shorter, easier trails early in the season, progress to longer, easier trails, and eventually challenge yourself with shorter but more difficult trails, and so forth.