Excursions & Culture

The southern Black Forest is one of Germany’s most beautiful and most visited holiday destinations: mountains reaching heights of up to 1,493 metres, rugged gorges, traditional Black Forest farmhouses, flowering meadows, fertile vineyards and dense forests – a unique blend of nature, culture, tradition and local character.

Large & high

The Southern Black Forest Nature Park stretches from Elzach and Triberg in the north to Waldshut-Tiengen and Lörrach in the south. To the west, it encompasses the foothills as far as Freiburg and Emmendingen; to the east, it extends to Donaueschingen and Villingen-Schwenningen on the Baar Plateau.

Covering 394,000 hectares, the Southern Black Forest Nature Park is Germany’s largest nature park. Over 550,000 people live in the 115 municipalities across five rural districts and one urban district. It also attracts over 20 million visitors and holidaymakers each year. The nature park is home to the three highest peaks in the Black Forest: the Feldberg at 1,493 m, the Herzogenhorn at 1,415 m and the Belchen at 1,414 m.

Tasks & Objectives

The main task of the Southern Black Forest Nature Park is to preserve the unique, historically developed cultural landscape of the Southern Black Forest and to promote the harmonious coexistence of nature and people. To this end, it supports numerous projects across various sectors such as tourism, agriculture and forestry, culture and nature conservation, including the ‘Cheese Route in the Southern Black Forest Nature Park’, the ‘Southern Black Forest Cycle Route’, the development towards becoming a ‘Bio-Energy Region’, and an increasingly accessible range of museums, natural spectacles and adventure trails.

Discover the fun

Whether hiking, mountain biking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, exploring adventure trails, experiencing cultural events or enjoying regional produce… – the Southern Black Forest Nature Park offers a wide range of attractive activities. Whether you’re a tourist or a local, a seasoned adventurer or a casual explorer – you’re guaranteed to find terrain in the Southern Black Forest Nature Park that’s new to you and well worth discovering!

Geocaching "HÖCHST-Spannung"

This is an 8-kilometre-long multi-cache where you’ll learn a bit about the Feldberg Nature Reserve along the way, enjoy fantastic panoramic views in good weather, and find two huts where you can stop for a bite to eat. There are also lovely spots for a picnic. For the trail, in addition to a GPS device and the treasure map, you’ll need footwear suitable for forest terrain, food and, above all, drink, weatherproof clothing and sun cream. The teams from Haus der Natur, the Nature Conservation Centre and the Southern Black Forest Nature Park wish you happy hunting! www.naz-feldberg.de. For the little ones, there’s a “Dandelion Cache”.

free to enter / always open

For further information, please visit: www.naturpark-suedschwarzwald.de

Film: "Black Forest National Park"

_{Source: schwarzwald-tourismus.info, Image: © VDN / S. Plewinski}