Summitting the Feldberg

The view of the Feldsee and across the southern Black Forest from near the top gondola station on the Feldberg.

The Feldberg is the highest point in Germany's Black Forest

The trail to the top of the Feldberg.

I stood at the grassy crossroads in an Alpine meadow and considered our options.

The wide dirt path to our right twisted toward the peaks of the Swiss Alps etched into the blue skies a few dozen miles to the south.

To the west, the tall, spruce-carpeted hills dipped into the Rhine Valley then rose into the mountains of Southern France.

Back to the east was the Feldberg Tower with its sky-scraping views. Nearby: The top station of the gondola (www.feldbergbahn.de) that had deposited us here high in the Schwarzwald, with its peekaboo glimpse down to the glacial cirque of Feldsee Lake at the mountain’s foot and beyond to the wider waters of the Titisee far in the valley below.

The gravel path before us swooped down then up again through green fields frosted with Queen Anne's lace and speckled purple and yellow with flowers tended by at least four varieties of wild bees (my six-year-old was keeping count).

This path ended at the peak of the Feldberg, at 1,493 meters (4,900 feet) the highest point in the entire Black Forest.

I grabbed by son's hand and said. "Come on. Let's head to the top."

Once we reached the peak and were able to spin 360 degrees and see nothing but forested mountains, tidy farmlands, and red-roofed hamlets strung along valley creeks, my son raised him to arms in his classic victory pose and let loose a joyful “Yahoo!” into the bright blue sky.

It was only about 5km (3 miles) from the gondola to the peak and back, but the thinner air, sun factor from being on an exposed trail above the treeline —and slower pace of a young child—made it just about perfect for a short hike in the Black Forest. Certainly it was among the most scenic.

Had we had 4–5 hours to spare, we might have tackled the whole 12.2km loop that wound down from the summit and around to the gorgeous little Feldsee. Next time.

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