Circular walk

Circular walk (2 hours 40 min) Above the Simonswaldertal valley A circular walk around the Kaiserebene, lasting 2 hours 40 minutes. Kaiserebene lies to the east of the Simonswaldertal valley between the Kilpachtal valley and the Teichschlucht gorge. The walk takes you continuously through beautiful pine forest and surprises you with fine views.
	The height difference is 400 m. Taking the short cut via Ganterhausle saves you the effort of having to climb 200 m up making the walk considerably less strenuous. For most parts, the circular walk leads you along unmade forest trails and footpaths and can be recommended at any time of the year provided there is no snow. In wet conditions, you should wear sturdy mountain boots as the trail leading to the Spitzer Stein can be very slippery. When it's dry, normal walking shoes will do.
Hike From the car park in front of the Playhouse, follow the steps leading up to the school. At the school entrance keep to the left and follow the footpath leading up to Hintertalstra?e. Cross the road and follow the sign 'Sportplatz' (Sports ground). Take a sharp right turn when you come to the first house on the right hand side. Avoid the tarred road and keep following the narrow trail parallel to the lane leading up to the sports ground. You'll reach the sports ground after 15 minutes walking. Follow the lane to the right towards the edge of the forest and take a sharp right turn (yellow triangle). The level path takes you through the pine forest. Go to the edge of the forest, take a sharp left turn and keep walking along the edge of the forest, still following the yellow triangle sign. After 5 minutes you'll reach the top of Buhlberg. To the right hand you'll be able to see the heights between Brend (1149m), country inn, viewing platform and Turner, while beneath, you'll see the lonely houses of the Hintertal. At the edge of the forest to the right there is a small wooden hut. You'll now come to a small forest pasture from where you keep going along the edge of the forest following the yellow sign. Eventually you'll reach a wide forester's track leading up from the sports ground. Walk past the barrier (990 m) and down the path to the right at the fork, reaching the edge of the forest after a 40 minutes walk. This point affords a fine view towards the Brend. Take a sharp left turn following the Buhlweg (yellow sign). Then take the trail to the left leading you slightly downhill through a beautiful pine forest. Deep below there is the Kilpachtal valley which borders onto the Simonswaldertal valley. After a further 50 minutes through the forest you'll see another forked path. Take the path to the right leading down towards Simonsloch (sign "zum Spitzen Stein", yellow triangle). Soon after the trail becomes steeper as it leads you downhill through primeval pine forest. You'll reach two crossroads where each time you follow the yellow sign. After an hour's walk, you'll come to Simonsloch (830m), the lowest point of the route. From here, don't follow the wide forester's path to the right anylonger, keep going straight on instead (yellow sign). Opposite, you'll see the "Hohe Steig" (1003m). Previously, the traffic route from Breisgau to Baar did not pass through Gutenbach but through the Kilpachtal valley via Alteck and on to Furtwangen. After a left turn you'll enjoy a first glimpse down the Simonswaldertal valley and towards Kandel on the opposite side. The path then leads you along the steep forest slope affording an increasingly better view of the Simonswaldertal valley as well as Hornleberg to the right. After a walk of around 1 hour 15 minutes, the trail comes to an end. Turn to the left climbing up a narrow path, following the yellow sign. When you reach the parting of the ways, climb down to the viewing platform "Spitzer Stein" (875m). Take care when climbing the "Spitzer Stein" to enjoy the view of Simonswaldertal Plattenhof from where the Zweribach waterfall gushes down into the valley. Walk 50 m back to the forked path and up past the ridge towards Hintereck. This path takes you uphill past groups of boulders. To the right, you'll enjoy a fine view down to Kilpachtal and up to Brend. From a bench, a beautiful view towards the other side can be enjoyed taking in the Zweribachtal valley and the Plattenhofe.
	Later on, the Kandel appears too. Reaching a fork, follow the sign "Grat - Hintereck". Here, the narrow path takes a sharp right turn followed immediately by a sharp left turn going up steeply. The climb from Spitzer Stein across the ridge takes 20 minutes, being strenuous in parts. After reaching the crest (1015 m), a level trail takes you on through the forest.
After 1 hour 45 minutes, you reach a broad track where you follow the sign "Hintereck - Rabenfelsen - Gutenbach". Go downhill until you come to the Bergvesperstube "Hintereck" Mountain inn of the Gutenbach Black Forest Club. From here, you'll enjoy a magnificent view down towards Simonswaldertal and the heights between St. Margen und Kandel. The broad path will take you towards "Rabenfelsen - Gutenbach." Follow the yellow sign at a fork from where you'll have a fine view towards Feldberg. After 2 hours 10 minutes you'll reach Rabenfelsen (Raven's rock) with a nice fountain and seats with a view down towards Wildgutach. Keep following the broad forester's trail towards Gutenbach whose houses are now becoming visible through the trees. Having walked for 2 hours 20 minutes, you leave the forester's track and turn right onto a narrow path leading to the Waldhausle, a mountain walkers' Inn. From here, a little path near the fountain by the Waldhausle takes you straight on, past a tractor shed, slightly uphill across a meadow towards "Kirche - Schulhaus". Cross a small stream and walk into the pine forest on the opposite side. The trail broadens again where the forest starts, and takes you slightly uphill through the pines towards Gutenbach (sign -red circle). After 2 hours 30 minutes walking you'll reach"Oskar Nitz Wegle", a romantic footpath to the right. You will however, go straight on, following the red circle. Soon you'll reach a crossroads where you'll take the wider trail leading downhill. After 2 hours 35 minutes you come to the edge of the forest and follow the tarred road leading down to the country road. Keep to the left where the trail runs into the road, going past the Town Hall to the car park in front of the Playhouse. Gutenbach is also the starting point for the circular walk no. 88, while the walk 8/2000 'Walking in the Black Forest' skims the edge of Gutenbach. Walking time and gradient Walking time: 2 hours 40 min. (10km) Difference in altitude: 400 m Short cut After a walk of 35 minutes turn left at the barrier (990m) until you reach a simple cross at the edge of the forest. From there, walk towards the Ganterhausle and on to the Hintereck from where you can walk back to the car park. Walking time: 2 hours. (8km) Difference in altitude: 220m Recommended stops for refreshments En route: Hintereck Mountain Inn of the Gutenbach Black Forest Club Gutenbach: Maierhof Inn (Tel. 07723-7895), closed from 14-17:30, closed Wednesdays, closed in October. Other points of interest Museum of the Club for Local History Gutenbach, open from mid-June to end of September, Sundays from 10.00 - 12.00 and Wednesdays from 14.00 - 16.00. Special guided tours for groups available, bookings at theTourist information office Gutenbach Tel.: 07723/930611 Sawmill: group visits - prior booking required (Tourist information office).