I am slightly tempted by the Mosquito repelling camping lantern.
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Hiking Alpspitze, Bavaria
Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
The Alpspitze is a mountain, 2628 m, in Bavaria, Germany.
Its pyramidal peak is the symbol ofย Garmisch-Partenkirchenย and is one of the best known and most attractive mountains of theย Northern Limestone Alps.ย
Click PLAY or get a glimpse on YouTube.
I cycled from my campground early morning.
There are a number of ways up and down.
I chose to take the Alpspitze cable car up. Hike down.
Arriving at the top, I was surprised to see that most of the morning crowd was made up of climbers. Many were taking the Alpspitz Ferrata (or Alpspitze Klettersteig) to the top.
Many tourists chug up to the top of Zugspitze, next door. The highest mountain in Germany. And don’t bother with Alpspitze.
Both are good. But there’s much more and easier hiking on Alpspitze.
I quite enjoyed the long walk down.
It’s fun to watch the many paragliders. Most exit from lower on the mountain.
Best hike Alpspitze?
Depends on the weather. What you are looking for.
I’d say best is to either hike up, ride down. Or the opposite, as I did.
Partnach Gorge, Bavaria
Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
Like nearby Hรถllental Gorge, this walk through a narrow canyon is wet, dark, and cool.
A nice escape on a hot summer day in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
You should probably bring a raincoat.
Click PLAY or get a glimpse on YouTube.
It’s popular. Narrow. And crowded.
Best go early or late in the day.
Easy access from near to the 1936 Olympic ski ramp in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
There’s a small fee to enter the gorge. Well worth it.
I was surprised at the challenging uphill climb going into and out of tunnels.
In fact, I was worried for some of the elderly tourists and small children. The footing is rough.
I was tempted to backtrack through the gorge as it is amazing โย but instead returned to the start on a trail up above the gorge.
Again, it was surprisingly challenging.
There were warning signs, including one stating a bridge was closed. I crossed it anyway, as did everyone.
Luckily, you don’t need to read German as the signs were translated. ๐
Don’t miss Partnach and Hรถllental gorge walks if you get to Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
Zugspitze – Germany’s Highest Mountain
Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
Weather-wise, this was one of the best of the year. โ๏ธ
I’d waited for a good weather window before heading to Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
Theย Zugspitze, at 2,962ย m (9,718ย ft) aboveย sea level, is the highest peak of theย Wetterstein Mountainsย and the highestย mountainย inย Germany.
It lies south of the town ofย Garmisch-Partenkirchenย inย Bavaria, and theย AustriaโGermany borderย is on its western summit.ย …
On the flanks of the Zugspitze are two glaciers, the largest in Germany: theย Northern Schneefernerย with an area of 30.7ย hectaresย andย Hรถllentalfernerย with an area of 24.7 hectares.
Shrinking of theย Southern Schneefernerย led to the loss of glacier status in 2022.
Wanting to beat the rush โย as much as possible โ I caught the first cable car up in the morning from the Germany side. And immediately headed up to the former “glacier“.
Once 1.5km thick, it may be gone entirely by 2035.
This is the Zugspitze plateau. You can do a self-guided glacier walk. Or sign-up for a guided tour.
From here, I had to take another cable car up to the summit.
Threeย cable carsย run to the top of the Zugspitze. …
The rack railway and theย Eibsee Cable Car, the third cableway, transport an average of 500,000 people to the summit each year.ย …
… Did I miss the race? ๐
I didn’t bother getting in the long line to scramble up to the summit Cross.
Too. Many. Tourists.
BUT … all-in-all, I’m glad I joined the mob atop Zugspitze. The vistas are fantastic on a clear day.
I had been considering hiking down โย until I heard it was 7-10 hours!
Instead, I descended by cable car and hiked Eibsee. ๐
Circuiting the lake was much easier.
Click PLAY or watch Rick Steves on YouTube.
Best Multi-day Hikes in Europe
Though I use AllTrails everywhere I go, my main source for advice in Europe 2023 was Kati and Sabrina โ Moon & Honey Travel.
After years of travelingย across Asia, New Zealand, and the Balkans, they are now hiking across Europe based out of Vienna.
The problem for me in Europe is that there are TOO MANY great hikes. It’s difficult to find advice this specific.
Start on this page:
20 Best Treks in Europe
A collection of thrilling multi-day hiking trails in Europe for the offbeat adventurer, ranked easiest to most difficult. We starred our top recommendations. We also linked each trek to its trekking guide.
Easy-Moderate European Treks
- Rota Vicentina Fishermanโs Trail, Portugal*
- Emperorโs Crown, Austria
- High Tatras Hut-to-Hut Hike, Slovakia
- Rรคtikon High Trail Circuit, Austria and Switzerland*
- Alta Via 1, Italian Dolomites
- Tour du Mont Blanc, France, Italy and Switzerland
Moderately Difficult European Treks
- Liechtenstein Panorama Trail, Liechtenstein
- Ortler High Mountain Trail, Italy
- Montafon Hut-to-Hut Circuit, Austria
- Venediger High Trail, Austria
Difficult European Treks
- Karwendel High Trail, Austria*
- Schladminger Tauern High Trail, Austria*
- Triglav National Park Trek, Slovenia*
- Berlin High Trail, Austria*
Challenging European Treks
- Kamnik โ Savinja Alps Trek, Slovenia*
- Eagle Walk Lechtal Alps, Austria*
Short 2 โ 3 Day Treks in Europe:
- Veliko ล piฤje & Seven Lakes Valley, Slovenia*
- Mount Triglav, Slovenia
- Rosengarten Traverse, Italian Dolomites
- Tre Cime di Lavaredo Trek, Italian Dolomites
Hรถllental Gorge, Bavaria
Hรถllentalklamm (Valley of Hell Gorge) is a wild, narrow gorge located near the village of Grainau, at the foot ofย Zugspitzeย in Upper Bavaria,ย Germany. …
Most visitors hike to Hรถllentalklamm gorge from the Hammersbach hamlet in Grainau, close to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. This is the fastest and most direct route (1 hour to the gorge entrance).
However, a far more dazzling approach begins at the Kreuzeck cable car mountain station.
This moderate circuit hike is mostly downhill, which is a perfect option for hot summer days and acclimatization.ย …
Moon and Honey Travel
Click PLAY or get a glimpse on YouTube.
Knowing the tunnels would be wet and crowded, I opted to go late in the day. And hiked only the gorge. In both directions.
Very cool.
Also, literally cool. Air conditioning and water spray on a hot day.
I was happy to have brought a light rain jacket.
On the down side, it was very dark in the gorge by the time I got there.
Women – 140 days Great Himalaya Trail
Wow. What an undertaking.
The Great Himalaya Trail (GHT) Women Leaders on the Trail Campaign (GHT Women Leaders campaign) is a once in a lifetime opportunity to elevate the roles and status of female Nepali guides and porters in Nepal.
The campaign involves organizing a group of female Nepali guide(s) and porters to trek on the Great Himalaya Trail for 140 days beginning February until July of 2024.
This campaign is in support of the mission of the non-profit human rights organization, The Porter Voice Collective, which aims to advocate for the human rights of porters in Peru, Nepal & Tanzania via all forms of media and storytelling. …
Details
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Anu Shrestha, Campaign Manager (Nepal)
Gauri Malakar, Campaign Advisor
Sara Frenning, PVC Researcher & Campaign Coordinator, Videographer
Pema T. Sherpa, GHT Logistics Coordinator
Marinel de Jesus, Campaign Manager (Global)
Climbing Flakstadtinden, Lofoten, Norway
Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
I enjoyed hiking Sandbotnen beach to Ryten Summit out of Fredvang.
Definitely one of the best hikes in Norway. Almost every hiker has Ryten on their Lofoten list.
Everyone en route to Ryten from Ramberg sees this nearby imposing triangular peak. Much less well known.
Surprisingly, it’s quite easy to hike from the backside. There are at least 2 trailheads.
It only takes a couple of hours to get up and down.
Wait on good weather. The views are terrific in every direction.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. #shorts
AllTrails – Flakstadtinden
68North – FLAKSTADTIND HIKING GUIDE
Wendelstein Peak near Munich
Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
A popular destination out of Munich, Germany is Wendelstein, an 1,838-metre-high (6,030 ft) mountain / tourist attraction.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
There’s much to see.
On the summit of the mountain is the Wendelstein Chapel, an observatory, a weather station, a geopark and a transmission mast for the Bayerischer Rundfunk.
About a hundred metres below the summit, on the ridge between the Wendelstein and the Schwaigerwand, lie the mountain inn, the termini of the rack railway and cable car, the service building for the mast, the former mountain hotel (above the station), a hut for the mountain rescue service and the Wendelstein Church. …
The most intriguing sight for me was this … trojan horse? ๐
I checked. It’s something like a trojan chamois.
Kids were climbing up inside.
There are several trails up and down. And is accessible via both the Wendelstein Cable Car and the Wendelstein Rack Railway.
This was a rest / detour for me on a cycling day to nearby Lake Schliersee.
Tempted to take the cable car up, hike down โ I ended up taking the car both ways. And made it home before dark.
The trails do look good. And popular.
I do recommend a visit to Wendelstein.
#4 day hike – Laguna de los Tres, Argentina
One of our top 10 day hikes in the world.
Why?
The photos say it all. ๐
- our pick for best day hike โ of many โ out of El Chaltรฉn, Argentina’s Trekking Capital in Patagonia
- the nearest airport is El Calafate
- November – March are the best months. You might have snow on the trail in November or March, however.
- 8+ hours round trip depending on route
- elevation gain 2,300 ft. (700m)
- option to tent near the lake
- infamous for bad weather. Be prepared for extreme wind.
World โ S America โ Patagonian Andes โ Argentina โ Laguna de los Tres
vista from El Chaltรฉn
For details click over to our Laguna de los Tres information page.
besthike.com 