Before starting the tour you should pay a visit to the monastery church of the Assumption in St. Märgen. Then it goes out of the village steadily uphill to breathtaking panoramas. At the Kapfenkapelle we have a nice view over the monastery settlements St. Märgen and St. Peter. In the distance, the view extends from the Thurner to Feldberg, the Schauinsland and further across the wide Zartener basin with Freiburg to Kandel. When the weather is clear, we can even look over the Rhine plain to the Vosges. In the picturesque village of St. Peter, you can take a breather and decide whether the way back is better on foot or by bus.
Author's recommendation
Don’t miss the delicious homemade cake at Café Krone in St. Märgen.
Directions
After visiting the Mariä-Himmelfahrt convent church, our tour starts in St. Märgen’s town center, where we follow the road a short way to the right towards Hotel DER HIRSCHEN. We turn left at Hotel Hirschen and start our climb on the paved road to Landfeld, stopping shortly before we reach the Rankmühle mill. The scenic road takes us along the edge of the woods to
Birkwegeck, past the spot where the
Ibenbach springs and on to the Kapfen chapel. Here we have a perfect view of the monastic settlements St. Märgen and St. Peter. In the distance, our view ranges from the Thurner to the Feldberg mountains, to the Schauinsland peak, and even across the open Zarten valley – from Freiburg to Kandel. On clear days, we can even see all the way to the Rhine plain, including the Vosges mountains. The panoramic path leads us to the Vosges chapel, to Hochrütte, and down to St. Peter, with its striking abbey. Those of us who are already tired from the hike can take the bus back to St. Märgen. The hiking trail takes us back through interesting terrain to upper Ibental. The ascent to “Römerstraße” at Zwerisberg is challenging. We follow a small paved road that leads into the forest until we get to “Am Zwerisberg”. Here we leave the road and walk along the edge of the forest. We can take a shortcut through Hugswald on the way back. The recommended route takes us to the Ohmen chapel via Wachtbühl and back to the starting point.
Equipment
We recommend sturdy shoes!
