Kickelhahn Tower – Knöpfelstaler Pond loop from Ilmenau

Hiking trails & Routes

Ilm-Kreis

Ilmenau

Kickelhahn Tower – Knöpfelstaler Pond loop from Ilmenau

Hard

4.7

(32)

hikers

Kickelhahn Tower – Knöpfelstaler Pond loop from Ilmenau

05:16

17.5km

550m

Hiking

Hard hike. Very good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: August 19, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

Naturpark Thüringer Wald

Waypoints

Start point

Bus stop

Get Directions

3.34 km

Kickelhahn Tower

Highlight • Viewpoint

The dining room above is recommended, delicious and good!

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4.44 km

Gabelbach Hunting Lodge Museum

Highlight • Historical Site

The simple late baroque functional building was hastily erected in the summer of 1783 to serve as a guest house for Karl August and his hunting party. Building materials were obtained from the ruins of Ilmenau Castle and the surrounding forest. Goethe often spent time here as a guest. The museum's exhibition is well worth seeing because it offers insights into the hunting habits and social life of the Weimar court.

You can find further information and opening times here: ilmenau.de/de/freizeit/museen-und-börsen/museum-jagdhaus-gabelbach.

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5.41 km

Shepherds' Meadow

Highlight • Viewpoint

The hiking hut is a suitable resting place with a beautiful view.

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5.45 km

Hirtenwiese Hut

Highlight • Mountain Hut

Shelter with a beautiful view 😁 inside benches and table for a little refreshment (for your own 😜) 👍

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6.89 km

Goethe Hiking Trail Hirtenwiese

Highlight • Trail

Have we walked a bit on our hike, nice 🌲

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8.37 km

Finsteres Loch Wooden Bridge and Waterfall (Touringen Stamp Station 145)

Highlight • Bridge

Shortly before Stuetzerbach you will find a fairy-tale gorge, which gained notoriety through Goethe's poem "Ilmenau". In 1783 a large, nocturnal hunting camp took place here. Today there is a wooden bridge over a small waterfall. Standing there and looking up, you can almost see trolls and goblins romping among the mossy rocks. Goethe's handwritten poem can be admired in the Goethe Museum in Stutzerbach.

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8.95 km

Knöpfelstaler Pond

Highlight • Lake

Before continuing on the romantic part of the Goetheweg in the Ilmkreis, this place offers a place full of peace and harmony.

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8.99 km

Forest pond in Naturpark Thüringer Wald

Highlight • Lake

Beautiful pond and certainly a good place for a little break.

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16.5 km

Ritzebühler Teich

Lake

17.5 km

End point

Bus stop

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

10.9 km

3.32 km

3.26 km

Surfaces

7.21 km

7.02 km

1.90 km

1.36 km

< 100 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (850 m)

Lowest point (490 m)

Weather

Today

Saturday 10 October

11°C

5°C

55 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 22.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

May 24, 2025,Rund um Ilmenau

This tour is highly recommended and takes you past several sights worth seeing in this region. In beautiful weather, the ascents and descents seem less strenuous.

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August 22, 2021,Wandern mit Goethe- von Ilmenau nach Stützerbach

A little shortened Goetheweg, because it was supposed to be thunderstorms and heavy rain (and then the dog wouldn't walk a meter when thunderous) - but it stayed nice and thanks to our early arrival we finally made it to the Goethehaus. The path is and remains simply beautiful and wonderfully laid.

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April 13, 2025,Auf Goethes Spur

A beautiful trail that's well signposted and offers great opportunities for a relaxing break. The only downside is the forestry work. Some paths are quite rutted, and there are many branches lying on the trail or in the small streams.

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June 1, 2025,Stützerbach, Finsteres Loch, Kickelhahn und zurück.

Today's small stamp tour takes us to Kickelhahn and Finsteres Loch. We started above Stützerbach. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't so great, and we had to shorten our plans a bit, but we now have two more stamps in our book.

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