Hochgehflogen – HOCHGEHBERGE on the Swabian Alb

Very nice round, start was at the “Hohe Warte” hiking car park. The cakes at the Eninger Weide hiking home are recommended. Delicious!

This inspiring hiking trail is designed to help you feel as free as a bird, able to see everything. Even those who set out to the Hohe Warte and climb this tower will literally feel this freedom. The view opens up new worlds, far beyond the Swabian Alb. On a clear day, you can see the Neckar Valley, as far as the Stuttgart TV tower, and with a bit of luck, even the imposing Alps. At the St. Johann Stud Farm, you'll meet people who live and work in harmony with animals and nature – surrounded by the incomparable landscape of the Zollernalb. Those who take a look into the Höllenlöcher (Hell Holes) near Dettingen will sense the pristine nature of the Alb and begin to ponder the origin of the name of the towering rock formation. An ancient beech forest leads to the Sonnenfels lookout point. From there, you can gaze like an eagle over the Albtrauf (Alb ridge) and the Hohenneuffen Castle ruins. And the view from the Olgafelsen, over Dettingen and Metzingen all the way to Stuttgart, is, of course, also absolutely fantastic. The "Hochgehflogen" hike is part of a series of 22 certified hiking trails in the St. Johann/Eningen and Achalm/Metzingen region. We started the hike from the parking lot at the St. Johann stud farm, and at just under 16 kilometers, it was just the right hike for a hot day like today. Gönningers Höhle (Gönninger's Cave) wasn't signposted on the tour, but Simone found the turnoff there anyway. And because the Höllenlöcher (Hell Holes) aren't actually part of the hiking trail, we dashed past them in the heat of the moment. That's why our trail looks a bit confusing there. But when you're already in the area, something like that is definitely worth taking advantage of. The viewpoints along the route were all phenomenal, and we can therefore recommend the hike without reservation.

Today we hiked the high-altitude hiking trail. The starting point was the St. Johann stud farm. Just drive past it, and you'll find the free parking spaces behind it. The parking spaces ahead are subject to a fee. A very beautiful tour with mostly nature trails and hardly any gravel paths. There are plenty of places to enjoy the view. The elevation gain is well distributed and therefore manageable. Also along the way is the Eningen hiking lodge, where we stopped for a bite to eat. The food was very good and reasonably priced.

It was a lot of hard work, but ultimately it was worth it. Magnificent views of countless attractions in the region. Teck, Neuffen, Hohenurach and so on. Gliding airfield that certainly offers something to marvel at when in use, but today it was too windy. The Hohe Warte, a lookout tower that we didn't use, also looked good. What fooled us was the Eninger Weide hiking lodge. Ideally located. Just before the end of the round. A dream. And then: private party. And only after we had already walked a kilometer further and looked around for a while did we find the information on Facebook that we had already been given something to drink. A little frustrating. But we just stopped off at the Stahlecker Hof like the day before. What really impressed us were the Höllenlöcher. Sensational. Completely unexpected and all the more amazing for that. A round that we would like to do again in the snow-free winter. Successful. Lots of paths. But also lots of gravel. Which the sights make up for.

Hochgehberge 3/22 ✔️ Finally, another completely perfect hike in ideal weather. It did me a lot of good today, as I'm not exactly in the best mood right now 🫣 The parking lot at the St. Johann Stud Farm is unfortunately subject to a €3 fee, so it's better to choose a different starting point. Right at the beginning, I climbed the Hohe Warte observation tower, dedicated to the fallen soldiers of World War I. A few wonderful viewpoints followed, then I came to the Höllenlöcher (Hell Holes). The high-flying tour actually goes past the top here, but I wanted to go through the bottom. There are two ladders at the beginning, but it's actually not difficult at all to get through them. Via wonderfully narrow paths and the Sonnenfels and Olgafels viewpoints, I reach the Rossfeld with the airfield. The Rossfelsen (Ross Rock) is particularly pretty, and the view is once again phenomenal. The Grüne Fels (Green Rock) is the last highlight before you return to the stud farm via beautiful paths. Highly recommended, a great area, and you spend a lot of time on narrow paths, which is what I love. I also had perfect weather today for the views. It's a shame it's so far away; the drive was also quite nerve-wracking; there were some very slow trucks on the road. Otherwise, I would have been here much more often. Since I still had a bit of time, I quickly drove to the Bad Urach Waterfall afterward, since I was already in the area...

Great route with lots of highlights and lovely little paths - mostly in partial shade. Still a bit muddy today. Next time I would skip the detour to the reservoir and add the Güterstein waterfall instead.

More info at: https://hochgehberge.de/touren/#dm=1&ipd=31223783

A beautiful trail with great highlights. Two drawbacks: the trail begins at a paid parking lot; a free parking lot directly on the trail is about 400 meters away; the trail passes the Hell Holes, although the passage via two ladders is attractive.