Gäu Perimeter Way

Gäu Perimeter Way
Length120 km
LocationGermany,
Baden-Württemberg,
Black Forest
TrailheadsMühlacker; Freudenstadt
Uselong distance path
Highest pointFreudenstadt (732 m (2,401 ft 7 in) DE)
Lowest pointMühlacker (240 m (787 ft 5 in) DE)
Difficultyeasy
Seasonspring to autumn
MonthsMarch–October
Waymarkgreen diamond with red rose hip on white background
Waymark
Waymark
Maintained byBlack Forest Club

The Gäu Perimeter Way (German: Gäurandweg) is a hiking trail in the Northern Black Forest in Germany and the easternmost of the long distance paths managed by the Black Forest Club. With a length of 120 kilometres, it runs in six stages from Mühlacker to Freudenstadt.

The waymark of the Gäu Perimeter Way is a green diamond with a red rose hip on a white background.

Short description

The red rose hip on a green diamond marks the Gäu Perimeter Way.

The Gäu Perimeter Way runs between the NPlacehern Black Forest in the west and the Strohgäu and Heckengäu in the east. From Mühlacker in the Enz valley the route runs via Pinache and Wiernsheim past Mönsheim to Friolzheim, Tiefenbronn and Steinegg. From there it continues via Neuhausen and Simmozheim past Althengstett to Calw-Stammheim. The path then passes through the villages of Gültlingen and Sulz am Eck, before reaching the Nagold valley in the town of Nagold. It then continues via Rohrdorf and Beihingen to Haiterbach. From Haiterbach the route runs through Salzstetten to Schopfloch and then through Glatten to Freudenstadt.

Day tours/stages

First Stage: Mühlacker – Steinegg

  • Distance: 22 kilometres
  • Duration: c. 5.5 hours
Place/Attraction Route
(km) 		Height
(m above NHN) 		Further information
Mühlacker 0 240
Pinache 6.0 349 Village in the municipality of Wiernsheim
Wiernsheim 3.0 366
Paulinensee 3.0 380 Barbecue hut
Friolzheim 4.5 451
Tiefenbronn 3.0 432
Steinegg 2.5 418

Second Stage: Steinegg – Calw-Stammheim

  • Distance: 24 kilometres
  • Duration: c. 6 hours
Place/Attraction Route
(km) 		Height
(m above NHN) 		Further information
Steinegg 0 418
Neuhausen 4.5 482
Büchelberg Nature Reserve 2.5 550
Möttlinger Köpfle 4.5 576 Woodland play park
Simmozheim 2.0 483
Stammheim 10.5 469 Village in the municipality of Calw

Third Stage: Stammheim – Wasserturm Oberjettingen

  • Distance: 20 kilometres
  • Duration: c. 5 hours
Place/Attraction Route
(km) 		Height
(m above NHN) 		Further information
Stammheim 0 469 Village in the municipality of Calw
Gültlingen 9.0 454 Village in the municipality of Wildberg
Sulz am Eck 4.0 465 Village in the municipality of Wildberg
Sulzer Eck 1.5 576 Barbecue hut
Kühlenberg 3.0 625
Wasserturm Oberjettingen 2.5 605

Fourth Stage: Wasserturm Oberjettingen – Beihingen

  • Distance: 20 kilometres
  • Duration: c. 5 hours
Place/Attraction Route
(km) 		Height
(m above NHN) 		Further information
Wasserturm Oberjettingen 0 605
Nagold 4.5 411
Ruins of Hohennagold Castle 1.5 515
Rohrdorf 2.5 418
Walddorf 3.0 561
Egenhäuser Kapf 3.5 625
Egenhausen 2.0 560
Beihingen 3.0 460 Village in the municipality of Haiterbach

Fifth Stage: Beihingen – Schopfloch

  • Distance: 19 kilometres
  • Duration: c. 5 hours
Place/Attraction Route
(km) 		Height
(m above NHN) 		Further information
Beihingen 0 460 Village in the municipality of Haiterbach
Haiterbach 3.5 706
Salzstetten 7.5 596 Village in the municipality of Waldachtal
Rödelsberg 7.0 718
Schopfloch 1.5 667

Sixth Stage: Schopfloch – Freudenstadt

  • Distance: 14 kilometres
  • Duration: c. 4 hours
Place/Attraction Route
(km) 		Height
(m above NHN) 		Further information
Schopfloch 0 667
Glatten 4.0 535
Lauterbad 7.0
Freudenstadt 3.0 732

Literature

  • Reinhard Distel and Heinz R. Wittner: Wanderführer Schwarzwald-Heightnwege. 7th edn., Ostfildern, 1997. ISBN 3-8134-0213-4. pp. 142–153.
  • Martin Kuhnle: Schwarzwald Mitte/Nord. Bergverlag Rother, Munich, 2013. ISBN 978-3-7633-4420-8. pp. 60–79.
  • Gäu.Rand.Weg, Faltblatt, Plenum Heckengäu