Parking
Parkplatz Seeklause is the named start and finish for this circuit.
Overview
About Naturlehrpfad Zauberwald
Why go
- Boulder field, clear stream and lake on one short loop
- Interpretive boards explain the rockfall and local plants
Heads up
- Steps and uneven rocks rule out strollers and wheelchairs
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Berchtesgaden map
Full mapElevation764–809 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Berchtesgaden alerts
- ClosureKlausbachtal trails closed for bridge and flood-protection workAvoid the closed Klausbachtal trail sections; the Klausbach cannot be crossed at the affected bridges. - Trail No.Official details
- ClosureKönigsbach Waterfall Gumpen area closedDo not enter the area around the “Gumpen” pools at the Königsbach Waterfall on Königssee.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Berchtesgaden Tour Guide
Your drive to Naturlehrpfad Zauberwald, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Berchtesgaden National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Hintersee and the Boulder Forest0:00 / 0:32
“Up ahead is Hintersee, a good stop for clear water and mountain views without a big climb. The nearly flat lake circuit takes about an hour, and calm water can reflect the walls of Hochkalter and Reiteralm.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Berchtesgaden Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Seeklause: The Climb to Blaueishütte
- White Fur, Black Ear Tips
- Measuring the Watzmann
- Klausbachhaus and Golden Eagle Country
- 25 audio storiesacross Berchtesgaden’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bearded Vulture, Golden Eagle, Red Deer, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 71 trails, 57 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Naturlehrpfad Zauberwald
Is this the right walk?Naturlehrpfad Zauberwald is an easy 3.
Naturlehrpfad Zauberwald is an easy 3.3 km loop from Parkplatz Seeklause, with about 55 m up and down. Allow roughly 1 hour 15 minutes. It pairs a stream-cut boulder path through the Zauberwald with a lakeside walk to Alpenhof, then returns through the forest. Pick it for a short geology walk and lake views, not a long mountain hike.
The full circuit includes the lakeside out-and-back to Alpenhof. A separate 2.1 km forest-only loop is the shorter choice; a 4.3 km option starts in Ramsau village.
Follow the circuitFrom Seeklause, cross the bridge over the Ramsauer Ache and keep left into the Zauberwald.
From Seeklause, cross the bridge over the Ramsauer Ache and keep left into the Zauberwald. The path reaches Hintersee, then turns toward the shore and continues past Antonikapelle to Alpenhof. Turn there and retrace the lakeside leg to the forest junction. For the return, continue through the boulder wood, cross two bridges over the stream, pass Wirtshaus im Zauberwald and rejoin the original approach to Seeklause.
Steps and footbridges carry the trail through the rocky section, so this is a walk to take at an unhurried pace. The turns at Alte Hinterseer Straße and Triebenbachstraße are part of the circuit; follow the trail signs rather than continuing around the lake.
A landscape made by rockfallAbout 3,500 years ago, a rockslide from below Schärtenspitze and Steinberg sent around 15…
About 3,500 years ago, a rockslide from below Schärtenspitze and Steinberg sent around 15 million cubic metres of stone into the valley. The debris dammed the Ramsauer Ache and formed Hintersee. Today the stream threads among pale boulders covered with moss and plants. The footpath was laid out in 1896–97, and the name Zauberwald became established in the 1920s.
Interpretive boards explain the rockfall, the lake and local plants. May through July is the best time to notice the flora. At the footbridges, frame the water between the boulders for a more distinctive photo than a forest-only view.
Food and accessPark at Parkplatz Seeklause, the named start and finish.
Park at Parkplatz Seeklause, the named start and finish. Wirtshaus im Zauberwald is on the forest return; Gasthaus Seeklause is a short detour on Am See. The route is promoted year-round, and the Zauberwald paths are cleared in winter.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Berchtesgaden
14 sightingsBearded VultureMost seen around noonSighting map
29 sightingsGolden EagleMost seen around noonSighting map
22 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
131 sightingsAlpine ChamoisMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
65 sightingsAlpine SalamanderMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
63 sightingsAlpine MarmotMost seen around 9 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Berchtesgaden. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
