Parking
The named start is Gasthof Oberwirt beside St. Sebastian in Ramsau. A public trailhead lot and its fees were not verified.
Overview
About SalzAlpenTour: Ramsauer Schattseitweg Loop
Why go
- One loop links the Zauberwald water path, Hintersee and the Schattseitweg.
Heads up
- At 15.7 km, it takes most of a day rather than just a lake visit.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Berchtesgaden map
Full mapElevation638–1,001 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
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 SalzAlpenTour: Ramsauer Schattseitweg Loop, 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
Ramsau: A Full Day on Schattseitweg0:00 / 0:25
“Ramsau is ahead, where the Schattseitweg circuit starts beside St. Sebastian's church. Choose this for a full day linking Hintersee with the wooded slopes of Hochkalter, rather than a short lakeside stroll.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Berchtesgaden Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- How Trees Hold the Snow
- A Chamois’s Grip
- Wimbachbrücke and the Waterfall Gorge
- Measuring the Watzmann
- 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 SalzAlpenTour: Ramsauer Schattseitweg Loop
The full Ramsau circuitRamsauer Schattseitweg is a 15.7 km (9.8-mile) loop from Gasthof Oberwirt, beside St.
Ramsauer Schattseitweg is a 15.7 km (9.8-mile) loop from Gasthof Oberwirt, beside St. Sebastian in Ramsau. Expect about 5 hours 15 minutes of hiking, with 440 m of ascent and descent; give yourself closer to six hours with stops. It ties together the village, the Zauberwald, Hintersee and the forest-side Schattseitweg on Hochkalter, so choose it for a full day out rather than a quick lake visit.
From Ramsau to HinterseeThe route heads from Oberwirt to Gletscherquellen, where meltwater from the Blaueis Glacier…
The route heads from Oberwirt to Gletscherquellen, where meltwater from the Blaueis Glacier emerges, then reaches Marxenklamm at the Zauberwald entrance. Through the forest, the nature path follows the water over bridges and boardwalks to Hintersee. St. Sebastian is right by the start, so you can take in Ramsau’s landmark before setting off.
Around the lake and the mountain’s north flankCircle Hintersee on Prinzregent-Luitpold-Weg, then follow Schattseitweg along the north flank…
Circle Hintersee on Prinzregent-Luitpold-Weg, then follow Schattseitweg along the north flank of Hochkalter toward Wimbachgries. The lake and forest route is the easier-feeling start; the long traverse after it is what turns this into a proper half-day walk. There’s no need to add the separate high-altitude stage that climbs Halsalm: that is a different route.
The return to RamsauThe SalzAlpenTour detours to Wimbachklamm, then comes back beside Ramsauer Ache to the village…
The SalzAlpenTour detours to Wimbachklamm, then comes back beside Ramsauer Ache to the village start. If you stop at the lake and gorge, the advertised 5:15 hiking time won’t include all your looking around. For a shorter Ramsau-to-Hintersee outing, a separate 12 km round-trip route starts at Neuhausenbrücke; it doesn’t follow this full Schattseitweg circuit.
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.
