A beautiful photograph of Schrecksee. That’s all it took to have this spectacular place in the south of Germany etched in my memory. So when I realized we would stay in the neighborhood I quickly made it my mission to add it to our itnerary.
And seeing it through my own eyes did not disappoint! I won’t lie, the hike itself is pretty rough but the view that you get in return is honestly out of this world. At one point I didn’t even feel like I was in Germany anymore. Instead the landscape reminded me of the otherworldliness of Iceland.
And while the logistics of hiking the Schrecksee trail may seem a bit confusing at first you can find all of the info that you’ll need below!
Schrecksee Hiking Statistics
Distance – 10.1km
Elevation – 987m
Duration – 6 hours
Starting Point – Auele Wasserkraftwerk
End Point – Auele Wasserkraftwerk
Route – Auele Wasserkraftwerk – Stausee des Wasserkraftwerks – Lake Schrecksee – Stausee des Wasserkraftwerks – Auele Wasserkraftwerk
Parking – Parking “Auf der Höh”
Level – Hard due to the pretty much never ending elevation gain and often technical terrain: slick rock, big rocks, slippery roots. PS.: I’m writing this article two days after completing this hike and my knees still hurt :p.
Best time to visit – June until the arrival of snow. We hiked the trail to Schrecksee at the start of november and had beautiful autumn weather the entire time.
How to reach the Schrecksee Trailhead
The start of the Schrecksee hiking trail is located at Auele Wasserkraftwerk near Hinterstein in the Allgäu region.
To reach the trailhead there are two options but both of them include parking your car at Parking “Auf der Höh” in Hinterstein:
- Hike from the parking lot to the trailhead. This is about 3km but will add 6km to your total hiking distance. Since this is already a pretty tiring hike I really don’t recommend doing it this way.
- Take bus 50 that takes you straight from the bus stop to Auele Wasserkraftwerk. The bus runs every hour and costs €3.3 per person for one way. Make sure to check out the current bus schedule before your departure. The bus stops is located 100 meters down from the parking lot. The bus stop says bus 49 but bus 50 (the Giebelbus) also stops here.
❗️You’re not allowed to drive on the Giebelstraße with your car nor is there any parking space alongside the road. So taking the bus or hiking/biking in are the only options.
🅿️ PARKING – A day ticket costs €10 and the machine accepts payment by card. Overnight parking is not permitted.
The best time to hike to the Schrecksee
The Schrecksee is the highest alpine lake in the Allgäu mountain region in Germany, located at an elevation of 1.813 m. It’s safe to say that it’s definitely not a winter destination.
The best months to hike to Schrecksee would be from mid June towards the end of October (depending on the snowfall).
Do not attempt this hike during bad weather or chances of bad weather. The trail is hard enough as it is, especially when descending you don’t want to deal with slippery rocks and maybe hurt yourself.
As for the time of the day I highly recommend starting as early as possible. We hiked on the 1st of November and the first bus left at 9.15am, whereas the last one would go back at 4.15pm. So not that much wiggle room. It took us around 3 hours to reach the top, where we spent an hour admiring and capturing the Schrecksee before hiking back down. The hike down took us 2 hours. You can hike up faster but we had a little break in the middle cause César got hungry and we had to stop to feed him.
Where to stay
Schrecksee is located in the Allgäu region in the south of Germany. If your plan is to explore as much of this area as possible you can find some of my recommendations below:
- Hotel Franks – A beautiful and sustainable 5-star luxury hotel located in Oberstdorf. There are both outdoor and indoor swimming pools and two restaurants. The perfect getaway for a couple!
- Ferienwohnungen Scholl – A stunning appartement with two bedrooms and bathrooms, perfect for a small family. Oh and it comes with its very own sauna! Perfect to relax those muscles after a full day of exploring or running after your kids!
If you also want to explore the region of Ehrwald in Austria or Garmisch Partenkirchen in Germany then I recommend to base yourself in that area. This way you can also explore the stunning Eibsee, visit the world famous Neuschwanstein castle or hike up to Seebensee and Drachensee.
- Mei Puite – During our time in the region we stayed at this appartement. It had two bedrooms and a balcony with a view over the majestic Zugspitze and the other nearby mountains.
- Bergresort Zugspitze Ehrwald by ALPS RESORTS – This luxury 4 star resort has an outdoor pool, a wellness and a fitness centre. All rooms come with a mountain view. Honestly the perfect hotel for a romantic holiday in the mountains where you just want to relax when coming back from a hike.
What to bring on the hike
- Hiking poles – The hike up to Schrecksee is tiring on the knees. I was so happy that I brought my hiking poles with me to give me that extra push up to mountain and extra support when hiking back down. Especially your knees will thank you in the end!
- Water – Make sure to bring at least 3L per person, especially if you’re hiking in the hot summer months. There’s no mountain hut on the trail so you’ll have to be self sufficient.
- Food – Like I said before, there’s no mountain hut on the trail so you’ll have to bring enough food with you.
- Towel and swimsuit – You can actually swim in the Schrecksee during the summer months!
Schrecksee Hiking Trail – A step by step guide
We arrived at the parking lot in Hintersee a little before 9am. The first bus towards the start of the hiking trail was going to leave at 9.15am and I was determined to catch this one. This way we would have enough time to complete the hike, spend some time at the Schrecksee and still be able to catch the last bus back.
The bus dropped us off at Auele Wasserkraftwerk a few minutes later and the start of the trail is clearly marked. The yellow arrow marks Schrecksee and states it’s a 2h45 climb and that sounds about right.
The first part of the trail goes through the forest and is also the steepest part. Now and then you’ll have to be careful for slippery rocks and roots so again, bring those hiking poles!
After about 1 hour of climbing you’ll reach the Stausee des Wasserkraftwerks, followed by a beautiful valley.
The next part of the hike is on pretty even terrain so you and your legs can catch a breath. This is also an ideal place to grab a snack and take in the gorgeous scenery around you! It won’t be long now before you’ll start climbing up again and this last push will take around 1.5 hours. The trail becomes a lot rockier with some slickrock here and there but nothing too bad. The only annoying part is that every single time that you think that you’ve reached the top you haven’t.
But all is soon forgotten once you arrive at the Schrecksee! A stunning high alpine lake surrounded by green mountain peaks and small island in the middle. Once you arrive make sure to hike up to the left side. From here you’ll have the best viewpoint over the Schrecksee!
After about 1 hour of enjoying the scenery and resting a bit we packed our bags and started the descent. All in all it went pretty smooth and we made it back down to catch the bus at 3.18pm.
Is the Schrecksee hike a crowded trail
When I did my research online I often read that the Schrecksee is still a hidden gem. Well, that’s really not the case. When we arrived to the parking lot a little before 9am it was practically full and a lot of people got off at the same bus stop as us. So yes, the trail to Schrecksee is a pretty crowded trail, especially when I compare it to the hikes that we did in Salzburg a month ago during high season!
To be fair it might also have been due to the fact that it was a national holiday so if you can plan your hike during the week!
Happy hiking!
If you have any questions about how to visit the Schrecksee, let me know in the comment section below!
More information on Germany
A 2 Week Road Trip Itinerary Through Western Europe – 14 Days in Germany, Austria and Italy
Düsseldorf Christmas Market – The Ultimate Travel Guide
Cologne Christmas Market – The Ultimate Travel Guide
Aachen Christmas Market – The Ultimate Travel Guide
Bonn Christmas Market – The Ultimate Travel Guide
How to Visit Geroldsauer Waterfall – A Complete Guide to This Beautiful Black Forest Gem
9 Top Things To Do in The Black Forest in Germany
7 Days in Bavaria Travel Itinerary – Explore Castles & Mountains in Southern Germany
Visiting Lake Eibsee In Bavaria – Everything you need to know
9 Wonderful Things To Do In Harz Mountains And National Park
Geierlay Suspension Bridge in Mörsdorf, Germany – Travel Guide
The Perfect 3 Weeks Germany Itinerary
All rights reserved © Charlies Wanderings. Republishing this article and/or any of its contents (text, photography, etc.), in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited.
Hi! We’re Charlotte, Christof & César!
Armed with our cameras & drone we’re always on the lookout for the next adventure!
We’ve been traveling together since 2020 and the best adventures are yet to come!
Read our full story here
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.