Winter Hiking in the Allgäu Alps
Embrace the enchanting allure of winter hiking in the Allgäu Alps, where the landscape transforms into a magical scene reminiscent of the Sound of Music, draped in a pristine blanket of snow.
Spend your days traversing the snowy trails through the captivating Allgäu Alps. Explore medieval villages and the picturesque Bavarian countryside, where every step is a journey through rich culture, history, and the delectable delights of the region.
As winter hiking and snowshoeing gain popularity, adventurers are increasingly drawn to the allure of the Allgäu Alps. The untouched, snow-covered landscapes create a surreal ambiance that adds to the magic of winter exploration.
This comprehensive guide is crafted to unveil some of our favourite winter hiking trails in the Allgäu Alps. Offering insights and recommendations, it serves as your companion to making the most of your winter adventure. Our base was the charming German town of Oberstaufen, and the trails featured in this guide span the surrounding areas. Whether you seek a leisurely stroll or a challenging ascent, you’re bound to discover the perfect trail in this Bavarian winter paradise!
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How to get to the Allgäu Alps?
By Plane
The nearest airports are Munich and Innsbruck, we stayed in Oberstaufen and flew into Munich airport, which worked out cheaper.
By Car
From Munich airport, Oberstaufen is just under a 2.5 hour drive and if you are flying into Munich you can pick up a hire car at the airport very easily. We’d recommend Europcar as it was budget friendly and they had a quick collection and drop off process, whereas other popular companies at the airport had lengthy queues for collection.
Public Transport
If taking public transport to Oberstaufen, we would recommend planning your accommodation and trails within easy access of each other. It can be quite remote in winter once you arrive in Oberstaufen especially if you don’t have access to a car.
Firstly catch the bus or train into Munich city centre, ending at München Pasing train station. There are direct trains from here to Oberstaufen but they are around once an hour, sometimes longer depending on time of day and year. Alternatively you can catch a train from München Hbf but you would need to change at Buchloe station. One way tickets for this journey cost a total of between £25 – £39 depending on time of day.
Where to stay in the Allgäu Alps?
We stayed in Oberstaufen, a quaint German town with lots of boutique shops, restaurants and there was even a Christmas market! The cobbled streets are centred around St. Peter and Paul Church, which is painted a gorgeous yellow and white . There were even live marching bands playing in the streets when we visited.
There are a few different hotels but we would recommend the below, especially as they gave us a plate of free gingerbread on arrival! It’s within walking distance of the centre of town and has a delicious restaurant for dinner if you don’t want to venture outside.
Where: Hotel Bayerischer Hof Kur & Sporthotel
Cost: ~£145 per night (Prices from December 2022 booked through hotels.com)
Facilities: Free breakfast, Laundry Facilities, 24/7 Front Desk, Swimming Pool and Spa, Parking, Free Wifi
Food Recommendation:
Ristorante Roma-Centro
Serving delicious pizza and pasta, with a quirky church like interior and welcoming atmosphere. Make sure to reserve ahead of time, as possibly the most popular place in Oberstaufen!
When to Go Winter Hiking in the Allgäu Alps?
The best time for winter hiking in the Allgäu Alps and Bavaria is usually between late December and February. We visited at the end of December 2022 and although there was some snow cover, it wasn’t enough for snowshoeing, however it was perfect for winter hiking!
If you would prefer to snowshoe, for ideal snow conditions and the longest snowshoeing season, we would recommend visiting in January and February. During these months, the snow is generally well packed and the weather is cold and clear, providing the best conditions for snowshoeing.
If you are looking for warmer hiking weather, June – late September can be ideal for bright sunshine and scenic mountain views.
Regardless of when you choose to visit, it’s always a good idea to check the local weather and trail conditions before setting out on your hiking adventure.
Winter hiking in the Allgäu Alps: Essential Kit and Information
Planning
The most important thing before embarking on any winter adventure in the mountains is to be aware of the weather and avalanche forecasts. We would highly recommend downloading the FATMAP app to plan your route, especially as the app has a very handy overlay tool which highlights avalanche terrain with a colour coding system. If you’re unsure about avalanche safety it’s best to be prepared so maybe think about booking a course or a guided day with an IFMGA Mountain Guide or UIMLA International Mountain Leader.
Kit
Next we need to think about what to wear, and the old fashioned layering system is still champion, so start with a moisture wicking and potentially thermal base layer (avoid cotton!). Follow your base layer with an insulating mid-layer like a fleece and finish with a waterproof jacket and trousers. Don’t forget your hat and gloves!
Top Tip: Pack two spare pairs of gloves, as once your gloves get wet your hands will get cold!
But winter in the mountains isn’t all about the cold, on a clear day the UV can be strong especially reflecting off all that beautiful white powder! So remember your sunscreen and sunglasses and most of all remember rule no.1 of mountaineering: Always look cool!
Footwear
Ideally you want an insulated and waterproof four-season walking boot. We use our La Sportiva B2 boots, which we would highly recommend if you are looking for some. If it’s icy a good pair of crampons are a must and if you plan to snowshoe, don’t forget those! You’ll also need hiking or ski poles with snow baskets which help provide you with additional stability and balance in the deeper powder.
Winter Hiking in the Allgäu Alps: Our favourite trails
Below we’ve detailed our favourite trails for Winter Hiking in the Allgäu Alps, we hope to inspire your first or next winter adventure!
1. Hochgrat
Route Description
This trail was perfect for our first day hiking, as it was a relaxing half day and allowed us to absorb the scenery whilst warming our muscles up for the week ahead. We had planned to make this a little longer, however bad weather and travel exhaustion made us rethink that. If you want to extend this route, it’s fairly easy to make a loop and hike from the car park rather than catch the Gondola to the top of the mountain.
It’s a strenuous trail however this is because of the sheer amount of downhill and by the end our legs were like jelly!
The trail begins at the Hochgratbahn Gondola car park and parking here costs €5 for the day. Next, we caught the Gondola, where a one way ticket will cost you ~€21.80pp. The journey took around 10 minutes and we had some amazing views en route.
Top Tip: If the snow is too deep for hiking, you can rent snowshoes and poles from the Hochgratbahn Gondola station for €17.00pp for the day!
The hiking begins…
Depending on snow cover on the ridge, you may be able to snowshoe rather than hike up to the summit. It’s quite rocky and there is a steep drop off to the left as you ascend. Once you’ve reached the summit, turn back on yourself and begin heading back down to the summit gondola station, which subsequently is also a great place to stop off for a hot chocolate or snack!
Then continue down the snowy slope, where you may see a few people tobogganing! When you reach a path on the righ, follow it downhill whilst passing Staufner Haus on your left. The trail then weaves it’s way down with some steep sections and in some areas it runs alongside the toboggan route, so keep an eye out for any run away tobogganers! As you get further down the slope it eventually joins the tarmacked road back to the Gondola car park and the finish!
2. Riedberger Horn
Route Description
This trail can be done as a short out and back or part of a larger loop depending on how much time you have.
We had around half a day and so we arrived early morning and parked in the car park, which is €4 all day. From there it was a fairly easy route to follow, after passing the canteen building and crossing the toboggan slopes you follow a well travelled and signposted path.
On this occasion the snow was too thin and icy to use snowshoes so we enjoyed the winter hike instead! However, if you plan to go a little further on this trail, it may be worth considering strapping snowshoes onto your backpack incase.
The start of the hike…
The path begins by climbing uphill through scattered pine trees and with incredible views of the valleys and mountains beyond, so don’t forget to look behind you! As you reach the ridge you can see over and into the distance of the rolling alpine landscape beyond. Once you arrive at the ridge follow the sign to the summit by turning left and heading uphill. Continue along the trail straight up the ridge and until you reach the large cross on the summit. This is a great spot to sit and have lunch especially as the views from here are incredible. After taking a break and if you are ready to turn back, follow the trail back down the same route or alternatively continue on and come back around on the other side of the valley and back to the car park.
Other things to do near Oberstaufen
Oberstaufen was the perfect base as it was a quaint and traditional village but also had great connections to hiking trails and tourist spots. In addition there is a great little Tourist Information Office in the town with maps and information on the area.
You could also do this as part of a Bavarian Road Trip itinerary!
Nebelhorn and Oberstdorf
One of our favourite day trips was to Oberstdorf, where we were able to see the impressive Nebelhorn, which is the highest mountain in the Allgäu region at 2200m. From Oberstdorf town, we caught two gondolas up to the summit and the views were just breath-taking! We stopped at the top for a drink and then had lunch in a refuge on the way down.
Although this was very expensive, we decided to do it as it we weren’t sure when we would be back in the area, we just have too much of the world to see still! In December 2022 we paid €48.50pp for a return pedestrian ticket.
Fun Fact: On a clear day from the summit of the Nebelhorn you can see around 400 peaks.
Neuschwanstein Castle
This is top of our list if you are in the area and everyone should go! Neuschwanstein Castle is the castle that inspired Walt Disney and what a truly magical place it is. The fairy-tale palace is nestled amongst the mountains and is breath-takingly beautiful and even has some hiking options nearby too. Check out our post on Neuschwanstein Castle for more information.
Other suggestions near Oberstaufen:
Buchenegger Wasserfälle, Oberstaufen – 16 minute drive
Eistobel – 20 minute drive
Großer Alpsee, Immenstadt – 20 minute drive
Uberlingen, Germany – 1 hour 25 minute drive
St. Gallen, Switzerland – 1 hour 20 minute drive
Vaduz, Lichtenstein – 1 hour 20 minute drive
What is the Weather like in Oberstaufen?
Winter (Dec. – Mar.), this time of year sees plenty of snow and cold temperatures, with the coldest month being January which has lows of -5 degrees Celsius.
Spring (Apr. – June), temperatures begin to rise with highs of around 16 degrees Celsius. An ideal season for budget travellers, especially as early Spring is still great hiking weather although some ice/snow still loom at higher altitudes early in the season.
Summer (July-Sept.) as always, summer has the highest temperatures, reaching an average high of 21 degrees Celsius. This is a great time of year hiking although it’s usually the most expensive!
Autumn (Oct. – Nov.), temperatures begin to cool and reach average highs of around 10 degrees Celsius, although this is another great season for budget travellers as the weather is still ok.
If you would like any more tips and advice or if you’re planning a winter hiking or snowshoeing trip and want to tell us about it, get in touch through social media.
We hope this has inspired you or helped with questions, and thanks for reading!
Nick and Eve