Kirnitzschtal-Runde (Ostrauer Mühle)

hike · Saxony

Route overview

Loop of 13 km, start and finish: Schöna. Around 750 m of climbing over this distance makes for a challenging profile, though not yet extreme. At roughly 3 h 35 min on the move (hiking, base pace 4.5 km/h), a solid half-day outing.

The route starts at 137 m above sea level; for most of its length it is rolling (+810 m / −810 m). The biggest climbs: at km 0 (2.7 km, averaging 11.7 %, +320 m, to Heringsgrundwächter (peak)); at km 6 (1.3 km, averaging 4.9 %, +60 m); at km 8 (2.3 km, averaging 13.2 %, +300 m, to Großer Winterberg (peak)). The high point is at km 11, at 525 m above sea level. The route passes through, in this order: Schmilka (km 0). Some stretches get properly steep.

The route passes Großer Winterberg (peak, km 10). Huts and shelters along the route: Boofe unterhalb der Busswardwand (shelter, km 2), Bussardboofe (shelter, km 2), Boofe am Kleinen Kuhstall (shelter, km 3) and 2 more. The course partly follows waymarked trails (Europäischer Fernwanderweg E3, Sachsen (Ost), Internationaler Bergwanderweg Eisenach–Budapest (Sachsen Ost-Ost), DichterMusikerMaler-Weg (DE)). Viewpoints along the route: km 2, 3, 4 and 5 more. Most of the way leads through Saxon Switzerland National Park.

The route stays almost entirely clear of built-up areas. The surface is varied, ranging from dirt track to asphalt.

For a meal: Fuhrmann's Elb-Cafe (café, km 0), Gasthof zur Mühle (restaurant, km 0), Wanderrast Großer Winterberg (café, km 10) and 1 more.

The route in numbers

Distance
12.9 km
Ascent
747 m Elevation gain is computed from a terrain model along the route line. Recordings from GPS devices can report higher values — owing to the slightly longer distance actually covered, to measurement inaccuracy, and to device-specific filtering. Differences of 10–15% are entirely possible.
Highest point
525 m
Lowest point
164 m
Climbs
3
Region
Saxony
Activity
hike

Climbs

km Length Ascent Avg. gradient
0–3 3.0 km 274 m 9.1 %
5–6 1.0 km 35 m 3.5 %
9–11 2.0 km 225 m 11.2 %

Descents

km Length Descent Avg. gradient
3–5 2.0 km 211 m 10.5 %
11–13 1.9 km 361 m 19.4 %

Surfaces

Weather along this route

The forecast, arrival times and warnings per section are computed when the route is opened, for the start time you choose - deliberately not part of this page preview.

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