accessible by train and bus

By train to Eschenlohe. Timetable information www.bahn.de.

Through Bahnhofstraße to the village square and then continue as if by car to the parking lot.

A descent variant leads to the train station Ohlstadt.

A95 Munich-Garmisch, exit Eschenlohe. Drive into Eschenlohe (Michael Fischer Str.). At the village square turn right into Garmischer Straße. Cross the new Loisach bridge and then turn half left into Walchenseestraße. Continue straight ahead and out of the village. Through a piece of forest until you reach an elongated meadow. At the end of the meadow on the right side is the parking lot.

Parking (free of charge) at the end of Walchenseestraße.

Coordinates

DG 47.591833, 11.204100

GMS 47°35'30.6 "N 11°12'14.8 "E

UTM 32T 665705 5273289

w3w ///schoolteacher.fully.accompanied

From the parking lot, a wooden sign points northeast into the forest. We follow a narrow forest path steeply uphill. After a few meters, a narrow path branches off to the right, which a little later joins the forest road again. It continues steeply uphill until the path makes a 90 degree bend to the left. If you like, you can choose a very narrow path at this point, which leads a little more directly uphill.

But we continue left on the forest road. A little later a striking mountain path points to the right, which we use for our further ascent. In the second bend the aforementioned path meets our path. We continue our walk, at first steadily ascending through beautiful mountain forest. From time to time we can look out into the Loisach valley or down to the Wengwies estate. In a short intermediate section we lose some height, but always stay on the path. Soon the path is going uphill again. Shortly before the Easter fire head the path is a bit batzig. The summit is decorated with a cross.

From Osterfeuerkopf on, the path is not very busy and can be tricky when wet.

On the right side of the cross a trail leads down and up to the ridge. Always along the ridge and with little height gain further. The ridge turns further and further to the east. A little later you will come across a longer rocky section of the ridge, which is better passed on the left than on the right. From here on, the ridge goes uphill again and becomes a wider ridge. Staying on your back you will soon reach the Ölrain. A stone man with a stick marks the highest point. The Hirschberg is now exactly south of the oil drain.

Now further down in eastern direction until a path from the right leads into our track. We use this path and cross underneath the oil field in southwestern direction until we reach a saddle at the foot of the Hirschberg. From here, the path leads in a clearly visible southern direction up to the Hirschberg with its comprehensive panoramic view of the Karwendel and Ester mountains as well as the Loisach valley and the Alpine foothills.

Back it goes the same way until we meet the path from the Ölrain again. If you like, you can go back the same way you came from here. Otherwise we go down to the right until we reach the pastures of the Wankalm. We cross the first large pasture roughly in a northerly direction past a hunter's stall until we meet a driveway which we follow to the right. At the first hut it is signposted to the left to Heimgarten and straight on to Eschenlohe. However, before the hut we take a somewhat inconspicuous forest path to the right in a southerly direction. At the next fork in the road we turn left. The path, which is difficult to recognize at this point, descends further down, following a stream on the left for a short while, and then leads across a meadow to a hunter's stand. Do not take the wide forest road on the left but take the narrow path on the right. From here the path is sparsely marked and leads through beautiful forest down to the ravine of the Erzlaine. Crossing the brook and then turning right, we quickly reach the wide forest road, which goes left up to the Wankalm and right down to Eschenlohe.

From here we are still about 7km from the end of the tour. We follow the signs to Eschenlohe and stay on the widest forest road, circle half of the Hirschberg and finally reach the parking lot.

An alternative descent leads from the Wankalm down to Ohlstadt and from there to Eschenlohe and the parking lot. This alternative is slightly longer. For train riders who can reach Ohlstadt's train station, this variant is even shorter. In addition, this variant has a larger share of mountain paths.

For this we turn to the left after crossing the first big pasture and taking the wide forest road. The road soon ends and leads to a path that runs first east and then later north down to Ohlstadt. At about 720m altitude the path leaves the forest. Straight on it goes on to Ohlstadt (and for train drivers to the train station). On the left, a signposted hiking trail leads on a forest road below the Osterfeuerkopf in the shade to Eschenlohe. Where the forest road meets the Walchenseestraße, we turn left and a little later meet the parking lot.       

*Source: Outdooractive