Naturpark Schwarzwald Mitte/Nord

Start and finish at Skiheim Talwiese in Oberes Gaistal. Follow the signed cat trail; the route includes the young Alb and woodland learning stations.

A walking route without pushchair or wheelchair access. Children need adult supervision.

Use route 5 from Parkplatz Schwarzmiss, linking Hohlohmoor and Hohlohturm. Follow the walking map and diamond waymarks.

The official map marks this circuit for pushchairs. Ask the centre about surface conditions and wheelchair requirements; the map’s symbol does not assess every mobility aid.

Enter on Sommerberg and follow the elevated walkway into the tower’s spiral ramp. The 1.25 km includes the tower ramp; access from transport stops is additional.

Suitable for wheelchairs, rollators and pushchairs. Contact the operator if you need to arrange a loan wheelchair or rollator.

Start and finish at the Naturbad parking area, Bachstraße 51. Reach Rennweghütte along the stream section, then follow the return route through the valley.

Not suitable for pushchairs. Plan as a walking outing with supervised stream crossings.

Give the Hohlohmoor circuit the main part of the morning, then visit the Kaltenbronn exhibition if it is open. Those arriving by bus should check the stop for their chosen start point rather than adding an unplanned walk between Schwarzmiss and the centre.

Use the S6 and Sommerbergbahn for the outward trip, spend an unhurried hour or two on the treetop path and leave time for lunch before returning. Check separate tickets and the last return service first.

On the Wildkatzen trail, take turns choosing a question to solve at the next station. The metal cats hidden among the trees give younger walkers something concrete to search for from the path.

At Sulzbachtal’s water stations, try the provided experiments. At Kaltenbronn, look at the lake from the boardwalk and talk about where its water comes from. Keep experiments at the designated equipment.

Kaltenbronn’s nature exhibition explains the high-bog landscape. Its additional display on restoring Hohlohmoor shows why blocking old drainage channels helps retain water. The building’s seasonal closures still apply.

From the boardwalk, look closely at small plants already within view. Sundew’s sticky leaf hairs trap insects. Use your camera’s zoom rather than leaning or stepping into the bog.

Notice the low bilberry shrubs from the path. They help explain why a more open woodland floor matters to capercaillie. Leave berries and shoots where they grow in the reserve.

If a salamander is visible beside the trail, pause and photograph it where it is. Never handle it, turn over logs or move into the stream to look for larvae.

A kingfisher may appear briefly above the water. Wait quietly at an existing crossing or path-side viewpoint, leaving room for others. Do not search banks for nest holes.

Treat the trail as an introduction to wildcat habitat. A real encounter is very unlikely; keep the children’s challenge centred on the interpretation stations and metal cat figures.

This is a conservation story rather than an animal to seek out. Stay on marked paths, avoid loud calls and leave any bird you happen to encounter plenty of space.

These plants and animals are wild residents of the named landscape or habitat. They will not all be present on every outing. Wildcat and capercaillie interpretation offers a way to learn about elusive wildlife without trying to track it down.

Use the boards and marked paths, and leave fallen wood, flowers and berries in place. Do not feed ducks: extra nutrients alter the bog habitat. Photograph salamanders without touching them and watch kingfishers from public paths, away from nesting banks.

Once a raised bog’s peat surface grows above groundwater influence, its plants depend on rainwater. That helps explain both the scarcity of nutrients and the presence of insect-catching sundew.

Hohlohturm was raised in 1968 as the surrounding trees grew. Its present height is 28.6 m, giving a different view of the forest from the low boardwalk near the lake.

The Sulzbachtal closure provides a rest period for plants and animals. Choose a different open outing outside its season, and check mountain weather separately from conditions in the valley.

The Naturpark info shop is at Hauptstraße 94 in Bühlertal. For the moors, use Infozentrum Kaltenbronn, Kaltenbronn 600. It offers an interactive indoor exhibition and a free Naturpark information room; check opening days before adding it to a walk.

Kaltenbronn’s on-demand BW3 from Bad Wildbad and BW4 from Enzklösterle require booking at least 60 minutes ahead. From Gernsbach, check bus 242. At Bad Wildbad, the walk from the mountain station to the treetop entrance is additional to the attraction’s 1.25 km.

For a Bad Wildbad mobility-aid visit, check the approach as well as the raised path. Disabled parking is available opposite Restaurant Auerhahn with an approximately 200 m low-barrier approach. Reserve a loan wheelchair or rollator by phone before travelling if needed.