On the heels of the pioneers – through the Reintal to the Zugspitze

The next part of the trail takes you into the fascinating world of 702m long Partnach gorge, which reaches depths of up to 80m and which was sliced into the rock face over millions of years by the power of water alone. The path is secured on both sides by wire handrails. At the end of the gorge the valley widens once more. Here you should cross a small bridge over the Ferchenbach river, and proceed to follow the river as signposted toward “Reintal / Zugspitze”. The forest path eventually narrows and you will pass the Bock hut (2hr 45min), the Quelle an den sieben Sprüngen, the “Blaue Gumpe” –  a small mountain lake which was almost completely covered with boulders in 2005 – before reaching the romantically situated Reintalanger hut (a further 2 hr, altitude 1370m), which offers the chance for an overnight stop. The trail – from this point on with Alpine markings of red circles painted onto the stone – continues past the source of the Partnach river, and after a steep stretch of path you will pass the Veitlbrünnl and eventually arrive at the Knorr hut (2 hr, 2051m), which also offers overnight accommodation. The hike to this point should take about 8 hours in total.

From here the route takes you across the rubble-covered landscape of the Zugspitz plateau up to the SonnAlpin and the Zugspitzbahn, which in winter form the heart of the Zugspitz skiing region (1hr 30min, 2600m). After passing the glacier, the trail continues steeply uphill, passing the Schneeferner house along a well secured trail up to the summit of the Zugspitze. Alternatively, you can take the cable car to the summit from the Zugspitz plateau (SonnAlpin) and enjoy a more comfortable ride for the final 300m of altitude.

The descent is possible either with the Eibsee cable car from the summit or the Zugspitz funicular railway from the Zugspitz plateau, which takes you all the way back to the Garmisch train station. From here you can take the regional bus number 1 or 2 take back to your starting point at the Olympic Ski Stadium.