Tag Archives: treetop walk

Sundays

Our first visit to the Bad Camberg Treetop Walk!

“Tree walks” have become extremely popular in Germany, and in Europe as a whole. When Bill and I first moved back to Germany in August 2014, we heard about the very cool Black Forest Treetop Walk (Baumwipfelpfad Schwarzwald). It was completed in September 2014, and Bill and I visited there in May 2015. We were amazed by the innovative, well-built, family friendly structure that offered easy views of the Northern and Central Black Forest as visitors also got their daily exercise. We meant to visit again, but never got around to it, since there are so many awesome things to do in the Schwarzwald.

Fast forward to today. I am a member of a few Facebook groups that feature photos and ideas for things to do in different parts of Germany. Yesterday, someone shared a post about the Bad Camberg Tree Walk, which opened in May 2023, and is only about a 35 minute drive from Wiesbaden. Since Bill and I are hoping to get moving again, for the sake of our health, we decided to go there today. We had a great time!

The Bad Camberg Baumwipfelweg is much like the Baumwipfelpfad Schwarzwald in terms of its concept. However, it does not appear that these attractions are run by the same companies. The Bad Camberg tree walk is administered by an outfit called Forest Adventures, while the Baumwipfelpfad Schwarzwald is operated by Adventure Academy AG.

I noticed differences between the two walks. The one in Bad Camberg is extremely solid and sturdy and family friendly, just as the Schwarzwald tree walk is. But the walk in Bad Camberg doesn’t have a slide, nor does it have as many kid friendly activities. It also has a lot more steps to climb than the Schwarzwald tree walk has. However, I bet that once this attraction has been around a bit longer, they’ll build some activities for children. Bill and I think the next upgrade will be a playground, probably with tables and chairs and a kiosk, so the parents can have a drink while their kids play.

Unlike the tree walk in the Black Forest, the Bad Camberg location allows dogs. Parking is free of charge (at this writing), and there is a restaurant connected to the walk itself, rather than run outside of the tree walk. I thought the Bad Camberg tree walk offered better views and a slightly more “adult” experience, although the tree walk in the Schwarzwald is stroller friendly and doesn’t require steps. The Schwarzwald tree walk is a gradual ramp to the top, while the Bad Camberg tree walk requires climbing many stairs.

You have to walk about five hundred meters on a gravel road to get to the Bad Camberg tree walk. There are hills on the walk, but it’s got a lovely canopy of trees shading the way.

Tickets for adults are 9,90 euros. Family tickets are available, and children between the ages of 6 and 17 get in for 5,90 euros. It was clear to us that this attraction is very new, but there were many people visiting. I didn’t hear any other Americans besides us, though. You enter and exit the tree walk at the same place, which is also different from the one in the Schwarzwald, where you don’t backtrack at all.

The restaurant has just opened, and we had lunch there. Although the service was a bit slow, mainly due to everything being cooked to order, the food was quite good and reasonably priced. They offer burgers (including vegan), Flammkeuchen, salads, and a variety of snacks and beverages. Restrooms are clean, although on my first visit, the ladies room needed to be restocked. The job was done by my second visit. Please note, the restaurant only accepts cash payments! If you just want ice cream and/or a beverage, you can get that at the entrance where you buy your tickets.

Below are some photos from today’s adventure. I think we’ll be back. I’d love to visit when the leaves are changing. We did get a little rain when we were at the top of the tree walk.

I had a regular cheeseburger.
Bill had a Bad Camberg cheeseburger, with cranberry sauce and Camembert cheese.

And below are a few shots I got as we were leaving Bad Camberg, which is a cute town that begs to be explored more…

Overall, we really enjoyed ourselves, and I hope we can visit again. If not, I hope this post will inspire a few readers to make the trip. Just be sure your knees can take it before you go! There are a lot of steps to climb. Also, be aware that if you get vertigo at heights, you might not want to try this activity. I’m not afraid of heights, but I did notice that I got a little dizzy at the top!

Standard
Sundays

Barfuss in the park…

The Barfuss Park is open daily from 9:00am until 8:00pm.  

Some time ago, there was talk in one of the local Facebook groups about “barefoot” parks in Germany.  Apparently, walking barefoot on trails is a thing in Deutschland.  I was immediately interested because I love walking barefoot.  I never wear shoes unless I have to.  I don’t even put on shoes when I have to take the trash out in the snow.

Anyway, the idea of visiting the BarfussPark in Dornstetten stayed in the back of my mind for some time.  Then, two weeks ago, Bill and I took an overnight trip to France and passed signs for the BarfussPark on the way there.  I decided then and there that it was time to try out walking barefoot in the park.  A bonus is that the park is not even thirty minutes from where I live, as long as there aren’t any farm vehicles on the road!

We were blessed with beautiful sunny weather and agreeable temperatures this morning as we set off for our outing.  We left the dogs at home, having read that they aren’t welcome in the park.  And really, if you think about it, that makes perfect sense.  While you will likely get dirty walking barefoot in the park, no one wants to get dirty by stepping on what comes out of Fido during a good walk.  😉  We did see one dog at the park today, though, and no one seemed too upset about it.

We arrived at the park at about 11:30 or so; it’s pretty much right off B28 heading west.  The parking lot wasn’t full at that point.  In retrospect, it was a good idea to get to the park somewhat early because by the time we left at a little after 1:00, the lot was full and some people had parked on the side of the road coming into the park.  We took advantage of the handy WC near what appeared to be the bigger of the two parking lots we encountered.  Then, after Bill paid for three hours of parking, we headed to start of the barefoot trail.

It is forbidden to wash your feet in the bathroom!

The big sign before the park… there are ads for restaurants and a map of what’s on the trail.

 

These handy little “foot” markers show you where to go.  The trail can run as long as 60 minutes if you go the long way or 30 minutes if you take a shortcut.

 

There are lockers for those who want to lock up their stuff.  We opted to just carry ours.

 

But it’s there if you need it!

 

I was really enjoying walking on the grass toward the first part of the park, which appeared to be an area geared toward children.  There was a cold little puddle to walk through, then a few other water related activities.  Only one of the activities appeared to get people wet.  I didn’t try it because I didn’t come prepared with a change of clothes.  And actually, after what happened on our walk, I would definitely recommend bringing something to change into, just in case.  😉

This water was frigid!  But it felt really good after we stepped out of it.

 

Probably my favorite part of the trail was the trampoline.  I could see it was very popular with others, too.  I watched several little kids gleefully bounce the length of it.  For once, I didn’t let Bill discourage me from indulging my inner child.  I gave him my purse and hopped across.  Then I goaded Bill into it.

We were both smiling after bouncing on the trampoline!

 

We encountered many different walking surfaces.  There were rocks, sand pits, wooden beams, and even a couple of glass beds.  We encountered a rope bridge, a pinecone pit, and a surface comprised of nail heads.  Although I did see some glass shards on the trail, the glass wasn’t sharp and didn’t cut my feet.  The rocks, on the other hand, were a little painful, even for someone like me, who isn’t a tenderfoot.  You always have the option of walking around or skipping an activity you don’t want to do.

Here’s a video of us… the last part is pretty much why I recommend bringing at least a towel and perhaps even a spare pair of shorts!

After we walked through the mud, we stopped by this bed of straw…  it kind of helped get the mud off, but you’re going to have to rinse off at the end!  A bunch of German ladies laughed at me as I tried to shake off the very sticky mud.

Some people wiped off on the tree.

Pinecones.

Bill helped me across these logs, due to my honkin’ big purse full of shoes and stuff…

 

Rope bridge!

Nail heads!

Glass!

Rocks (these were the most painful for me).

Those who have upper body strength can make like a monkey and swing on the bars!

 

All through the park, there are cool wood carvings.  I saw totem poles, an owl, and the gnome above.  

At the end of our walk, it was definitely time to rinse off…  

 

And beer…

What’s the wurst that could happen?

Well deserved suds!

 

All told, this was a very cheap activity.  We spent a total of about twenty euros including the two euro donation (on your honor), parking, and wursts and beers.  The snack bar has ice cream and other beverages.  I’m thinking this would be the perfect place for a BBQ.  😀  As long as it’s not too cold, anyway.

We had a great time at the BarfussPark and I’d love to go again.  Bill and I were both grinning ear to ear at the end of it and the walk was just long enough to get our juices going.  Next time, we’ll bring another pair of pants in case of a fall.  At the very least, don’t forget to bring a towel!  I would say I enjoyed this activity even more than the famed “Tree Walk”, which we did last year.  The Tree Walk is also a lot of fun, but I think you get more bang for your buck at the BarfussPark.

My feet handled all of this very well!

Helpful facilities for those who can’t wait for the WC…  I always get a kick of the illustrations on these portapotties…  Pretty much the universal sign of people who need to pee!

Bees!

 

If you want to grill, there are facilities.  We saw one group enjoying a picnic lunch at a nice table out in the woods.

 
Standard
Sundays

A walk in the treetops…

Since it’s Memorial Day weekend and we didn’t go anywhere, we decided that today would be a good day for a field trip.  Not long ago, someone in the local Facebook group posted about her visit to the Baumwipfelpfad Schwarzwald, a treetop walk and nature park not far from where Bill and I are currently living.  I was immediately intrigued by the enchanting forest photos and the sturdy German engineering that went into the treetop walk.  I saved the Web site link so I could pitch it to Bill on a nice day when we needed something fun to do.  According to the park’s Web site, the treetop walk is newly constructed as of September 2014.  It definitely looks it when you get there– lots of tree stumps that look very freshly cut and new smelling wood.

We had beautiful weather this morning and Bill didn’t have too much school work to do, so we decided to go to Bad Wildbad, the pretty town where the treetop walk is located.  From Unterjettingen, the drive takes about an hour.  Today, there was some construction going on and we had to take a detour through Calw.  That was the first time we’d ever been through Calw and it’s a really nice looking city. We will have to go back there soon and check it out.

Anyway, after about 90 minutes driving, we arrived at the park.  It was a little scary getting there because there’s a steep drive up the mountain.  Make sure your car has good brakes!  I could smell ours after going up and down that hill!  I was glad we brought the RAV 4 instead of my Mini.  Driving up the hill with a straight shift would not have been much fun.

The entrance.  I was a little afraid it would be a tough walk, but it wasn’t hard at all.  There are gentle inclines to get to the cashier and the stroll is very easy on the treetop walk itself…

My first sighting of the walk…

There was plenty of parking in the pay lot, but I see from the Web site that you can also park in the town of Bad Wildbad and take the funicular to the top of the mountain.  Once we parked, we decided to have a quick lunch in the little town next to the park.  There’s a place for coffee and cake as well as a biergarten and a hotel with a restaurant.  We opted for the biergarten, where we enjoyed sausages, pommes, and beer before our walk.

Coffee and cake are available in this cute little cafe.  Biergarten is a little beyond the cafe…  Don’t worry, there are plenty of signs!

Bill enjoys a local hefeweizen while we waited for our lunch to be prepared.

Not a bad beer at all…

The biergarten is a self-service outdoor affair.  If you want something more substantial, you might want to check out the restaurant.  It’s right next to the biergarten.

Bill’s currywurst…

My bratwurst…  It hit the spot!

There is also a Skihutte where you can get food.  We didn’t check it out.  On the way to the cashier to buy our tickets, we passed a map and “a word for you”… it turned out to be full of religious tracts.

Lift the top to get to God’s word… in German, of course!

Tickets!

We paid 9.50 euros each for adult tickets.  Family tickets are also available, as are group rates.  For 12 euros you can also get a combination ticket that gives you access to the Sommerbergbahn.  Dogs are not allowed on the treetop walk, but they do have cages with water available near the entrance of the park.  The walk itself takes 45 minutes to an hour, depending on if you want to walk or slide down from the observation tower.

My first view of the treetop walk…

Lots of pretty views on the way to the tower…

And lots of kid friendly distractions that reminded me a little of a funhouse…

The one I tried…  There were at least three stations like this…

Don’t look down!

 

All along the walk, there are signs letting you know how far it is to the WC and medical help.  I guess they’d rather people didn’t stop and whiz through the railing.

My first glance of the observation tower.

Yes, that’s the end of a slide…

The slide isn’t all the way at the top, but a couple of levels below the very top of the tower.  If you want to ride it down instead of walking, you pay 2 euros. I wanted to do it, but Bill doesn’t like heights or “roller coasters”.  This is not a roller coaster, but I guess the slide was enough to give him cold feet.  I decided to walk down with him.

Lots of folks were sliding down, including many kids!  The attendant appeared to be having a lot of fun pushing people down the slide.

Weeee!

A fun loving girl at the bottom.  She ran back up as we were walking down and took another turn.

The views at the very top were majestic.

Signs like this one appear all around the top so you know where to look for your favorite landmarks… not that you could necessarily see them through the thick trees…  They even pointed out the directions for Paris and Strasbourg.

These stations were also all over the walk.  You can look through the hole and supposedly see the nature.  I was too short to look through this one.

Lovely view on the way out…

Scary bike trail!

 

Lots of places to rest your bones…

Entrance to the scary bike path!

We had a really great time at the Baumwipfelpfad Schwarzwald.  It appears to be very popular with people of all ages.  I saw lots of older folks having no trouble with the walk and lots of little kids loving the slide down the tower!  I wish I had done the slide.  Maybe next time… Bill says he’s game to visit again.  I bet it’s beautiful in the fall and at sunset.  Entrance to the walk is allowed until an hour before closing.  Today, the park closes at 7:30pm, so a sunset stroll might not be so possible.

I recommend bringing a jacket.  Even in late May, it was a little chilly today and the weather can be very changeable.  Wear comfortable shoes.  The treetop walk is very stroller and wheelchair friendly.  There’s even a special gate you can go through with your wheels.  Don’t forget to pay for your parking.  We witnessed one group of Americans trying to exit the parking lot before they paid.  Very embarrassing!  For three hours, it cost us 5 euros.  There’s also a very small gift shop for those who want to spend money and there’s a clean and free WC at the bottom of the slide.

While there are plenty of food options near the treetop walk, Bill and I realized that the Fischzucht Zordel trout farm is also not too far.  Bill estimates it’s about 20-30 minutes away.  If we hadn’t been there very recently, we might have gone there for lunch and really made a day of it.  If you click the link, you can read my report of our trip there in April.  I also noticed signs for mineral baths, which means I might have to go back to Bad Wildbad.  I am a sucker for spas!

Standard