Mountaineering - Hotel am Badersee - Zugspitzdorf Grainau

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The Bavarian Alps in the Zugspitze area offer a large choice of activities - from easy and medium tours to demanding mountain treks and exciting climbing routes.

The area is known for its excellent alpine infrastructure that provides for secure, stress-free and comfortable touring. Alpine roads and paths are well maintained and signposted, visitor parking lots are available, alpine chalets offer food and overnight stay opportunities, and in emergency the rescue services are there to help. Don't forget to take your ID with you on cross-border trips.

Secure on tour

When you start on a tour, make sure you have the right shoes on and check the other 'basic equipment' in your backpack. Don't forget to put on a layer of sun cream. Check the weather report before you go and whether the alpine chalets are open on your way. What to do in emergency and how to activate the Alpine Emergency Call? Read our Blog (in German) or get other sufficient information in the Internet - that will secure you a safe stay in the Alps.

Plan your tour in advance. On our interactive map you will find multiple suggestions for routes in this area.

Hiking & trekking

If you specialize on trekking, you will discover endless opportunities in Garmisch-Partenkirchen area, from easy to difficult - at any time of the year. Use the interactive map to find your perfect tour.

You can reach the following tours directly from the Hotel am Badersee:

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Höhenrainweg (easy)
To Garmisch-Partenkirchen over Hammersbach (easy)
Neuneralm Chalet (easy)
To the Eibsee (easy)
Kramerplateauweg (easy)
Mount Ziegspitz (medium)
Hammersbach - Riffelscharte - Eibsee (medium to difficult)
Hell Valley Trek (medium to difficult)
Almhütte Chalet - Stepbergalm Chalet - Mount Kramer (difficult)
Mount Zugspitze (difficult)

In our Blog (German) we regularly introduce local tours that our team members did personally. The Tourist Office Grainau offers guided tours as well as theme tours (e.g. 'Photo Tour', 'Discovering plants' etc.) at any season.

Mountaineering with kids

Guided tours from the Tourist Office are suited for children. Beside that, try the following for your family trips:

'Fantastic Forest' („Sagenhafte Bergwald“) - a theme park for kids in Grainau on the slopes near Hammersbach
Partnach Gorge in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Eibsee Round tour
Kramerplateauweg with wild animal feeding - make the appointment in advance!
Kochelbergalm Chalet near Hausberg
Werdenfelserhütte Chalet with the Werdenfels Castle Ruin in Burgrain
Gschwandtnerbauer Chalet in Partenkirchen

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Alpinism

For ambitious mountain lovers the Zugspitze area offers an enormous wealth of summit tours and sophisticated treks. The Wetterstein Chain with Mount Zugspitze as its highest summit, the Ammergau Alps, the Karwendel and the Ester Mountains invite you to exciting clambers.

Before you start out to the summit, prepare yourself and check out your route as well as the weather report. Here you will find the Top 10 most beautiful tours in the Zugspitze area.

Alpine chalets

Lots of hikers and alpinists love to combine a tour with a visit to an alpine chalet. Below you will find a few popular chalets in this area. You will normally discover a number of different trails leading to the same chalet, so that hikers of all levels can enjoy the tour. If the chalet is your destination, check the opening times in advance - most of them take a break in low season. Some chalets can be alternatively reached with a cablecar so you can save time on descent.

Alpine chalets in Garmisch-Partenkirchen:

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Neuneralm in Grainau 910 m (easy)
Berggaststätte Gschwandtnerbauer in Partenkirchen 1.020 m (easy)
Berggasthof Almhütte in Garmisch 800 m (easy)
Berggasthof Pflegersee on Mount Kramer 845 m (easy)
Werdenfelser Hütte with Werdenfels Castle Ruin in Garmisch / Burgrain 770 m (easy)
Kochelbergalm on Hausberg 850 m (easy)
Partnachalm on Hausberg 995 m (easy)
Tannenhütte (old name 'Gamshütte') on Mount Wank 1.000 m (easy / cablecar)
St. Martinshütte am Grasberg on Mount Kramer 1.040 m (easy)
Kaiserschmarrn-Alm am Graseck (old name 'Wettersteinhütte') in Partenkirchen 910 m (easy / cablecar)
Maxhütte in Wallgau 1.022 m (easy)
Korbinianhütte am Kranzberg in Mittenwald 1.200 m (easy)
Kolbensattelhütte in Oberammergau 1.270 m (easy / cablecar)
Berggasthaus Gletscherschliff in Mittenwald 1.020 m (easy)
Gamsalm in Ehrwald, Austria 1.278 m (easy)
Bayernhaus am Hausberg 1.280 m (easy to medium / cablecar)
Drehmöser 9 on Hausberg 1.340 m (medium / cablecar)
Wankhaus (Alois-Huber-Haus) on Mount Wank 1.780 m (medium to difficult / cablecar)
Kreuzalm im Osterfelder at Kreuzeck 1.600 m (medium / cablecar)
Esterbergalm in Farchant / Partenkirchen 1.262 m (medium)
Wettersteinalm from Elmau 1.462 m (medium)
Schachenhaus from Elmau with the King's House on Schachen and the Alpine Botanical Garden 1.866 m (medium or difficult, depending on the trail)
Stepbergalm on Mount Kramer 1.592 m (medium)
Brunnsteinhütte in Mittenwald 1.400 m (medium)
Pürschlinghaus (August-Schuster-Haus) in Unterammergau 1.564 m (medium)
Pleisenhütte in Scharnitz, Austria 1.757 m (medium)
Bockhütte in the Reintal, start in Partenkirchen 1.052 m (medium)
Reintalangerhütte in the Reintal, start in Partenkirchen 1.369 m (medium)
Höllentalangerhütte from Hammersbach, Grainau 1.387 m (medium to difficult)
Weilheimer Hütte (Krottenkopfhütte) from Eschenlohe or Esterbergalm 1.955 m (difficult)
Meilerhütte from Reintal, Elmau or Leutasch, Austria 2.374 m (difficult)

Nowadays most chalets in the Alps serve the tourists, however, they appeared to support cattle farming and for many it's still their main business. Check this before you go. If the chalet name contains 'Alm' and it is located above 1000 m, it is likely that they focus on farming, not on entertainment. The food and service by some 'Hütten' is very simple. Please don't touch the grazing animals during your visit. Keep your dog leashed at all times, as the cattle may get scared of an alien dog runnung around and even get aggressive and attack you. Also, it is not unusual for animals to consume each others' feces. Dog feces contain substances that may be lethal for cows. Please collect your pet's excrements and dispose of them in the valley when you are back from your tour.

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Trail running

This is an extremely sporty option to discover our mountains on foot. In our neighbourhood you will discover over 100 trails, from sophisticated to medium, as well as a few easy ones for beginners. Up and downhill over natural gravel trails and narrow paths - just what trail runners want!

Here, at the venue of the annual Zugspitz Ultratrail, you will find the best conditions for your training, if you intend to participate in the event in the future.

badersee bergsport 05 klettern c bayerische zugspitzbahn matthias fend — Foto: Bayerische Zugspitzbahn AG - Matthias Fend

Climbing

The Zugspitze Area, together with the Zugspitz-Arena in Tirol, offers sport climbers a wide choice of natural rocks, designated climbing areas and climbing trails in all levels and grades. If you are interested, please contact the Garmisch-Partenkirchen Section of the German Alpine Club (Deutscher Alpenverein) regarding the current status of the climbing trails, security matters and trained guides.

Want to know more?

All links are in German.

↓ Local hikes in our Badersee Blog (in German - lots of photos!)

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