Altenau – Wolfswarte

The "Altenau - Wolfswarte Hike" is around 11.3 kilometres long and leads past a wide variety of hiking highlights. It starts just outside (east) of Altenau at the Tischlertal car park and then runs parallel to the "Steile-Wand-Straße" road to the Förster Ludwig Platz hiking hut. Förster-Ludewig-Platz, with its seating area and the Schachtkopf hut, is an ideal resting place with a rippling dam ditch and a Harzer Wandernadel stamping station.

After a short break, the route then continues eastwards, whereupon it finally crosses the Steile-Wand-Straße road after turning southwards. This is where the Harzer Hexenstieg begins and with it the ascent to the Wolfswarte. Over a distance of just under 3 kilometres, there are around 240 metres in altitude to overcome on a rooty path. Sturdy shoes, suitable equipment and an appropriate level of fitness are therefore a must!

But the somewhat arduous path is worth it: after 5 kilometres from the start of the hike, you reach the Wolfswarte, which offers an overwhelming view of the western Harz Mount ains. The ascent to the forest-free summit of the Bruchberg is particularly worthwhile in good weather conditions, as the view is then particularly far-reaching. Even the Brocken can be marvelled at in its entirety from here. The Wolfswarte is one of three wolf lookouts in the Harz Mountains and was used by hunters to hunt wolves lured by bait.

The hike leads back down via the Gustav-Baumann-Weg. The descent is not quite as steep as the ascent via the Hexenstieg. In addition to the beautiful view, the hiking trail also offers another Harzer Wandernadel stamp and leads further down to the next hiking highlight: the small Oker.

At this point, the small Oker crosses the dam ditch. The rippling water in combination with the ditch keeper's cottage are another ideal opportunity for a short break . If you continue walking northwards from here for around 1.5 kilometres, you will return to the starting point of the hike.