The Ammergau Alps Nature Park is the ideal destination for your family vacation in summer and winter: the 227 square meter nature park extends on the edge of the Upper Bavarian Alps. These include the communities of Ettal, Saulgrub, Oberammergau, Unterammergau, Bad Kohlgrub, Bad Bayersoien and the unincorporated area of Ettaler Forst in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen district. Wild water, colorful meadows, pristine forests, mystical moors and rough and rugged mountains offer space for a variety of activities for an unforgettable family vacation.
Ammergau Alps: Different landscapes for numerous activities
Whether you love a family holiday in the mountains by the lake or prefer skiing and tobogganing in winter with the family - everything is possible in the Ammergau Alps Nature Park. It is the diversity of the region and especially the nature that make it a popular holiday destination. On site you will find peace and relaxation as well as a network of around 500 kilometers of hiking trails, which, like the cycling and mountain bike routes, range from leisurely and easy to difficult tours. In the Ammergau Alps there are extensive and mostly snow-sure cross-country ski trails as well as family-friendly ski areas in winter. The region is also known for the steepest freeride slope in Germany. Extended ski tours are possible, as are leisurely snowshoe and winter hikes.
Ammergau Alps: discover and experience nature
Ranger Maxi Renz is someone who knows the Ammergau Alps Nature Park and its flora and fauna very well. He is part of a team of rangers who express their enthusiasm for the natural landscapes in the nature park as well as its unique flora and fauna at the regular free events Ranger tours to express. Some tours are particularly suitable for families. These include, for example, “Adventure Nature Park”, “Forest, Water and Meadows”, “Bunting Lifeline”, “The Secret Life of the Mountain Forest” and “Between Bog Corpses and Poisonous Snakes”, some of which can also be navigated with strollers.
Here are further suggestions for a family holiday in the Ammergau Alps:
1. The nature park has a network of 500 designated hiking trails, along lush meadows, past grazing cows and impressive mountain peaks. The highest summit destination is the Kreuzspitze at 2.184 meters. A total of seven long-distance hiking trails cross the nature park, including the top hiking trail and the Maximiliansweg. More suitable for families are the easy circular hikes and the 16 themed trails or the hut hikes, at the end of which you and your family will be rewarded with a wonderful view and a hearty snack.
2. That Hörnle Bad Kohlgrub with its three peaks is a year-round mountain for families, connoisseurs and nature lovers. In summer and winter, the path leads to promising heights on foot or with the Hörnle cable car. Up here is the starting point for hikes and ski runs as well as access to the toboggan run.
The Hörnle suspension railway was first put into operation in 1954. The almost two kilometer long ride on the nostalgic train on cornflower blue seats takes around 20 minutes. The Hörnle suspension railway has long been a cult and offers plenty of opportunity to slow down. Getting out is particularly comfortable for families with small children. Instead of hectically fleeing forward, the folded chairs slide past you as you get out. So it's enough to simply stand on the yellow floor markings.
3. At the Steckenberg In Unterammergau, people have been thinking about the environment and nature for a long time, and so the electricity required to use the snow cannons and operate the lift is generated by a small hydroelectric power station. The family ski area on Steckenberg offers ideal conditions for an eventful day of skiing for beginners and professionals, young and old. Ski courses for children of different ages are offered in the ski center at the valley station with ski rental and ski school.
4. A family-friendly destination in the Ammergau Alps is the Piston in Oberammergau. Here you will find everything you need to spend an exciting and varied day with your family. Far away from the noise and hustle and bustle, the Kolbensattel is idyllic. Near the Kolbensattelhütte there is an adventure playground with play equipment that introduces children to nature and the mountains. What's special: The play equipment was created in the wood sculpture school at the passion play location Oberammergau. Children feel very comfortable in this play paradise in the middle of a track roundabout, equipment for balance exercises, climbing frames, wooden towers, climbing ropes, slides, a net tunnel, crawling tubes and swings, as well as a mountain giant's Mikado game and a double cable car with a length of 25 meters. Older children prefer the Bike Park or a rapid descent on the Alpine Coaster, a 2,6 kilometer long toboggan run. A leisure activity for the whole family is the 3D archery course around the Kolbensattel, where, equipped with a bow and arrow, your accuracy is put to the test on three-dimensional target figures.
In winter there are ski courses for young and old at Kolbensattel in Oberammergau. With 9 lifts and 8 kilometers of slopes, the ski area is manageable and therefore offers ideal conditions for a relaxed day of skiing with the whole family. In winter and summer, the Kolbensattelhütte at an altitude of 1.270 meters invites you to refresh yourself, from where you have a wonderful view of Oberammergau and the surrounding mountains.
5. Hiking, Fly a paraglider, Ski fahren as well as enjoying nature and culinary delicacies - these are the characteristics that make the Lab aptly describe the local mountain of the Oberammergau region. If you don't want to hike up the 1.684 meter high mountain, you can slow down with a nostalgic and comfortable gondola ride on the two-cable gondola that opened in 1957. Even though the Laber is not one of the highest peaks in the Bavarian Alps, from here you have an extraordinary view of the foothills of the Alps. When the weather is good, the view extends to Munich and beyond, to the Ester Mountains with Wank, Fricken, the Krottenkopf, the Wetterstein Mountains and the Ammergau Alps. The Laber in Oberammergau is known for its steep ski run, which leads from the summit of the Laber to the valley station and is not suitable for beginners.
6. For a family vacation in the mountains by the lake, the Soier Lake which is located at an altitude of around 810 meters directly in Bad Bayersoien. The special thing about Lake Soier is its moor content and its brown water, colored by humic substances and rich in minerals. The small lake warms up quickly from the sun and is therefore ideal for swimming in spring and autumn. The large lawn on the south side of Lake Soier offers plenty of space for young and old. Boat rental, sport fishing in the fishing season from April 16th to October 31st and a 2,5 kilometer long barefoot course around the small moor lake provide variety. Even in winter, the lake is perfect for a relaxing winter walk.
7. Those too Grinding mill gorge worth a visit. Above Unterammergau it is traversed by the Schleifmühllaine, which is fed by the streams of the surrounding Teufelstättkopf, Pürschling and Schartenköpfel mountains. The gorge stretches over a length of 500 meters, in which the stream forms several pools and waterfalls worth seeing, which can be reached via a secured hiking trail. Via Schleifmühlklamm you can reach the old whetstone quarries, which are among the most beautiful geotopes in Bavaria. The ancient craft of whetstone making has been brought back to life by the people of Unterammergau for teaching and demonstration purposes. The grinding mill in the gorge is open on some Saturdays in summer. This craft was the most important trade in Unterammergau for many centuries.
8. A special highlight in the Ammergau Alps Nature Park is the King Ludwig Run, which takes place every year on the first weekend in February between Ettal, Linderhof Castle and Oberammergau and is the largest cross-country ski run in Germany. Routes of 10, 23 and 50 kilometers are offered. For children between 6 and 14 years there is the so-called “Mini Kini” over a distance of 5 kilometers. Back in 2011, this event, with a total number of participants of over 4.000 people, attracted such great media interest that it was shown on television and broadcast live on the Internet for the first time. And the summer edition of the König Ludwig Run also offers a lot in summer: Kids Trail, the 10 km long panoramic run and the 6 km wellness run.
Family vacation in the Ammergau Alps: What to do in bad weather?
On a family vacation in the mountains and at the lake, children want to be kept busy even in bad weather. For example in the Bouldering hall in Wurmansau or the Reptile house in Oberammergau. You can find more tips for excursions in bad weather here.