GPX ViewGermany
Rennsteig
Germany's oldest long-distance trail: a hundred and seventy kilometres along the ridge line of the Thuringian Forest, waymarked since 1830.
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197 m · 0.0 km
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- Distance
- 168 km
- Elevation gain
- 2,214 m
- Elevation loss
- 1,984 m
- Highest point
- 967 m
- Walking time
- 47 h · ~8 d
Estimated walking time (DIN 33466 standard) — breaks, meals and overnight stays not included.
Tracks derived from OpenStreetMap data, under the ODbL license.
The terrain
A broad, easy-rolling forest ridge trail that follows the watershed between the Elbe and the Rhine. Elevation comes in gentle, steady grades, with no technical passages at all; this is a route of distance more than difficulty. Forest cover is nearly continuous, which shields from the sun but limits the views.
When to go
May to October. The ridge tops out near a thousand metres and holds snow late — the high sections are in fact groomed as cross-country ski runs in winter, which makes them unwalkable then. Autumn is especially fine here, and crowds thin out after the school holidays.
Access and stages
Hörschel, the start, is near Eisenach, on the Frankfurt–Erfurt rail line; the finish at Blankenstein is more remote. Allow six to eight days. Tradition has it that you carry a stone from the Werra at the start to throw into the Saale at the finish — lodgings along the way are happy to point this out.
Take the track into the field
The downloaded file opens in GPX View, which shows the route, the remaining elevation and your position on it — with no network once the map is saved.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this GPX free?
- Yes, no account or sign-up needed. The track is derived from OpenStreetMap and stays under the ODbL license: reusable, provided you credit the source.
- Is the waymarking enough on its own?
- The white "R" of the Rennsteig is one of the densest waymarkings in Germany and is easy to follow. The track mainly helps with planning stages and spotting the descents into villages, which aren't always obvious from the ridge.
- Does the track cover the side variants?
- No, it follows the main ridge. The many "Rennsteig-Leiter", the access paths climbing up from the valleys, were dropped at extraction: including them would have produced a ladder of rungs rather than a route.