Hinterschmiding: Trails and Cultural Traces

Hinterschmiding brings together circular trails, Nordic walking and cultural traces, offering routes of varying lengths and different starting points. Some tours begin in Hinterschmiding, while others pass through Herzogsreut within the municipality. When planning your trip, you can compare routes and landmarks and tailor your stay to the activities that interest you most.

Circular trails of varying lengths

The Möselweg is 9 km long and starts either at Hinterschmiding’s church square or at the parking bay by Mösel Stadium. The walk takes about 2½ hours, with an elevation difference of around 230 metres. The Am Biegel circular trail features different landmarks: It starts at the tourist information office, passes through the village square, goes by the listed town hall and loops around the Biegel. Along the way, you will pass the wildlife enclosure and the land consolidation memorial stone. The loop is 3.3 km long and has an elevation gain of 80 metres.

The Biegel Trail is a separate Nordic walking loop. It starts at the Biegel by the land consolidation memorial stone, follows field and forest paths in the footsteps of the Golden Trail, and returns to the starting point. It is 6.4 km long. A section of the Golden Trail also runs through the municipality of Hinterschmiding. The trail and this section therefore refer to the municipality’s paths in different ways.

Nordic walking around Mösel Stadium and Herzogsreut

The municipality of Hinterschmiding offers five Nordic walking routes with a combined length of around 33 km. The red-marked Holzwiesen Trail runs from Mösel Stadium via the Holzwiese and back to the starting point. It is 7.5 km long and has an elevation gain of 80 metres. The Kohlstatt Trail also starts at Mösel Stadium: Its 5.5 km route passes the Kohlstatt Chapel and a viewpoint near Sonndorf before returning to the sports ground.

Other described routes are located in Herzogsreut. The red-marked Nordic walking trail starts beyond the church on Schwendreuter Straße. It passes the Schwendreuter Chapel, the Bruder Konrad Chapel and the Bäckerkreuz before returning to Herzogsreut. The route is about 6.9 km long and has an elevation gain of 100 metres. The black-marked Herzogsreut loop starts near the old sports ground in the village centre. It follows field and forest paths back to the starting point; it is 6.3 km long and has an elevation gain of 90 metres. For the marked trails, it is advisable to check the signs on site.

A shorter circular route in Herzogsreut, the Zum Bäckerkreuz trail, starts in the village centre near the old sports ground and follows the main road to the edge of the village in the direction of Hinterschmiding. It continues along Ringstraße to the Bäckerkreuz and returns to the starting point via the mountain station at the ski lift. The loop is 2 km long and has an elevation gain of 50 metres. Its length makes it easy to distinguish from the longer Nordic walking loops and the 9 km Möselweg.

The history of technology at the Wimmer Canal

The Wimmer Canal near Hinterschmiding was built in 1806 and was once used for timber rafting. Today, it is an important technical monument from the early 19th century. It offers a different focus from the routes and their landmarks: here, the canal’s former use takes centre stage. Those interested in the connection between trails and history will also find a link to the Golden Trail on the Biegel Trail.

The route lengths also provide a practical guide—from 2 km for the Zum Bäckerkreuz trail to 9 km for the Möselweg. This makes it easy to match your choice of accommodation to the excursions you have planned.

Discover more destinations: Freyung, Eppenschlag, Haidmühle, Sankt Oswald, Neureichenau, Zenting, Saldenburg, Grainet.

For the regional travel overview: Freyung-Grafenau.