Winter Hiking in Mittenwald|Step into a World of Ice and Snow
Snow, lakes, mountains. Winter in Mittenwald has always been on my must-visit list, and this time I finally experienced the joy of winter hiking. It still feels like a built-in filter, so beautiful it seems unreal 🥹
🌟Difficulty: 2.5🌟! The first half of the route up to Hoher Kranzberg is all uphill, with a maximum slope of 23°, so it requires a certain level of endurance. The second half is mostly flat, but some parts in the mountains may have ice patches.
🚄Transportation: Take the RB6 train directly from Munich Central Station (München Hbf) to Mittenwald, about a 2-hour ride.
🎫Tickets: The entire trip is covered by the 58-euro monthly Deutschlandticket, no extra cost.
👣Hiking Route: Refer to map 18
Mittenwald Hbf — St Anton (P2-3) — Hoher Kranzberg (P4) — Ferchensee (P8-11) — Lautersee (P12-13) — Mittenwald Hbf
Big loop: The first half is all road/gravel paths, uphill all the way, with a very steep and long slope before St. Anton, extremely tiring! At the summit, there is a small cabin to rest, and the view is spectacular. The horizon is vast, with endless mountain ranges and Wildensee in sight. After passing through a forest trail, you reach Ferchensee ❄️ where the lake surface is already frozen. Walking around the lake offers different views at every turn! Going down leads to Lautersee, where on a clear day you can see snow-capped mountains reflected on the lake. The descent mostly follows a creek (P15-16), very soothing~ I was lucky to see the golden sunlight on the mountain peaks and a full moon that day (P17)🌕
👚Clothing: Warm base layers + inner layer + down jacket. It was very cold when I got off the train, but after starting the hike, I took off the down jacket. Two layers were enough; I was already sweating after the first half. I wore waterproof snow boots which worked, but it was still a bit slippery—hiking boots are best, but crampons are not necessary.
📌Notes:
1️⃣ Winter days are short, don’t linger too long enjoying the scenery. I started hiking around 10:30 at Mittenwald station, stopping often to take photos, and just made it in time for the 16:30 return train 🚄 The timing was quite tight.
2️⃣ Signal is poor in the mountains on the second half, so download offline maps 🗺️ in advance.
3️⃣ Bring a power bank! Phones drain quickly in cold weather, especially when using maps and taking photos.
Trading steps for scenery, once again embraced by snowy mountains, icy lakes, and quiet valleys—feeling so happy 🤍