A tour through the Oberwald Karlsruhe

Parks, gardens and green spaces characterize Karlsruhe's cityscape, but there are also many recreational areas around the city. The proximity of city and nature also characterizes Karlsruhe as part of the Central/North Black Forest Nature Park. There are various tours in the Oberwald Karlsruhe that invite you to explore the "gateway to the Black Forest".

The Oberwald circular trails: for hiking or walking in Karlsruhe

The Oberwald circular trails are perfect for hiking or walking, even for beginners. You can extend the tour as you wish, for example with the 10 km trail, or walk shorter distances of 3 to 4 km. The landscape is flat and does not offer any challenging paths. Numerous parking facilities are available, which can be used free of charge.

Lake Erlach in the Oberwald

The starting point is the "Oberwaldsee" forest parking lot. The first destination on the tour through the Oberwald forest is Lake Erlachsee in the nature reserve. Although Lake Erlachsee is fenced in, the fence is not opaque, so you can easily observe the lake and the colorful goings-on on it. The 600-hectare Oberwald forest area has been partially protected since 1977, which is why the fence was erected around the lake. There is also a small hut with peepholes through which you can observe animals and nature.

Off to Oberwald Zoo

After a long walk around Lake Erlachsee, the trail leads to the animal park in Oberwald. The path is perfectly signposted, so you can enjoy the beautiful forest and forget the stress of everyday life.
The zoo is a branch of the Karlsruhe Zoological Garden. The wild animals have been living here in Oberwald since 1967, although only a temporary move was planned at first. The animals were relocated to Karlsruhe Zoological Garden during the 1967 State Garden Show. As it turned out, the animals stayed and are now freely accessible to forest visitors all year round in the 16-hectare zoo. The Zoological City Garden redesigned the former enclosure area into a garden and green space in the course of the State Garden Show.

The animal park is home to moose, chamois, deer goats, raccoon dogs, Przewalski's horses, various species of deer, onagers and bison. The many information boards in the park provide interesting facts and information about the various animal species. For example, that the deer goat antelope comes from Asia and has been an endangered species for some time. The Eurasian elk is native to Scandinavia, north-eastern Europe and northern Asia. And the Mesopotamian fallow deer originates from Iran and Israel and has been on the red list of critically endangered species since 2008. Here at the zoo, however, you can experience some of them live.

Continue to the Oberwaldsee in the Oberwald

The tour now continues through the Oberwald forest to the Oberwaldsee lake. The lake is the perfect place for a leisurely picnic or to enjoy a great summer evening. Unlike Lake Erlachsee, Lake Oberwaldsee is not closed off and on warm days you can relax in one of the many small bays right by the water. This is the perfect end to the tour, where you can enjoy the wonderful natural surroundings near Karlsruhe.