Lusen from Waldhausreibe

The walk starts at Waldhausreibe, the road end above Waldhäuser in the Bavarian Forest National Park. The summer path climbs past the Glasarche, a glass boat resting in a carved wooden hand, and then goes straight up the Himmelsleiter, a long flight of rough stone steps, to the summit of the Lusen at 1,373 m. The top is a field of bare granite boulders, which the path crosses to the cross. The way down passes the Lusenschutzhaus, an inn just below the summit, and follows the easier winter path back to the start.

It is 4.8 km with 258 m of ascent; allow about 2 hours. The grade is Easy, but the Himmelsleiter is steep and the boulders need care.

The story goes that the devil piled the boulders over a hoard of gold. The spruce forest here died back in the 1990s and was left to itself; the young forest growing through the grey trunks is the park's showpiece, and the view runs far into Bohemia.

From mid-May to the end of October, cars may drive up to Waldhausreibe only before 9 am and after 4 pm; outside those months the road is closed to cars altogether. Otherwise take the Igelbus from Neuschönau or Waldhäuser. Keep to marked paths in the core area; dogs on a lead.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.