Bode gorge and Hexentanzplatz from Thale

The walk starts at Thale station, at the mouth of the gorge. The path follows the Bode upstream past the Königsruhe inn, over the Teufelsbrücke and by the Bodekessel, where the river boils through a rock basin, then on for some 8 km under cliffs and through woods to the village of Treseburg. The return climbs out of the valley to the Weißer Hirsch viewpoint and runs along the wooded rim past the Pfeil monument to the Hexentanzplatz, the witches' dancing place, a cliff-top with a view straight down into the gorge. Zigzags lead down to Thale.

It is 18.7 km with 514 m of ascent; allow about 6 hours. The grade is Hard, for its length and the rough gorge path: uneven, rocky, and narrow in places.

The Bode has cut about 10 km of gorge into the granite, some 280 m deep at its lower end. It is a nature reserve, so keep to the paths.

The gorge path is closed in winter because of ice, roughly from early November to late March; in 2026 it reopened on 24 March. Outside those months the walk cannot be done as drawn. Buses run from Treseburg back to Thale, which halves the day, and a cable car climbs from Thale to the Hexentanzplatz.

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.