After getting back from Norway in pretty decent outdoorsy shape, I figured I had to keep that fitness going. That paired with the theme of tackling my Germany bucketlist items led me to the one and only Zugspitze! The highest mountain and geographical point in Germany. This was on my list pretty much for superlative reasons - Tallest Mountain in a country, and then tallest point in a foreign country I've lived in. Reasons aside, it meant time in nature, time in the mountains, and that's good enough for me.
So one fine Saturday in the middle of August I woke up lazily, made some breakfast, and then threw myself and my pack in the car for the drive down to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It was smooth sailing despite the heat and getting into town got me ready for some summer hiking. Luckily enough I also found a free place to park! Before taking off I tuckered into my sammich for lunch, watched a guy struggle with parking, and checked out the winter sports arena (used in the 1936 Winter Olympics) right at the foot of the mountains. Fed and laced up, then it was time to hit the trail.
The way out of town was pretty town-y. Lots of people about even on the bike paths past a bunch of farm fields, and that only got worse once I got to the mouth of the valley. As I'd see along the way, there were a few clear tourist hotspots early on in the valley that made this the place to be. Kinda confused me at the start too, because the trail led straight up to a ticket counter. I initially thought I had to pay to enter, but that was for a cave/canyon section of the valley, and there was a way around it. Off and up I went.
To be fully honest, I chose this route because it was the only one that didn't seem to require any technical climbing. It's also the longest route, as it follows the Rein valley up around the backside of the mountain and then up to the peak. Because of this, I had the impression that the Reintal was kinda ho-hum. As I'd experience though, it was anything but!
Sidenote: I love driving down towards the Alps. It's flat along the way, then at some point you get the first glimpse of the peaks waiting to be explored. Always an awesome feeling to regain mountains on the horizon.
That's as far as I got before my focus faded...
Dates Covered in Post: August 20th, 2023
Original Publish Date: January 29th, 2025