The Gäu Perimeter Way () is a hiking trail in the Northern Black Forest in Germany and the easternmost of the long distance paths managed by the Black Forest Club. With a length of 120 kilometres, it runs in six stages from Mühlacker to Freudenstadt.
The waymark of the Gäu Perimeter Way is a green diamond with a red rose hip on a white background.
Short description
The Gäu Perimeter Way runs between the NPlacehern Black Forest in the west and the Strohgäu and Heckengäu in the east. From Mühlacker in the Enz valley the route runs via Pinache and Wiernsheim past Mönsheim to Friolzheim, Tiefenbronn and Steinegg. From there it continues via Neuhausen and Simmozheim past Althengstett to Calw-Stammheim. The path then passes through the villages of Gültlingen and Sulz am Eck, before reaching the Nagold valley in the town of Nagold. It then continues via Rohrdorf and Beihingen to Haiterbach. From Haiterbach the route runs through Salzstetten to Schopfloch and then through Glatten to Freudenstadt.
Day tours/stages First Stage: Mühlacker – Steinegg Distance: 22 kilometres Duration: c. 5.5 hours Place/Attraction Route(km) Height(m above NHN) Further information Mühlacker 0 240 Pinache 6.0 349 Village in the municipality of Wiernsheim Wiernsheim 3.0 366 Paulinensee 3.0 380 Barbecue hut Friolzheim 4.5 451 Tiefenbronn 3.0 432 Steinegg 2.5 418
Second Stage: Steinegg – Calw-Stammheim Distance: 24 kilometres Duration: c. 6 hours Place/Attraction Route(km) Height(m above NHN) Further information Steinegg 0 418 Neuhausen 4.5 482 Büchelberg Nature Reserve 2.5 550 Möttlinger Köpfle 4.5 576 Woodland play park Simmozheim 2.0 483 Stammheim 10.5 469 Village in the municipality of Calw
Third Stage: Stammheim – Wasserturm Oberjettingen Distance: 20 kilometres Duration: c. 5 hours Place/Attraction Route(km) Height(m above NHN) Further information Stammheim 0 469 Village in the municipality of Calw Gültlingen 9.0 454 Village in the municipality of Wildberg Sulz am Eck 4.0 465 Village in the municipality of Wildberg Sulzer Eck 1.5 576 Barbecue hut Kühlenberg 3.0 625 Wasserturm Oberjettingen 2.5 605
Fourth Stage: Wasserturm Oberjettingen – Beihingen Distance: 20 kilometres Duration: c. 5 hours Place/Attraction Route(km) Height(m above NHN) Further information Wasserturm Oberjettingen 0 605 Nagold 4.5 411 Ruins of Hohennagold Castle 1.5 515 Rohrdorf 2.5 418 Walddorf 3.0 561 Egenhäuser Kapf 3.5 625 Egenhausen 2.0 560 Beihingen 3.0 460 Village in the municipality of Haiterbach
Fifth Stage: Beihingen – Schopfloch Distance: 19 kilometres Duration: c. 5 hours Place/Attraction Route(km) Height(m above NHN) Further information Beihingen 0 460 Village in the municipality of Haiterbach Haiterbach 3.5 706 Salzstetten 7.5 596 Village in the municipality of Waldachtal Rödelsberg 7.0 718 Schopfloch 1.5 667
Sixth Stage: Schopfloch – Freudenstadt Distance: 14 kilometres Duration: c. 4 hours Place/Attraction Route(km) Height(m above NHN) Further information Schopfloch 0 667 Glatten 4.0 535 Lauterbad 7.0 Freudenstadt 3.0 732
Literature Reinhard Distel and Heinz R. Wittner: Wanderführer Schwarzwald-Heightnwege. 7th edn., Ostfildern, 1997. . pp. 142–153. Martin Kuhnle: Schwarzwald Mitte/Nord. Bergverlag Rother, Munich, 2013. . pp. 60–79. Gäu.Rand.Weg, Faltblatt, Plenum Heckengäu
External links Black Forest hiking service: web facility of the Black Forest Club for visualising the Black Forest trails on Google Maps with various overlays (trail network, waymarks, accommodation, …) Heckengäu-Natur-Nah – Description of the Gäu Perimeter Way and overview map