Kleiner Wilder is a peak for climbers, not casual hikers. Rising to 2306 m in the Allgäu Alps, it stands just south of the Großer Wilder, separated from it by the Wildenfeldscharte notch. This is a rugged rock mountain that demands genuine climbing experience and comfort moving through pathless terrain.

The southwest face plunges in massive, sheer walls that once held some of the hardest climbing routes in the entire Allgäu Alps. In the winter of 1992/93, a large section of this southwest wall collapsed, permanently closing the classic Kleemaier-Führe route. During the 1990s, sport climbers established several very difficult new routes on these walls. Despite its harsh, rocky character, the mountain's south ridge shelters a botanical rarity — the dwarf alpenrose.

How to reach the summit

• Wildenfeldhüttchen — via the northwest flank, about 2 hours, grade II (climbing experience required)
• Wildenfeldhüttchen — via the west ridge, about 2 hours, grade II+ (lowest section of the ridge rated V)
• Wildenfeldhüttchen — via the south ridge, about 2 hours, grade III, considered the most rewarding of the easier routes

Practical information

• No marked trail leads to the summit — climbing skills and off-path experience are essential
• The north ridge from the Wildenfeldscharte is considered dangerous due to loose, crumbling rock
• The Kleemaier-Führe route on the southwest face has been unclimbable since the 1992/93 rockfall

Interestingly, despite being a bare rock mountain, the dwarf alpenrose grows on its south ridge — a rare splash of botanical life in an otherwise stark, vertical world.