Schwarzer Grat (1119 m) is the highest point in the district of Ravensburg and one of the finest viewpoints along the Bavarian-Württemberg border. Its wooden lookout tower rewards hikers with one of the widest panoramas in the region, stretching all the way to the Swiss Alps on clear days.

The peak belongs to the small Adelegg mountain range, a hilly outpost of the Alps just north of the Allgäu Alps. The landscape is gentle and forested, crisscrossed by small streams, with the state border between Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg running just a few hundred metres from the summit. In summer, quiet forest trails and open meadows make for pleasant walking, while winter transforms the area into a peaceful spot for snowshoeing. From the tower's observation platform, on clear days you can see the Allgäu Alps, Lake Constance and wide stretches of Upper Swabia, and on exceptionally clear days even distant Swiss peaks over 150 km away.

How to reach the summit

• Eschachthal — marked trail, approx. 1-1.5 hours, easy
• Bolsternang — marked trail, approx. 1 hour, easy
• Alternative approaches from Wengen, Rohrdorf, Großholzleute or the Eschacher Weiher car park

Practical information

• The summit holds the 28.5 m wooden Schwarzer-Grat-Turm lookout tower, built in 1971
• Drinks and simple snacks are sold at the tower on summer Sundays
• Two long-distance trails of the Swabian Alb Association cross the summit: HW 5 and HW 9
• An annual mountain run and MTB sprint race take place here (except in 2020)

Fun fact: for over a century, Schwarzer Grat was considered the highest point of the former Kingdom of Württemberg, though technically it was not the very highest spot within its borders.