Velký Roklan (1453 m a.s.l.) is the highest peak in the Bavarian Forest National Park and the second highest summit in the entire Bavarian Forest range. Rocky, wild and surprisingly rewarding — this is a mountain that feels genuinely remote, yet is accessible to most fit hikers.

The summit area tells a fascinating ecological story: since the mid-1990s bark beetles swept through the dense spruce forests here, and the national park let nature take its course. Today a diverse mixed forest is regenerating in place of the old monoculture — a living laboratory of forest renewal. From the rocky top, views stretch from the Osser and Arber massifs to the northwest all the way to Dreisesselberg in the southeast. On clear days with Föhn conditions or temperature inversions, the entire Alpine chain from the Totes Gebirge to the Zugspitze comes into view. In winter, deep snow often makes the summit accessible only by ski touring or snowshoes.

• Parking Gfäll — shortest route, approx. 1.5 hours, moderate difficulty
• Oberfrauenau — alternative starting point, moderate difficulty
• Klingenbrunn railway station — alternative starting point
• Parking Racheldiensthütte — alternative starting point

• Car access to the Gfäll and Racheldiensthütte car parks is closed daily from 8 am to 6 pm between 15 May and 2 November — use the Igelbus shuttle (Regionalbus Ostbayern) instead.
• Mountain bikes are not permitted on any of the approach trails.
• Approach from the Czech side is not possible — the traditional Czech trailhead at Roklanská chata lies within the strictly protected core zone of Šumava National Park and is off-limits.
• The nearby Waldschmidthaus shelter is currently closed for major renovation.

A wooden cross and a mountain rescue shelter mark the rocky summit, and just 400 metres below to the southeast lies the serene Rachelsee lake — a perfect spot to pause on the way back down.