Hiking and Via Ferrate in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains

After hiking in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains last year I definitely wanted to come back to check out some of the via ferrate.

In mid-August the weather is favorable (after weeks of rain) and I decide to go on a one-day hiking trip.

I drive out from Berlin in the morning and arrive shortly before 11 am at the trail head at Lichtenhainer Wasserfall. I am lucky to get the second to last available parking spot (this is on a Monday, but with very good weather and around 30ºC) and it seems very crowded. It turns out that for the majority of the trail I later follow I am completely alone, though.

Before going, I choose the “Spannende Stiegen-Panoramatour über die Affensteine bis zum Kuhstall” trail on Outdoor Active as my guide.

From the parking ground (daily parking ticket is 7 EUR, payable only in coins!) I start walking towards another parking spot (Beuthenfall) – the actual start of the trail – on a short stretch of road.

From there, I follow a well-marked and wide trail for about 50 meters and then turn right.

This right-turn is easy to miss as there are no indicators and the trail looks a bit “grown in”. Maybe to stop too many people from accidentally going towards the climbing areas? I don’t know. But the effect is that I’m completely alone on this path until arriving at the Häntzschelstiege via ferrata.

At the starting point two other parties are getting their via ferrata gear ready and there’s a short delay to start the climb (since you want to keep being at least a fall-distance apart from one another).

The Häntzschelstiege are devided into two parts: the lower and upper part. To enter the lower part you have to scramble up a few meters to reach the first iron step. From then on you generally have very good coverage of cables along the whole route (the via ferrata is rated as B).

The start of the second part is more interesting as you have to squeeze youself through a crack and then climb up steps inside a “chimney”.

Having arrived at the top there’s no fixed path and you can find a nice spot to take a break on one of the stone columns and enjoy the views.

After crossing a few stones (there’s a even a small bridge between two more exposed stone columns) the trail continues and after a short while connects to one of the more frequented routes towards “Carolafelsen” – another nice viewpoint and surprisingly empty when I arrive (one other party).

The next section of the trail goes trough pretty (and apparently constant) humid terrain with a lot of slippery rocky sections (“Wilde Hölle”).

Here is where I take the wrong trail after a fork (wrongly to the right vs. straight) but thankfully notice after a few hundred meters :-)

After the Wilde Hölle I take the path along “Untere Affensteinpromenade” and then take a right turn to the “Zwillingsstiege” (the second, albeit shorter, via ferrata).

The signpost in the direction of the via ferrata just says “Zugang zu Kletterfelsen – kein Wanderweg”, which means something like: access to the climbing crag – no hiking trail. This includes the via ferrata and is not just for rock climbing.

The Zwillingsstiege and the trail leading to it are completely empty – nice.

Other than at the Häntzschelstiege there are no steel cables available and you have to clip into the steps if you want to secure yourself with a via ferrata set.

The climbing section is steep but rather short. The official rating for this via ferrata is a B – just like the Häntzschelstiege.

After another squeeze through a crack, a few wooden and a few more iron steps, the Zwillingstiege are, unfortunately, already ending.

I follow along the Obere Affensteinpromenade for a while, cross the fork again where I got lost on the way out and pass multiple nice view points. After a turn to the Reitstieg I make my way to the Idagrotte, a cave at the Frienstein rock, through quite rocky terrain with a few trials and errors to find the right way.

While the path to the grotto itself is wide enough to walk on, it is still a bit exposed. A few iron hooks (which look relatively new) have been installed to make the short walk more accessible.

Leaving the Idagrotte, I start hiking towards “Kuhstall”, a rocky arch/window close to the end of the trail.

During the descent over mixed terrain – rocky, sandy, and gravel paths – I speed up a bit and only take a few moments to shoot some pictures.

After 15.9 km and a moving time of 04:10 (without breaks) I’m back at my car and begin the drive back to Berlin.

If you would like to hike this trail as well, I’d suggest to follow this track. Please note that it might take (significantly) longer if you go on a busy day, take it more relaxed or get lost more frequently :-)

Special equipment to bring: via ferrata set and helmet (only necessary for Häntzschelstiege and Zwillingsstiege). Poles recommended, as always.