Westweg stage 1 — Golden Gate to Dobel
The first Westweg stage from Pforzheim to Dobel: start at the Golden Gate, via Hoheneck and Dillweißenstein into the Enz valley — a classic long-distance trail in the Northern Black Forest.
Route on the map
25 km · 6 h 30 min · Demanding
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
Elevation profile
24,9 km · ↑ 1.150 m · 265–715 m a.s.l.
More links
Track © Tom / Wanderatlas via ich-geh-wandern.de (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The Westweg of the Black Forest Association is one of Germany's best-known long-distance trails — about 285 kilometres in 13 stages from Pforzheim to Basel. Stage 1 is a demanding day hike of roughly 25 kilometres with about 450 metres of ascent, mostly uphill towards Dobel. If you have less time, walk the first section to Dillweißenstein or Neuenbürg as a shorter outing.
The symbolic start is the Golden Gate at Kupferhammer in Pforzheim, where the Enz, Nagold and Würm meet. Here Westweg, Mittelweg and Ostweg begin together; red diamonds mark the trail. Many walk from the main station through the Gold city and city garden along the Nagold to the gate — well signposted and rewarding.
The route leads via Hoheneck ruin and down to Dillweißenstein, on through Birkenfeld towards Neuenbürg. At the lower Enz footbridge the trail splits: the high variant (standard) via Birkenfeld and Wilhelmshöhe, or the Enz valley variant along the rushing river past Neuenbürg castle — both rejoin. The highlight is Schwanner Warte with lookout tower and views into the Rhine valley; via Dreimarkstein on to Dobel and the Sonnentor at the spa house.
From Schellbronn the Golden Gate is about 20 minutes by car. Along the stage you pass well-known regional points — such as Liebeneck castle ruin in the Würm valley. For the full stage plan sturdy shoes, food and daylight; return from Dobel by bus or as a two-day tour with overnight stay.
Route description and GPX track are at the top of this page for download — importable into Komoot or any navigation app. Further tips from the Black Forest Association and Schwarzwald Tourism. Parking at Kupferhammer; check weather and Schwanner Warte tower opening times before you set out.