By Tom · Published Jul. 23rd, 2023
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This overnight loop hike takes you from Oberstdorf to the Fiderepass Hut through Stillach valley and over the Fiderescharte. The way back leads over a beautiful ridge.
Get the route by downloading the .gpx or .kml file below. For navigation with Maps.me on your mobile phone, simply download the .kml file and open to add it to the Maps.me bookmarks.
Page Contents:
Location
The Fiderepass hike starts and ends at Oberstdorf Train Station, a small town in the Allgäu Alps in Germany, near the Austrian border. On the direct train, it’s about 2hr20 from Munich. If you want to shorten the first day by 7.7km, you can take bus 7 from the train station to the Fellhornbahnbrücke stop.
Tips for Fiderepass Hike
- We used the Kompass Allgäuer Alpen Kleinwalsertal Map* for this hike.
- Fiderepass Hut is open from end-May to mid-Oct. Saturdays in Summer can sell out, so you must book in advance on huetten-holiday.com. However, there are often last-minute cancellations a few days beforehand. This hut operates cash only.
- Tap water at the hut is not drinking water, but bottled water can be bought.
- Make sure to arrive before 7pm as you have to order dinner before this time.
- You need a sheet sleeping bag* for the hut.
- For hiking in the Alps I bought these hiking poles*, super useful on the ascents and descents.
- Offline maps app Maps.me works well for this hike.
- Check out other great hikes on our Germany Hiking Page.
Day 1: Oberstdorf to Fiderepass via Fiderescharte: 19.5 km, 1530 m up, 270 m down
Hike from Oberstdorf to Birgsau
The first part of the walk takes you from the village center through the nearby fields to the river Stillach. If you arrive early it will still be quiet in town, but on Saturdays you may stumble upon the local market. Make sure to take a right turn on Wannackerstraße to avoid walking along the road and instead going through the nice meadows.
You have to cross one road and then you will reach the river. Stick to the left hand side, but the first stretch of the river has many bridges so you can cross over and back if you like.
The path along the river is partly next to the road, and you can avoid this stretch by taking the bus. But it is not a busy road and the views to the mountains above are quite good. At one point the river widens and a bit further you arrive at the Fellhornbahnbrücke. Make sure to take the footpath at the far left hand corner of the parking lot, that takes you through the fields to Birgsau instead of via the road.
The valley opens up here and the views become better. In Birgsau, make your way to the main road and backtrack for 150m to get to a bridge across the river. Here the climb starts.
Ascent via the Panoramaweg
Take a left after the bridge and make your way through two gates to the farmhouse. From there a hiking trail starts in direction Mindelheimer Hütte. It is a small path but clear, and it takes you mainly through a bit of forest and a ravine steeply upward towards the Panoramaweg.
Once you reach the Panoramaweg, the steep climb is over for now, and you follow a more gentle upward path along the mountain side. There is one section where there are two paths on the map, the obvious one is the left hand one. After some time you reach a scenic pond called the Guggersee, a good place for a rest.
Further along you will pass a small mountain hut in a field of cows, and on the other side of the field is a trail junction where you keep continuing going along and up. The path narrows here in places as the mountainside becomes steeper, giving some great views of the valley below and the mountains in the distance.
Over the Fiderescharte to Fiderepass Hut
The path contours along the mountainside until you reach the trail junction indicating Fiderepass-hütte to the right. Now the climb intensifies, and the path takes you up towards the Fiderescharte. Make sure to take the left turn halfway up to continue in this direction. The terrain here becomes quite rocky and the climb becomes steeper towards the top. Don’t take the left turn near the top (a via ferrata over the ridge) but continue to the right to reach the Fiderescharte.
The view from the saddle to the other side is quite impressive and you can also make out the end destination for today, the Fiderepass Hut. A quick downhill over some scree will take you there. I can definitely recommend the Topfenstrudel as an afterhike replenishment.
Staying Overnight in Fiderepass Hut
Fiderepass Hut is a large mountain hut with space for 130 overnight guests, high up at 2070 metres. It’s open from late May to mid-October and offers a restaurant and overnight stays. It’s in a great location, right on the border between Germany and Austria on top of a mountain pass.
There is only one type of accommodation available when you book and that is the lager. Lagers are large rooms containing rows of mattresses on the floor, sometimes with 40 people or more in the same room. Lagers have pillows and rugs, but you must bring a sheet sleeping bag*.
Lager spots are €18/30 for members/non-members of the DAV and €10/20 for children and can be booked through huetten-holiday.com. Fiderepass hut is cash only and you pay partly when you book and the remainder on arrival. Remember to bring a headtorch* so you can find your way about when it’s dark. If you’re a light sleeper, you might want earplugs. You must bring a sheet sleeping bag*! Fiderepass hut has showers but you have to pay extra for the hot water (based on time used).
The DAV is the Deutscher Alpenverein (German Alps Club). You can get a yearly membership for €50-100 (depending on the section you join), with a discount for couples and families. This gives you reduced rates at mountain huts and a few other side benefits. It’s worth joining if you spend at least five nights in a mountain hut.
Food and Drink at Fiderepass Hut
When staying at Fiderepass Hut, you can order dinner a la carte and choose three types of breakfast in the morning (Muesli, bread and jam, bread and cheese & meat) with separate orders for hot drinks. Dinner is normally served until 7:00 pm, with breakfast from 6:30-8:00 am. You have to buy drinking water for the second day as the tap water is not for consumption.
Day 2: Fiderepass to Oberstdorf via Fellhorn: 18 km, 540 m up, 1800 m down
Waking up at 6:15 am, we ate breakfast at 6:30 and left the hut at 6:45 am.
Hiking from Fiderepass to Fellhorn
Rising early at this hut gives you the opportunity of a beautiful sunrise over the mountains. After a hearty breakfast, today unfortunately leads down first. If you want to avoid the difficult way over the Oberstdorfer Hammerspitze behind the hut, you either have to descend towards Austria or Germany. This route shows the German way. The early sun nicely lights the valley into which you descend.
After more than 300 m vertical descent, turn left towards Kanzelwand. You are now contouring below the Oberstdorfer & Walser Hammerspitze towards the next trail junction. Here, take a right turn to avoid the ascent of Kanzelwand and contour towards Fellhorn instead. A bit further, make sure to keep right and not take the climbing route over the Kanzelwand.
A left and a right turn on a track gets you on the right path for the Fellhorn peak. A big track gets you to the top of Fellhorn. This bit of the walk is a bit developed since two cable cart stations end here, but don’t worry, after Fellhorn the ridge becomes more natural and rather stunning.
From Fellhorn over the Ridge to Oberstdorf
The next part of the walk follows the top of the ridge in direction Schlappoltkopf. Only when the trail on the ridge runs out, the route descends on the right hand side of the ridge towards Sölleralpe restaurant, a potential spot for a tasty break.
From this point onwards, the hike continues on tracks and roads, towards and then along the Söllereckbahn cable cart. In the village of Kornau-Wanne, make sure to turn right in direction Oberstdorf. From this point simply follow the walking signs to Oberstdorf. This hike ends at the station, where you can grab a well deserved treat from the station bakery.
Guidebooks for Hiking in the Alps
If you enjoyed this hike, try other overnight hikes in the Alps such as a two-day hike in Karwendel valley, a three-day hike from Berchtesgaden, a two-day hike near Obersdorf or a three-day hike in Swiss National Park. Alternatively, discover other hikes in Germany.
FAQS: Fiderepass Hike
If you are used to walking in the mountains, then this hike is relatively easy. There is quite a lot of climb and descent, but no real difficulty. There are some sections on narrower paths and some steps but they are not difficult as long as you have a little bit of sure-footedness.
Fiderepass Hut is open only in the summer, from late May to mid-October.
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