Bavarian Forest National Park

Founded in 1970 and enlarged since, this is the oldest national park in Germany, and it is known for a decision rather than a view. After storms and bark beetle killed the spruce over large areas, the park left the dead trees standing instead of clearing them, and took a good deal of criticism for it. The result is uncommon in Europe: hillsides of silver deadwood with a dense young forest coming up underneath, and every stage of decay on show. Trails climb to Lusen and Rachel, both over 1300 metres, finishing on granite boulder fields with forest running east to the horizon. Near Neuschonau a canopy walkway spirals up a 44-metre tower, and large enclosures hold lynx, wolves and bison.

The landscape

• The deadwood slopes - silver spruce left standing with young forest coming up beneath.
• Lusen - a summit of loose granite blocks with a long view east over forest.
• The treetop walkway - a canopy path spiralling up a 44-metre wooden tower.
• The animal enclosures - lynx, wolves and bison in large fenced woodland.

When to go

May to October for walking, with the free park bus network running through the season and making point-to-point routes possible. Autumn colour in the beech below the spruce line is good in early October. January to March is snowshoe and cross-country country, cold and reliable at this altitude, with fewer trails accessible.

Before you go

The dead spruce is genuinely bleak to look at, and visitors expecting Alpine scenery are regularly let down: these are rounded wooded hills with no rock faces and no lakes. Weather is wet and cold well into spring, midges are heavy in summer, and the boulder fields near the summits are hard on ankles. The animal enclosures are enclosures, and the treetop walk is charged and crowded at midday.

Nearby

The glassmaking towns of Zwiesel and Frauenau, and the Ilz valley toward Passau.

Key facts