Hidden away in the heart of Allgäu Alps is one of my favorite mountains in the whole of Germany, aka., Rubihorn. Although Rubihorn is hardly a secret, it still deserves to be in everybody’s hiking list. Why? Simple because, the view from the top is fantastic. The hike to the top is perfect for a day trip. The refreshing glacier lake enroute to the summit, Gaisalpsee provides the best respite for your tired feet. Lastly, there are endless possibilities to keep hiking from Rubihorn! If this hike is not yet a part of your alpine summer plan, this is a sign to add it right now and enjoy one of the finest views of the Allgäu Alps!
Contents
- Why Rubihorn?
- Getting to Rubihorn
- Public Transportation
- Car/Motorbike
- Hike to Rubihorn
- Best time to visit Rubihorn
- Things to know about Rubihorn
- Costs
- Ready, Set, Go!
Why Rubihorn?
I came across Rubihorn on a rather boring afternoon during the infamous coronavirus lockdown. I won’t lie, this hike was a result of scrolling through my Instagram feed! The mountain itself wasn’t tagged. However, after a few hours of zooming into the Allgäu Alps in Google Earth and running image searches of a multitude of locations that I thought was the perfect fit, I was finally able to zone into Rubihorn.
Every picture I came across was a precursor that I had to tick this hike off my list!
…and I am glad I did!
Frankly, nothing could have prepared me for the beauty of this hike. Streams. Waterfalls. Lakes. Alpine Terrain. Surreal Landscapes. Ridge Walks. This hike has everything. Ever since summitting Rubihorn, I have wholeheartedly recommended it to all of my friends and family. Experiences like these are meant to be enjoyed and I sincerely hope you get to do it very very soon!
Getting to Rubihorn
This hike could be a little long to be done as a day trip from Munich using public transportation. A better alternative would be to start from either Kempten or even Oberstdorf. However, as Munich is the biggest city in the area, this section will feature directions from Munich.
By Public Transportation
Getting to the starting point of this hike from Munich takes approximately three hours. The route to be taken is as follows,
Depending on your time of departure from Munich, you will either take a direct train to Oberstdorf or switch at Buchloe, Immenstadt or Kempten and continue in another regional train (RE) to Oberstdorf. In both cases, make sure that you alight at Sonthofen, proceed to the bus stop right outside the train station, take bus number 45 to ‘Oberstdorf’ and alight at Reichenbach.
The trailhead is a 5-minute walk from Reichenbach bus stop!
More information regarding the train and bus schedules can be found here (The departure and arrival stations must be mentioned as ‘München Hbf’ and ‘Reichenbach, Oberstdorf’ respectively).
By Car/Motorbike
If you would rather drive, put this GPS co-ordinates in your navigation device and you are good to go! The co-ordinates correspond to a paid parking lot close to the starting point of the hike. The drive time from Munich to this location is just under two hours.
Hike to Rubihorn
Trailhead: Link
Rubihorn is 1957m high and the hike to the peak is very well signposted. I would classify the trail difficulty as intermediate (assuming you have prior hiking experience). The trail to the summit can be split into two parts,
- Reichenbach – Unterer Gaisalpsee
Unterer Gaisalpsee is a glacier lake and is a lovely spot to break up the hike before continuing to the summit! The part of the trail leading to this lake is relatively easy and takes approximately 2 hours when hiking at a moderate pace.
- Untere Gaisalpsee – Rubihorn
The second part of the hike leading to Rubihorn consists of rocky terrain and exposed sections with narrow paths. Therefore, I do not recommend this part of the trail for people with no hiking experience! However, if you are fit enough, this can be done in 60 to 90 minutes at a moderate hiking pace.
Thus, the total ascent takes approximately four hours with an altitude difference of 1200 metres. Depending on your fitness level, the entire hike (i.e., the ascent and the descent) with photo stops can take anywhere between seven to eight hours!
Best time to visit Rubihorn
The trail to Gaisalpsee has quite a few streams and water runoff from the lake itself. As a result, the trail can get slippery and icy during the winter months! Further, the second part of the hike is quite narrow and exposed in some regions. Therefore, I would advise against visiting Rubihorn during the winter months or after heavy rainfall or snowfall! My chosen seasons to summit Rubihorn would be either late spring, summer or early autumn.
Things to know about Rubihorn
- The hiking trails in Germany normally would have some kind of alpine huts along the way. The trail to Rubihorn has two such mountain cabins. However, both of these are located in the early stages of the hike! Therefore, please do not forget to carry your own snacks and enough food to consume during the hike!
- Mass tourism is truly a huge problem in the Allgäu Alps. Rubihorn belongs to ‘Naturschutzgebiet Allgäuer Hochalpen‘ (Allgaeu High Alps Nature Reserve). Free camping, campfires, paragliding, and drones are strictly prohibited here! Presently, there exists a fine of 400 EUR if you are caught camping. Thus, please respect nature and refrain from doing these activities.
- If you want to continue hiking, there are several hiking trails from Rubihorn! One such trail leads to Nebelhornbahn. Another option is a round trip hike to Gaisalpsee via the Oberer Gaisalpsee. However, both of these trails require surefootedness!
Costs
Transportation
If you are traveling from Munich with a group of friends, I would highly recommend purchasing the Bayern ticket! Bayern Ticket is a day ticket that lets you travel all around Bavaria in regional trains. This Ticket costs 25 EUR for one person and 7 EUR for every additional person (upto 5 people). i.e.,
- If you are traveling alone, you would pay 25 EUR
- If you are traveling with a friend, you would pay 25 + 7 = 32 EUR (for 2 people, 16 EUR per person)
However, the bus from Sonthofen to Reichenbach is not included in the Bayern ticket. The bus tickets costs 4.60 EUR per person.
Food
There are no mountain huts providing refreshments close to the summit or close to Gaisalpsee. However, there are a few huts between Gaisalpsee and Reichenbach! I had Kaiserschmarrn and butter milk at Cafe Breitenberg and it was an absolute delicacy after the long hike! Like other mountain huts, a meal with a drink of choice would cost you between 10 to 15 EUR.
Regardless, it is always a good idea to carry some snacks to munch on during the hike. If you need some insight regarding the kind of snacks to buy, the ‘smart snacks’ section of this blogpost should give you a fair idea! I would estimate the snack costs for two people from a decent supermarket to be around 10 EUR.
Ready, Set, Go!
Rubihorn is a rewarding hike with one of the best views in all of Allgäu. I did this hike in the wake of the pandemic soon after lockdown restrictions were eased in 2020. Every hike has a story and this summit will forever be dear to me. This was the first time in months I truly felt freedom after being caged for a long three months. The first time I came across so many humans after an eternity. The first time I realized that I am afterall a social being despite being a type A introvert!
I am sure, your story will be different. However, to find it out, you will have to hike up! As a bonus, Gaisalpsee from the top looks so magical that you will be gushing about this trail to everyone after you do it! Thus, I highly recommend adding this spot to your summer hiking itinerary if you haven’t already and experience the magic yourself!
Looking for another hike with stellar views? Check out this blogpost on Schrecksee.
Looking for a quick introduction to hiking and all the equipment needed to conquer the Alps? I got you covered! Head over here and skim through the article!
Have any questions about traveling to Rubihorn? Leave them in the comments below!
