One of the best things about living in Munich is the Bavarian Alps looming around the corner. Every weekend can easily be a quest to find a gorgeous trail that leads to glacier lakes, gorges, mountain huts or even fairy tales castles! The possibilities are in fact, endless. On one such gloomy weekend, I discovered Jochberg. Jochberg is a mountain in Kochel, nestled between two gorgeous lakes, Walchensee and Kochelsee, with spectacular summit views. It is also the perfect beginner hike if you are new to the world of hiking. Therefore, in this blogpost, I spill everything you need to know to hike Jochberg and kickstart that outdoor lifestyle!
Contents
- Why Jochberg?
- Getting to Jochberg
- Public Transportation
- Car/Motorbike
- Hike to Jochberg
- Best time to visit Jochberg
- Things to know about Jochberg
- Costs
- Transportation
- Food
- My Jochberg experience
- Ready, Set, Go!
Why Jochberg?
My personal favourite mountain hikes are those with unobstructed views over glacial lakes. Jochberg is comfortably located in the proximity of two glacial lakes, Walchensee and Kochelsee. Therefore, the view from the summit towards the lakes is simply outstanding. Moreover, the hike to the summit itself is quite easy and takes only under two hours. This makes it the perfect hike if you are a hiking beginner interested in testing the waters before committing to longer, more arduous climbs. In this case, I would also highly recommend glancing through my beginner’s guide to alpine hiking to be fully prepared for this adventure!
Lastly, Jochberg is easily accessible by public transportation from Munich. Thus, if you like me don’t own a car, this hike will be the perfect getaway!
Getting to Jochberg
This hike is located in Kochel and is best done as a day trip from Munich. Therefore, this section will feature directions from Munich. If you are reading this blog from elsewhere in the world, feel free to add this hike to your Bavarian Itinerary when you visit the south of Germany to experience one of the finest views over Walchensee!
Public Transportation
Once in Munich, getting to the starting point of the hike is quite easy. The regional express, Kochelseebahn, runs every hour from Munich to Kochel. The entire train ride takes a little over an hour. The tracks to Kochel and Garmisch – Partenkirchen run parallel to each other. Therefore, if you are a Garmisch regular, the first few stops for both these journeys will be identical.
After reaching Kochel, head to the bus stop just outside the train station and continue further with Bus Number 9608 to Garmisch Partenkirchen. The bus schedule is linked here. The connection time between the train and bus 9608 is around 10 minutes. While this could be tight in case of delays, it is helpful to know that the bus almost always waits for the train to arrive! Fifteen minutes into the bus ride, you will reach ‘Kesselberg Paßhöhe, Kochel a. See’. This is where you need to get off to start the hike to Jochberg.
More information regarding the train schedules can be found here (The departure and arrival stations must be mentioned as ‘München Hbf’ and ‘Kesselberg Paßhöhe, Kochel a. See’ respectively).
By Car/Motorbike
If you would rather drive to the starting point of the hike, put these GPS co-ordinates in your navigation device and you are good to go! The co-ordinates correspond to a parking lot in Kesselbergstraße, a few metres ahead of Walchensee . The drive time from Munich to this location is just a little over an hour.
Hike to Jochberg
Trailhead : Link
The hiking trail to Jochberg is as follows,
- Kesselberg (850m) – Jochberg (1565m) – Jocheralm (1380m) – Kesselberg (850m)
As mentioned earlier, this is the perfect hike if you are a beginner looking to kickstart your hiking journey. The difficulty of the hiking trail is ‘blue’ which in Bavaria translates to a simple mountain path with no steep drops or exposed trails. When I hiked up Jochberg, I ascended directly to the summit and descended via Jocheralm to Walchensee. The detour to Walchensee made the descent a tad bit longer. Nevertheless, I highly recommend cooling off with a dip in Walchensee after the hike! Alternatively, if you are short on time, you can also opt to ascend and descend the same way!
Although this is a very easy hike, it is quite steep in some sections which could potentially be difficult to navigate for an absolute beginner. Moreover, on a rainy fall day, the trail could also get a bit slippery. Therefore, hiking shoes are an absolute necessity!
Ascent
The trail starts off rather steep winding through tall pine trees. After about an hour of climbing, the path splits into two. At this junction, the path towards the right leads to Jocheralm and the one to the left leads to Jochberg. This is a great spot to break up your hike before continuing to the summit.
The hike continues along the northern face of Jochberg. As you gain altitude, Riegsee, Staffelsee and Starnberger See also adorn the views in addition to the beautiful Kochelsee. I took a few detours to chase these beautiful midhike views! Even so, nothing could have prepared me for the wonderful expanse of pure nature waiting at the summit. Since Walchensee was hidden by the mountains for a large chunk of the climb, its appearance a few metres before the summit was simply spectacular!
In addition, the summit also had clear views of the mighty Karwendel ranges, Zugspitze and the Wetterstein Range and the nearby Herzogstand and Heimgarten.
The total ascent takes about two hours with an altitude difference of 700 metres. However, if you like me decide to stop on the way to take pictures or just soak in the beauty of nature from time to time, add in an extra thirty minutes! Depending on your fitness level, the entire hike (i.e., the ascent and the descent) takes anywhere between four to five hours.
Best Time to hike Jochberg
Jochberg is a local favorite. Although summer and late spring are my preferred seasons to hike Jochberg, this trail is paved all year around. In summer, the hike can also be clubbed with a dip in the lake. During autumn, this trail is a visual treat with colourful foliage amidst the crisp autumn air. Nevertheless, the fallen leaves can make the trail a bit slippery. So, hiking shoes are non negotiable during the autumn months.
Lastly, the trail is also accessible for a quick outdoor winter expedition. However, if you opt to summit in winter, I would highly recommend choosing a sunny day and carrying hiking poles and crampons in addition to sturdy hiking boots. The trail will most likely be engulfed in a thick layer of snow and potentially black ice at lower altitudes. The possibility of slipping and sliding should not be overlooked!
Things to know about Jochberg
- It is possible to fly a drone over the summit of Jochberg and in the immediate areas around it. However, the trail to Jochberg falls under a prohibited zone (Park: Kesselberggebiet). Therefore, flying a drone here is strictly prohibited! The image below clearly shows the prohibited area, the trailhead and the location of Jochberg.
- There is a mountain hut approximately half an hour from the summit called Jocheralm, where authentic local Bavarian cuisine is served. Jocheralm only operates during the hiking season (end of May to mid October, closed every Monday). Thus, if you are hiking in summer, it is not required to carry a lot of food for this hike.
- For this hike, I recommend wearing sturdy hiking shoes especially if you are hiking in the off season. Hiking poles can also be quite useful because the trail is steep in some parts. A general overview of all the other necessary equipment required to hike in the Alps is listed in this blog post. Although not all of them are required for this hike, it is very helpful to be aware as to why hikers opt to carry certain equipment!
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 26 EUR for one person and 8 EUR for every additional person (upto 5 people). i.e.,
- If you are traveling alone, you would pay 26 EUR
- If you are traveling with a friend, you would pay 26 + 8 = 34 EUR (for 2 people, 17 EUR per person)
Food
It is a hiking tradition in Germany to dine at mountain huts after summiting. Therefore, for a complete alpine hiking expereince, I would suggest indulging in a hearty meal at Jocheralm! Like other mountain huts, a meal with a drink of choice would cost you between 15 to 20 EUR.
In addition, it is always a good idea to carry some snacks to munch on during the hike. I typically get trail mixes, snickers and banana. 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! The snack costs for two people from a decent supermarket would be around 10 EUR.
My Jochberg Experience
Jochberg is a bit of a special hike for me because it was my partner’s first ever hike in the Alps! Prior to this trip, I was tasked with picking a hike that was beginner friendly yet mildly challenging and had stunning summit views. Moreover, I also had a secret evil agenda to make him fall in love with hiking so he can possibly accompany me on many many hikes in the future. Jochberg conveniently ticked all the boxes. Thus, on a cloudy October morning, we set off to Kochel with the intent of summiting Jochberg.
We hiked on a cold autumn day. The trail was muddy and slippery. It didn’t help that the night before was a pour fest. I would have preferred sunshine and warmth but it seemed like the weather gods just didn’t get the memo. Nevertheless, the autumn foliage and the near empty trail made up for some of the lost enthusiasm.
An hour into the hike, Kochelsee came into view. Twenty minutes later, Walchensee also graced the frame.
Shortly after, we reached the summit. The view towards the lakes and the snow covered peaks was simply spectacular! It was quite hard to believe that once upon a time, Jochberg was a glacial island. This part of Germany was completely covered in ice. In fact, during the last ice age (Würm Glaciation which ended 11,700 years ago), the glaciers were as high as 1200m. Only the tip of Jochberg was visible then!
If I could travel back in time and see all the changes that shaped the crazy world that we live in, I would sign up instantly!
Ready, Set, Go!
Jochberg is a mountain with a story. Apparently, on a clear day, the Olympia Tower in Munich can be seen from its summit. Therefore, if you are in need of a quick outdoor getaway, I cannot recommend Jochberg enough!
Before you embark on your hiking adventure, I highly recommend skimming through my mountain hiking guide for an unparalleled overview on alpine hiking. Moreover, all the equipment required to conquer an alpine hike is listed in this blog post.
If you are looking for another hiking experience in Germany, I cannot recommend the following hikes enough:
- Schrecksee – The highest mountain lake in the German Alps
- Archenkanzel – Hidden viewpoint over lake Königssee
- Rubihorn – A complete Allgäu Experience with postcard views
- Rotwand – An easy beginner appropriate summit hike
- Kramerspitz – The perfect day hike from Munich
Have any questions about hiking Jochberg? Leave them in the comments below!
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