Taubenstein and Rotwand are two of Munich's most beloved local mountains in the Bavarian Prealps, rising above the popular hiking and ski area around Spitzingsee. The route starts at the valley station of the Taubensteinbahn cable car and climbs steeply through the Lochgraben gully to the mountain station at 1,613 m. From there, trails lead past the Taubenstein summit at 1,692 m to the Rotwandhaus mountain hut and on to the Rotwand summit at 1,884 m, the highest German peak in the Mangfallgebirge. On clear days, the summit offers sweeping views of the Zugspitze, the Karwendel range, and the Chiemgauer Alps. The descent follows the southern flank back down to Spitzingsee, a beautiful alpine lake at 1,084 m with restaurants and hotels at the finish.
The Rotwand's distinctive red-brown Jurassic limestone gives the mountain its name and makes it geologically unique in the Bavarian Alps. Around the summit, archaeologists found the oldest human artifacts in the German Alpine region, stone tools dating back to the Mesolithic period around 10,000 years ago.
Link: alltrails.com/de/route/germany/bavaria/spitzingsee-taubenstein-rotwandhaus
