Schwarzes Moor Nature Trail – Grabenberg Border Tower loop from Birx

Hiking trails & Routes

Landkreis Schmalkalden-Meiningen

Birx

Schwarzes Moor Nature Trail – Grabenberg Border Tower loop from Birx

Moderate

4.7

(102)

314

hikers

Schwarzes Moor Nature Trail – Grabenberg Border Tower loop from Birx

03:08

11.9km

100m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: August 19, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through protected areas

Please check local regulations for:

Kernzonen im bayerischen Teil des Biosphärenreservats Rhön

Naturpark Bayerische Rhön

Rhönwald-Grabenberg

Biosphärenreservat Rhön

Waypoints

Start point

Bus stop

Get Directions

3.36 km

View of Wasserkuppe

Highlight • Viewpoint

Beautiful view to the Wasserkuppe.

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4.58 km

On the nature trail through the moor – a two-kilometer-long boardwalk – you can discover rare animal and plant species. The Black Moor is the best-preserved and still-growing raised bog in Germany's low mountain ranges.

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5.34 km

Dwarf Pines in the Black Moor

Highlight • Natural

How long such a tender little plant needs to establish itself here

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5.37 km

Boardwalk Through the Black Moor

Highlight • Trail

We can only hope that we can marvel at this moor for a long time to come

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5.48 km

Moorauge Pond

Highlight • Lake

The "Moor Eye" is a stop on the nature trail. It focuses on the formation of the small lakes in the moor. Along the walkway, 23 information panels provide fascinating …

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5.49 km

Great Moor Eye (Black Moor)

Highlight • Natural

The "Moorauge" is a station on the nature trail. This is about the formation of the smaller lakes in the bog. Along the footbridge, 23 information boards provide interesting information …

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6.17 km

Aussichtsturm Schwarzes Moor

Viewpoint

6.82 km

Steinerner Torbogen

Ruins

8.90 km

Wooden boardwalk at Schwarzes Moor

Highlight • Trail

Here another boardwalk through wet area.

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9.95 km

Grabenberg Border Tower

Highlight • Monument

The former inner-German border ran through the Lange Rhön nature reserve. There is another watchtower here. The piece of border fence was subsequently rebuilt. Further explanations can be found on information boards on site.

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11.9 km

End point

Bus stop

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

5.91 km

5.21 km

630 m

184 m

Surfaces

3.66 km

2.61 km

2.48 km

1.91 km

1.23 km

< 100 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (790 m)

Lowest point (730 m)

Weather

Wednesday 7 October

14°C

6°C

-- %

Additional weather tips

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Comments

October 2, 2021,Unterwegs im Rhöner Dreiländereck 🏞🚧

On the occasion of the upcoming anniversary of the reunification, we went to the Rhön triangle with good friends. We were accommodated in the well-run Pension Dreiländereck (pension-dreilaendereck.de/startseite/)
On the first day, pensioner and historian Jens Graf invited to a very interesting circular hike in the former restricted border area. The many anecdotes and excerpts from life in Birx and …

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April 21, 2022,Wanderung schwarzes Moor - ehe. Grenzturm

Started today at the parking lot between Birx and Frankenheim. We went on foot, with a small detour, to the black moor. On the way back past the former border tower.

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July 4, 2025,Tour mit Anja G. in der Rhön

Today I went for a short hike through the Rhön with my chance acquaintance Anja. She hired me as her hiking guide on the spur of the moment... It's always nice to help from afar... 😉

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June 11, 2022,Schwarzes Moor und mehr……😎

Did a very nice small but fine hike in my beloved Rhön today. First the new boardwalk in the black moor finally walked, and then in the other direction to the former border. I discovered a lot and got to know nice people. Hikers are a special breed of people...

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July 18, 2026,🥾Zum ersten mal Rhön mit Emma🐶: Schwarzes Moor / Grenzturm Runde🎒

What a great day in the Rhön with our best friends and of course Emma🐶. Honestly, I hoped it would be a bit cooler. In the end, Emma was quite exhausted and we shortened the tour by almost a kilometer. Afterwards, we went out to eat at Hähnchen 🍗 Paula. More or less for the first time with Emma. She …

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May 20, 2023,Runde "Schwarzes Moor" - ehem. innerdeutsche Grenze (Biosphärenreservat Rhön)

Today it was time to see Moor again. It went to the Black Moor in the Hochrhön near Fladungen.
So we first made our rounds along the moor nature trail past downy birch trees, cotton grass and moor blueberries in the low moor and on to mosses, sundew and moor lakes in the high moor.
Then we hiked on the …

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July 26, 2025,ᵇⁱʳˣ 𝕳𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖑𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖌𝖆𝖒𝖊𝖘

The Highland Games in Birx: men in skirts and women throwing logs. Very progressive for the remotest corner of Thuringia. The gummy bears were also bouncing here and there and everywhere. Last year, they came 7th out of 17. They had fun at the games, and we had fun watching and cheering along as they stacked beer crates horizontally.

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