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Harz Mountains

Ilsenburg

Heinrich Heine Trail (Ilse Valley) – Brocken Summit loop from Ilsenburg (Harz)

Routes

Hiking trails & Routes

Harz Mountains

Ilsenburg

Heinrich Heine Trail (Ilse Valley) – Brocken Summit loop from Ilsenburg (Harz)

Hard

4.7

(911)

2,966

hikers

Heinrich Heine Trail (Ilse Valley) – Brocken Summit loop from Ilsenburg (Harz)

07:31

23.9km

860m

Hiking

Hard hike. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: August 6, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

Nationalpark Harz

Waypoints

Start point

Bus stop

Get Directions

1.05 km

Heinrich Heine Trail (Heinrich-Heine-Weg) along the River Ilse

Highlight • Trail

A beautiful valley with admirable nature - we could see dippers, brown trout and, when it rains, numerous fire salamanders. Several seating areas along the river invite you to take a break.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

1.99 km

Heinrich Heine Trail (Ilse Valley)

Highlight • Trail

Nature lovers should definitely prefer the hiking trail along the Ilse to the gravel road. The stony path is easy to walk when the brook splashes, surrounded by trees and rocks.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

3.10 km

Ilse Waterfalls on the Bremer Trail and Heinrich-Heine Trail

Highlight (Segment) • Waterfall

Probably the most beautiful way to the Brocken. The Ilsetal is always worth a trip, even if it doesn't go all the way to the top.

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4.34 km

Upper Ilse Falls

Highlight • Waterfall

The Ilse Falls plunge leisurely over a distance of one kilometer about 120 meters into the beautiful Ilsetal. The roaring Ilse can be heard from afar. The picturesque river has already inspired Heinrich Heine, who actually writes everything about it in his Harzreise:

"It is indescribable how cheerfully, naively and gracefully the Ilse tumbles down over the adventurously formed pieces of rock, so that the water hisses wildly up here and then scuttles over the small stones again like a lively girl. Yes, Ilse is a princess who runs down the mountain laughing and blooming.”

Translated by Google •

Tip by

8.26 km

View of the Eckertalsperre

Highlight • Viewpoint

The Brocken departure is quite steep on this side and consists almost exclusively of the holey concrete slabs. That can sometimes be quite rough. In between, there are always recessed gutters made of concrete. The first one surprised me absolutely at tempo 50 - then I was completely concentrated again.

Very bumpy, but still very fast. You have to be careful. I drive a hardtail with the 26 inch tires. So you do not "bang" over everything just like that. But a great experience that I would repeat at any time.

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9.17 km

Viewpoint

10.5 km

Brocken Summit

Highlight • Summit

The highest peak in the Harz above the tree line. Certainly not the most exciting climb on a mountain bike, but still a must, simply because it's there. ;-)

Translated by Google •

Tip by

19.7 km

Ilse Falls

Highlight • Waterfall

If there is enough snow, the upper and lower Ilse falls are also great for a snowshoe tour

Translated by Google •

Tip by

21.3 km

Lower Ilse Falls

Highlight • Waterfall

The Ilsetal is always worth a trip, regardless of the season.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

23.9 km

End point

Bus stop

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

12.4 km

4.24 km

3.69 km

1.80 km

1.77 km

Surfaces

10.1 km

5.49 km

4.41 km

3.88 km

< 100 m

Elevation

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

Weather

Thursday 6 August

19°C

8°C

5 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 12.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

October 28, 2023,Was für ein Brocken

What an idea to scramble up the Brocken at the end of October... But it was nice, even if nature is no longer there.

Showing Translation

October 7, 2023,Ilsenburg -Brocken 🌲🍃🌬️🌲

Started today with perfect weather and nice company. At the top of the Brocken the fox whistled loudly.😅 Nothing to see, as usual when I'm up there. 🤷🏻‍♀️ The hat was constantly trying to fly. It was an entertaining tour.
(The pictures are very mixed up because I copied them together.)

Showing Translation

February 15, 2023,Zum Brocken

Today we went to the boss! 🏔 At -1°C ❄ there was another shovel of winter! Snow and ice made the ascent from the Bremer Hütte even more strenuous than usual!
But there was plenty of sun and with every meter of altitude the temperature climbed to +9°C! I was up before the first train, so I almost had the …

Showing Translation

April 2, 2025,Heinrich Heine Weg – durchs Ilsetal zum Brocken von Ilsenburg (Harz)(HWN 6,8,9,22)

The Ilse Valley is fantastic; you can stop and take photos every few meters. The climb up the Hirtensteig trail is a bit steep but manageable. On the Broken, it's crowded, barren, windy, and cold—in short, not a place you'd want to stay long. Anyone hiking with a dog will want to avoid the tourist restaurant.

Showing Translation

April 27, 2023,Auf dem Heinrich Heine - Weg zum Brocken, über den Gelben Brink zurück ⛰️

The Heinrich Heine trail from Ilsenburg to the Brocken had been on my list for sooo long. I had even recommended him to @Adina without ever going there myself. Today was the day of days! 2 hours drive, at 7.35 a.m. the first to be in the parking lot, to stroll undisturbed through the Ilsetal and along the Lower Ilse …

Showing Translation

June 3, 2023,Die (kleine) Harzreise

"I climbed the mountain happily. Soon a forest of sky-high firs greeted me...". That's how he started, Heinrich.

The four of us decided to climb the summit on foot. Today (atypical for me) on 2 soles. It's not just "tough" for the trees here (Heinrich-Heine), we also had our work to do. But I have to say it went. Even …

Showing Translation

August 3, 2024,Wanderung: "Plessenburg" oder "Brocken"?

The plan was Ilsenburg - Plessenburg - Ilsenburg.
We did: Ilsenburg - Ilse Falls - Bremer Hut - Stempelsbuche - Hirtensteg - Brocken - Urwaldstieg - Gelber Brink - Verdeckte Ilse - Ilse Falls - Ilsenburg.
It was a really cool hike.

Showing Translation

July 11, 2024,🌿 Durch's wunderschöne Ilsetal zum Brocken 🪨

Today we apparently wanted to try it again 🤭. It wasn't going to be that many kilometers on the last day. Well, 1. things turn out differently and 2. not as you think. 😀 Even with the weather 💦🌧️ and the 3 km convoy route uphill 🥵.
The rain gear was quickly put on, but the convoy route towards Brocken …

Showing Translation

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Heinrich Heine Trail (Ilse Valley) – Brocken Summit loop from Ilsenburg (Harz)

Heinrich Heine Trail (Heinrich-Heine-Weg) along the River Ilse

Heinrich Heine Trail (Ilse Valley)

Ilse Waterfalls on the Bremer Trail and Heinrich-Heine Trail

Upper Ilse Falls

View of the Eckertalsperre

Brocken Summit

Ilse Falls

Lower Ilse Falls

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