Walderlebnispfad Gerlingen — Attraction in Gerlingen

A very nice trail but here are a few remarks to consider if you are visiting with small children:

We visited today (17/02/2024) and it was very muddy everywhere. Bring appropriate shoes. The kids loved it but they were covered in mud completely.

Not only there is mud there were huge (15 cm or more) deep puddles (especially) at the playground and it was impossible to keep the kids (4.5 and 2.5 year old boys) out of it. At this stage the parking lot is very far so returning with soaking wet boots and shoes might not be much fun.

Playground: swing, see-saw, a bridge (over troubled muddy water) and a flying fox. More for ages 5 and up. The BBQ area is very spacious.

There is a gradual incline up until the playground but from then onwards it’s becoming a real uphill so think twice before bringing the Laufrad / Roller / bike. Carrying two of these and supporting the kids is no small feat.

By the time we reached the Murmelbahn the kids were completely exhausted. From then on thankfully it’s only downhill. But at this stage we were on the road for over 2 hours and decided to return to the parking lot - essentially skipping the highlight.

Bring 50c coins as much as you can. The old school machine selling them is barely functioning and often swallows the coins without giving a ball so be prepared. I ended up wasting 3 coins (which is perfectly okay as a donation for the trail provider) but if you can’t present your kid with a ball to use that might be problematic.

All in all my advice for families with kids between 2-4 years: bring a buggy, or a Bollerwagen and forget the bike & co. unless you have the means to carry it if needed. Also ideally at least 1 grown-up pro small child. Thankfully I had friends (with own small kids) who could assist me. Alone with 2 kids of this age would have been impossible.

Pro tip: start the trail the other way around (there is another parking 20 m up the road where the trail ends). Go up from here and you get straight to the Murmelbahn. It is advised to bring your own as the vending machine is at the top of the hill.

Thank you for reading. Hope...

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