Culture Shock: Hiking in Germany vs USA

In this video, go hiking with me and my dog as I describe the differences between hiking in Germany versus USA. Bonus: a bunny encounter in the woods during our hike. Enjoy the Video!

#hikingingermany #hikinggermany #germany

[valerievankerckhove]

I currently live in Belgium and I've gone hiking with a group near the Belgium-Germany border. The only thing marking the border is a big ol' rock. A farmer in Belgium caused a fuss earlier this year because he moved the 'rock that was in the way' and didn't realize he moved the Belgium-France border as a result.

[moonman]

I like how you can see just a bit of landscape and as a German you just KNOW it’s in Germany

[rabokel]

Once my wife and i hiked from Cologne to Rostock and I was quite surprised to find that you could walk that far without having to cross big streets or walk through towns. One of the best holidays of my life. We did have maps, a compass and were following the signs of trails which you can find everywhere.

[trueamnisias]

A lot of the 'trails' go back to the pre-industrial dirt-road network for people on foot, horseback, carts and carriages which developed over many centuries, conecting hamlet, villages, farms and castles. With the invention of the car some of them were tarmacked, but many where left for acriculture and leisure, and some were eventually 'upgraded' into dedicated 'Weitwandwege' e.g. long-distance hiking trails crossing borders and countries. The U.S. is much less densly populated and had much less 'pre-industrial' time to establish this kind of road system. The focus has been on trains, cars and planes.

[stephanteuscher]

You can even walk from Germany to north-west Spain ("Jakobsweg"). However, my favorite is the Black Forest, especially the trails named "Westweg", "Mittelweg" and "Ostweg" which cross the Black Forest from north to south. It's about 150 km. During the warm season you will always find rooms in nice hotels in the villages you pass. You can even plan ahead so you don't have to carry your backpack but the hotel's staff will bring it to your next hotel.

[LaureninGermany]

I really appreciate how easy it is to walk safely through beautiful countryside here, with well maintained trails and paths. And always so much beauty and surprises, too! My dogs also appreciate the freedom to sniff where they want and enjoy the freedom. I can’t walk at the moment due to a stress fracture, so I enjoyed your walk vicariously!

[zahnorgel]

What I really miss since moving to the USA in terms of hiking are the beer-gardens at the top of mountains. :-) It's like the reward for doing all the hiking, and you can count on one being there in Germany.

[charlesbeaudelair]

You got some great shots of the landscape! Reminds me of how beautiful Germany is.

[wordsmithgmxch]

In the States, the culture is "NO TRESPASSING -- Survivors will be prosecuted!" Here in Switzerland, there are trails EVERYWHERE, country and city. In the canton of Zurich, for example, the most urban canton, and far from the largest, there are over 20, 000 km of paths with signs indicating destinations, walking time, and transport / accommodation / refreshment options.

[IntyMichael]

When I visited The US, rural Oregon to be more specific, I stayed in a small village which was alongside a small creek. I wanted to go to its riverbank, but that was impossible because everyone had their properties right to the water. In Germany you normally have a path alongside a creek or river so everyone can enjoy it.

[MrFusselig]

Yes, it's possible to hike everywhere. For example, you have the "Nordsüdtrail", which you could use to hike from the most nothern point of Germany to the most southern point in one go.
A lot of those trails are also quite old, you have medieval "Hohlwege", or even paths from roman time, used not only for centuries, but for millenia.

[MokaandChai]

Now I’m watching your most popular video. You’re right the latest videos are much better in video quality but I seriously love this too. It’s interesting and I think it’s nice cos it’s like taking us on a walk time with you and a story to go with it. Lovely. I think it’s so relaxing too. It’s a great video for anyone. It’s like a stress reliever 😊

[aphextwin]

In general, unless zoning law explicitly says otherwise, private property has to be open to the public. Fences are of course allowed in residential or industrial areas, also in certain recreational areas like ‘allotments’ (Schrebergärten), golf courses, etc.. They are also allowed for raising livestock but there are limits in which areas you can put up fences for that purpose and/or what kind of fences.

But while being open to the public, the latter must not damage any property including crops which sort of confines people to existing paths and access roads around fields (or meadows with tall grass). To protect nature and wildlife, in some areas (and/or seasons) visitors might be restricted to existing paths.

As to why there are so many paths and ‘roads’ that enable the easy crossing of private (agricultural) property, that has a number of reasons. Fairly fragmented land ownership requiring many access roads to get to each individual plot as well as sometimes ancient travel routes with a right-of-way. In mountainous areas, ancient and newer (access) routes got augmented by hiking enthusiasts as well as tourist offices.

[roesi]

Fun fact: In Germany, there exists the tradition of "being on a journey", which means that young members of a trade hike through Germany and the adjacent countries for at least two years and a day after finishing their apprenticeship - and the only way of transport that's allowed is on foot or by hitchhiking. They are not allowed to own a car or use public transport.

[janrie]

You calling German paths a trail network is really weird to me. To me (a native German) they are just paths that have always been there, they aren't organized in any way, and they are everywhere. When I go hiking I just walk, and I often spontaneously pick my paths, and sometimes I go off the path to take a shortcut. That's how I grew up. I'd really like to go hiking in the US some day, I get the impression that there's much more true "wilderness" there. But this video kinda made me realize that you have to be a lot more "organized" about it in the US.

[Jay-in-the-USA]

Wow this landscape is sooo beautiful....definitely gives you a new perspective. Loved the video 🤩

[gonzogorgonzola]

The only thing which bothers me is that there is so little wilderness (virtually none) remaining in Germany. Well, we have wolves, plenty of them, but they also prosper in rural areas. Didn't realize that hiking trails in the U.S. are limited to certain areas. Thank you very much for your contribution!
Cheers from Berlin!

[friedemi]

How very nice of you, to mention this. I, as a German, know many people who don't even realize how great this is!

[suze]

Yeah “walking” in Germany is definitely different, however the kind of paths you were walking on were simply “Landwirtschaftliche Wege” (for agricultural purposes) or “Waldwege” (forest paths)-not the classic hiking trail we think of when we are talking “hiking” in the US. There are actual “proper” hiking trails in the backpacking sense of hiking or day hikes as well, but the ones you walked on are not exactly the ones. Sure, you could most likely walk from your house through whole Europe that way:) but it’s not what an American would consider “let’s go hiking and enjoy some amazing wilderness”, because that’s exactly the difference. There is basically no wilderness left in Germany, not the kind you would find in the US and that motivates people to actually pack their backpacks and set out for a hike. I’m not saying there isn’t at all. There are 16 National Parks in Germany but they only make up for 0.6% of Germany’s terrestrial area…excluding marine and land nature preserves, which are not exactly considered hiking destinations and camping is a complete no no. Now you take Germany’s areal size and compare it to the US and 0.6% worth of National Parks is basically nothing…So, there are limited options is what I’m trying to say, I suppose. In other words, if Germans set out from their home f.ex. they would walk from one village to the next, one town to the next, passing agricultural areas, forests aso but one would never really feel like being off the beaten path, since there would be a house or a road pretty close by. Not what I consider a hiking experience, but it definitely gives a ton of nice nature walk opportunities. And you actually have to have your dog on a leash…most ppl just don’t do it in the woods but you actually are supposed to:)

[thomasherreiner]

What I like about Germany is that wherever you are, you can always find something nice. A nice village, a nice forest, a nice lake. Not necessarily super outstanding, but practically everywhere. So nearly everybody always has easy and fast access to a nice piece of nature.