On the E3 through Saxon Switzerland - Stage 6: From Bad Schandau to Schmilka

After leaving Bad Schandau and the Kirnitzschtal valley behind us, we soon reach the larger part of the divided national park via Ostrau. The Elbe Sandstone once again shows what it can do on this stage: We head up through the picturesque Lattengrund into the Schrammsteine, probably the most famous sandstone rock formation in Saxon Switzerland. The rocks here are bizarrely jagged and the path that leads us to the Jägersteig is sandy. This stage is all about the stairs: up via the Jägersteig, even further to the Schrammstein viewpoint, before continuing along the ridge path towards Winterberg, we also pass the Zurückesteig. At the end, the sandstone on the Großer Winterberg is replaced by basalt before we descend to Schmilka.

We walk out of the town center through the spa park and continue on the right side of the Kirnitzsch until we take the bridge at the parking lot of the spa clinic and walk a short distance directly along the Kirnitzschtalstraße. We soon rejoin the E3, which crosses the Kirnitzsch again at the Ostrau bridge.

We climb up to the Bad Schandau district of Ostrau, which is unique for its old villas. We cross the village, keeping to the left of the road on the footpath until we turn right into Klüftelweg at the large parking lot. This leads us into the Zahnsgrund (a little way up the road is the Schrammsteinbaude, where we can stop for refreshments). We cross the road and enter the cool, idyllic Lattengrund opposite. The path leads us uphill via steps and stairs between rocks.

At the top, it meets the Obrigensteig trail, which we follow to the left. After the national park information board, we reach the entrance to the Schrammsteine - the Schrammtor. From now on, we hike through rocks below the Schrammstein range. The Jägersteig trail leads us up to the ridge. If you want to take in the Schrammstein view, turn left at the top. The viewpoint offers a fantastic panoramic view of the rocky landscape of Saxon Switzerland.

Return the same way back to the upper end of the Jägersteig and continue along the Schrammstein ridge path, which is a little rough in places. After a while, we come to the Breite-Kluft viewpoint, which offers another magnificent view. We hike back along the Reitsteig trail, which soon brings us to the path to the wilderness: Two boardwalks have been laid out here, depicting and bringing to life the forest development after the forest fire and after storms.

At the next crossroads, we keep to the right, pass the Wurzelweg and are on the final ascent, as we have soon reached the Großer Winterberg. There is a small snack bar here in the high season. The descent into the Elbe valley leads along the charming mountain trail (if you wish, you can also take a detour to the Kipphorn viewpoint). After the first part of the mountain path, we come to the Winterbergstraße.

As there is greater danger in the lower part of the mountain path due to unstable dead wood, we turn left here and follow the detour via Winterbergstraße until Erlsgrund turns off to the right. This leads us further downhill and finally we reach the Bad Schandau district of Schmilka, where the E3 long-distance hiking trail ends on German territory. There are various places to stop for refreshments in Schmilka, and it is also possible to stay overnight here. There is a ferry connection to the S-Bahn station in Schöna, and you can take the bus directly to the national park train station in Bad Schandau.