Keen walkers, lace up your boots for Hiking Day, an annual event that pays homage to one of Germany’s most popular pastimes. 

Pay homage to hiking, Germany’s most popular pastime

Hiking is one of the nation’s favourite outdoor activities, with an estimated 34 million people making use of the country’s 190.000 kilometres of trails each year. Every May, the German Mountaineering and Hiking Association sponsors Hiking Day (Tag des Wanderns), which sees outdoors enthusiasts and hiking aficionados alike come together for the biggest walking event of the year. This year, due to coronavirus restrictions, the event has been postponed until September. 

In 2019, more than 13.000 people celebrated Hiking Day at approximately 400 events across the country, as members of the German Hiking Association, companies, schools, nature conservationists, national parks and other organisations came together to explore what hiking means to them, the enjoyment it brings - and, most importantly, to put on their boots and get walking!

More than 200 walking events across Germany

This year on September 18, more than 200 events are due to take place across the country, with options to suit all interests and abilities. And by that we don’t just mean the difficulty of the walk - there’s also all sorts of “niche interest” walks on the agenda, from photo hikes and dog hikes to marathon hikes and health hikes. So pack your picnic, round up your family, and dig out your walking gear! 

A number of Hiking Day events this year will also team up with German Forest Days, a campaign which seeks to address the serious consequences of climate change for Germany’s forests. Therefore, the days around Hiking Day, May 14, will see hiking clubs getting involved in the campaign, while a number of walks on the day itself will incorporate the theme of forest conservation.  

Take part in Hiking Day

Ready to explore the great outdoors with some like-minded individuals? If you’d like to take part in Hiking Day, check out the interactive map below to find out what’s going on in your area. Walks will be starting throughout the day, both inside and outside of normal working hours, to make sure everybody can participate. 

Hiking Day is open to all. You do not have to be a member of the German Hiking Association to take part, but due to coronavirus restrictions some walks will have a limited number of participants, so it’s a good idea to register your interest in advance. You can find contact details for each walk’s organiser via the interactive map, or for more details visit the Hiking Day website.