Triberg Waterfalls

Triberg / Black Forest / Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis District, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany

About Triberg Waterfalls


Hiking Distance: 1.6km round trip
Suggested Time: 1.5-2 hours

Date first visited: 2018-06-21
Date last visited: 2018-06-21

Waterfall Latitude: 48.12668
Waterfall Longitude: 8.22817

Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

The Triberg Waterfalls were said to be Germany’s highest waterfalls where the Gutach tumbles 163m in cumulative height over a series of several waterfalls.

That said, we tend to doubt this claim of it being the tallest in Germany knowing full well that there were many other taller waterfalls in the Bavarian Alps further to the south.

Triberg_112_06212018 - The Triberg Waterfalls
The Triberg Waterfalls

Further refuting the tallest waterfall claim, we easily could have been considered each waterfall as its own entity.

This was especially the case since we weren’t able to get a view of all of them together.

The first one (pictured above) was the biggest and most impressive of this ensemble.

Nevertheless, there’s no denying that this is a well-known landmark that draws tourists looking for that quintessential Black Forest (Schwarzwald) experience.

Triberg_007_06202018 - Walking up through the main drag of Triberg towards the Triberg Waterfalls
Walking up through the main drag of Triberg towards the Triberg Waterfalls

In terms of nomenclature, we’ve also seen this waterfall referred to as the Triberger Waterfall and Triberg Waterfall.

Moreover, there were the German equivalents of Triberg Wasserfall and Triberger Wasserfälle.

Generally, there are permutations regarding the possessive forms of the nouns as well as their plurality (as there was clearly more than one waterfall here).

Experiencing the Triberger Waterfalls

From the Triberger Waterfalls car park (see directions below), we walked uphill along the main street (Hauptstrasse).

Triberg_039_06212018 - The paved uphill trail leading up and alongside the Triberg Waterfalls
The paved uphill trail leading up and alongside the Triberg Waterfalls

We went towards the obvious wide walkway continuing uphill to the entrance of the Triberg Waterfalls (roughly 200m from the car park).

After paying to get in, the path continued in a paved manner as it ascended gradually towards the first waterfall along a well-shaded and forested path.

Once we got up to the first waterfall, there was a side trail that crossed the Gutach in front of the first of the Triberg Waterfalls.

This allowed us to get different angled views of the falls while also getting close enough to feel some light spray.

Triberg_137_06212018 - This was the second of the Triberg Waterfalls that we encountered
This was the second of the Triberg Waterfalls that we encountered

Back on the main trail, we then continued further uphill on the mostly paved path as it reached a footbridge allowing us to get in front of a second Triberg Waterfall.

From up here, the view also afforded us a look down at the first waterfall.

We didn’t cross the bridge and keep going so we’re not sure of where else it went.

In any case, we returned to the main trail and continued our ascent which became a little narrower and steeper (but still paved) the further up we went.

Triberg_156_06212018 - I believe this was the third drop of the Triberg Waterfalls that we encountered
I believe this was the third drop of the Triberg Waterfalls that we encountered

The trail continued up towards more footbridges crossing the Gutach while affording us frontal views of the upper parts of the Triberg Waterfalls.

And eventually, we’d turn around at about the fourth waterfall we encountered.

The trail continued to keep going up, but it seemed to veer away from the Gutach Creek so we turned around and returned back the way we came.

Overall, we spent around 90 minutes on the excursion.

Triberg_170_06212018 - This was the fourth of the Triberg Waterfalls that we encountered
This was the fourth of the Triberg Waterfalls that we encountered

I’m guessing we walked about 1.6km round trip though it took a lot longer to go up than to go back down.

That said, Julie and Tahia were swinging in the playground near the entrance so we probably spent more time here than what was necessary to experience just the waterfalls.

Furthermore, we also spent some time checking out the House of 1000 Clocks where there were some huge cuckoo clocks on display (an apparent Black Forest institution).

Authorities

The Triberg Waterfalls reside in the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) in the town of Triberg in the state of Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany. It may be administered by the Triberg government. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, you may try visiting their website.

Triberg_008_06202018 - Walking past some of the re-created Moai-like statues from the car park through Triberg to the Triberg Waterfalls entrance
Triberg_010_06202018 - Looking upstream along the Gutach from a bridge connecting the car park with the rest of the town of Triberg en route to the Triberger Waterfalls entrance
Triberg_016_06202018 - Julie and Tahia walking along the main drag through Triberg before getting to the Triberg Waterfalls entrance
Triberg_017_06202018 - Looking across the street at a very elaborate cuckoo clock shop in Triberg, which we made a mental note to check out after visiting the Triberg Waterfalls
Triberg_019_06202018 - Looking downstream along the Gutach as it passes through the main part of Triberg
Triberg_023_06202018 - Looking back along the main drag of Triberg as we were approaching the wide path to the entrance of the Triberg Waterfalls complex
Triberg_027_06202018 - Approaching the Triberg Waterfalls entrance
Triberg_028_06202018 - Looking back at the wide walkway that connected the Triberg town to the Triberg Waterfalls entrance
Triberg_209_06212018 - Looking back at the entrance for the Triberg Waterfalls
Triberg_033_06202018 - As soon as we paid the entrance fee and went into the Triberg Waterfalls area, we found ourselves in a very green area as if we were now in a whole different world quite different from the developments of Triberg
Triberg_035_06212018 - Julie and Tahia going up one of the first switchbacks on the way up to the Triberg Waterfalls
Triberg_037_06212018 - Obstructed view towards the lowermost of the Triberg Waterfalls en route to the lookouts
Triberg_043_06212018 - It is a pretty uphill hike to get from the entrance up to the first of the Triberg Waterfalls even if we took the steeper paved path
Triberg_047_06212018 - First look at the first of the Triberg Waterfalls, which also happened to be the biggest and most impressive of the lot
Triberg_054_06212018 - Angled look back at the first of the Triberg Waterfalls with some people posing at the lookout for a sense of scale
Triberg_062_06212018 - Direct view of the lowermost of the Triberg Waterfalls as seen from its nearest lookout
Triberg_067_06212018 - Broad close-up look at the lowermost or first of the Triberg Waterfalls as seen from its nearest lookout
Triberg_202_06212018 - This first section of the Triberg Waterfalls also had some upper tiers to it, which made it bigger than it looked like at first glance
Triberg_121_06212018 - That light post suggested that they light up the Triberg Waterfalls at night possibly using its own hydro power
Triberg_125_06212018 - Context of the first or lowermost of the Triberg Waterfalls with people sitting on the rest bench at the lookout in front of the falls
Triberg_127_06212018 - The trail continued climbing but remained paved as it ascended beyond the first of the Triberg Waterfalls
Triberg_128_06212018 - Continuing the ascent alongside the first of the Triberg Waterfalls as we pursued waterfalls further upstream
Triberg_132_06212018 - Looking down over the brink of the first of the Triberg Waterfalls as we continued our ascent to more of its waterfalls
Triberg_141_06212018 - A sheltered lookout near the second of the Triberg Waterfalls
Triberg_143_06212018 - Encountering another trail junction somewhere around the second of the Triberger Waterfalls
Triberg_145_06212018 - Looking back past a sheltered lookout towards the second of the Triberg Waterfalls that we encountered during our June 2018 visit
Triberg_147_06212018 - Looking across the bridge above the second of the Triberg Waterfalls as well as below the third of the Triberg Waterfalls
Triberg_151_06212018 - This was the third section of the Triberg Waterfalls that we encountered on our visit
Triberg_160_06212018 - Looking down over the brink of the second waterfall towards the town of Triberg in the background
Triberg_164_06212018 - Continuing uphill on the paved trail towards more upper tiers of the Triberg Waterfalls
Triberg_167_06212018 - The higher up the trail we went, the more signs and rock walls we were encountering.  Those rock walls hinted at the geology that gave rise to the Triberg Waterfalls
Triberg_174_06212018 - Frontal view of the fourth drop of the Triberg Waterfalls that we encountered
Triberg_177_06212018 - That fourth tier of the Triberg Waterfalls was our turnaround point.  So we headed back downhill towards the entrance to end the excursion
Triberg_179_06212018 - Julie and Tahia descending numerous switchbacks like these on the return hike to the Triberg Waterfalls entrance
Triberg_183_06212018 - Back at a footbridge between the second and third Triberg Waterfalls as viewed in context
Triberg_194_06212018 - When we came back to the first of the Triberg Waterfalls, there was now a lot more people checking it out than when we first got here
Triberg_205_06212018 - Tahia forging ahead on the downhill hike after having experienced the Triberger Waterfalls
Triberg_216_06212018 - After finishing our time at the Triberg Waterfalls, Julie and Tahia were playing on the swing set near the entrance.  This was the view back towards Triberg from there
Triberg_218_06212018 - Julie and Tahia leaving the Triberg Waterfalls complex and approaching the town of Triberg
Triberg_220_06212018 - Walking back through the main drag of Triberg after having had our fill of the Triberg Waterfalls
Triberg_222_06212018 - About to enter the House of 1000 Clocks in Triberg, which really fed Tahia's fascination with cuckoo clocks


We drove to the Triberg Waterfalls from Freiburg so we’ll describe the driving directions that way.

There were a couple of different approaches so we’ll discuss them both starting with the northern approach.

Driving from Freiburg to the Triberg Waterfalls

First, we headed north from the Freiburg city center along the very busy B3 road for about 7km before turning off on the right for the B294.

After about 23km on the B294, we then kept right to go onto the Talstraße at Prechtal, where the turnoff now headed towards Dorf.

Once at Dorf, we would continue on the L107 Road for another 9km before reaching a junction with the B33 Road.

Turning right onto the B33 Road, we’d then continue south for about 12km before turning right onto the B500 Road at Triberg.

Triberg_002_06202018 - This was the sheltered car park that we used to visit the Triberg Waterfalls
This was the sheltered car park that we used to visit the Triberg Waterfalls

We’d then follow the B500 road through Triberg’s main drag before turning right onto Kreuzstraße after around 1.4km, where we’d follow the signs for the car park nearest the town.

While there were cheaper unsheltered spots, we opted to pay the 1.9 euros per hour to park in the sheltered car park.

Overall, this drive took us around an hour.

Alternate route from Freiburg to the Triberg Waterfalls

Another way to go from Freiburg would be to head east on the B31 for about 23km before taking the ramp on the right then turning left onto the B500 Road.

Once on the B500 road, head we’d head north for about 40km before turning right onto Wahlfahrtstraße (still on the B500).

Triberg_006_06202018 - As soon as we left the car park in Triberg, we encountered these interesting Moai replicas as we walked towards the Triberg Waterfalls
As soon as we left the car park in Triberg, we encountered these interesting Moai replicas as we walked towards the Triberg Waterfalls

We’d then follow this road for another 750m before following the signs and turning left onto Kreuzstraße.

The car park was on this street.

Overall, this drive would take us around an hour (though we took a little longer than that due to road construction on the B500 causing us to take a slower detour).

For context, Freiburg was about 20km (about half-hour drive) north of Staufen im Breisgau, 51km (under an hour drive) east of Colmar, France, 87 km south of Strasbourg, France, 110km (over an hour drive) south of Baden Baden, 151km (about 90 minutes drive) northwest of Zurich, Switzerland, and 206km southwest of Stuttgart.

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Video showcasing the largest section of the Triberg Waterfalls starting from an elevated vantage point before descending right to its base


Sweep from a bridge before one of the middle waterfalls showing the view downstream as well as the waterfalls themselves


Upstream to downstream sweep from one of the upper sections of Triberg Waterfalls before ending at the view well downstream of the bridge

Tagged with: triberg, black forest, schwarzwald, cuckoo clocks, waterfall, germany



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Triberg Falls (Germany) May 22, 2011 12:01 pm by Ruth Williams - The town of Triberg famous for cuckoo clocks and cake lies in the heart of Germany’s Black Forest. The Triberg Falls are on the edge of the town where the Gutach River tumbles 163m in seven cascades through the forest. There are three entrances (you have to pay) to see the falls all of which… ...Read More

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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
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