A trip with my dog to Pottenstein in Franconian Switzerland (Fränkische Schweiz)

Recently, I took a trip with my dog to Franconian Switzerland (or “Fränkische Schweiz”), a mountainous region in Bavaria, Germany. It is great for hiking and recharging in nature. In this post, I will share some tips on a hike in the Pottenstein area. It features plenty of interesting rock formation, including one that looks like a dragon (“Drachenfels”).

If you are keen to spend a few days in the area, do check out my post on where to stay in Franconian Switzerland with a dog – I can wholeheartedly recommend the hotel I stayed at.

THE ROUTE

The route starts at the hiker’s parking lot near Schüttersmühle.

From the parking lot, follow the hiking path, and soon you will come across the first waypoint that directs you to the mountain that looks like a dragon (“Drachenfels”).

Please note: Along the way, you will find plenty of signposts pointing out different route options. Don’t feel obligated to follow my route exactly, there are lots of things to see! Do be aware that the map above is only an approximation of the route that I took.

Also, in case that you are looking for an easy route, you can simply follow the one marked with a red circle. That one can even be done with a pram.

On the way towards “Drachenfels” you will come across plenty of opportunities for your dog to get a good sniff in.

My pup loved exploring the different terrain on this route. It had rained the day before, so even for my human nose the whole area had a great smell to it. I can imagine that for my dog, it smelled like heaven.

As you walk along, be sure to keep an eye on your right every once in a while. There will be a path cutting off to the right that leads you to the “Drachenfels”.

It is very easy to miss this, as the sign pointing it out is a little hidden and the views on the left are too attractive.

When you see the sign, follow the path slightly up the hill and you will soon reach the “Drachenfels”.

What does it look like to you?

I’m not sure that it shouts “dragon” to me, but I can definitely see this being the head of a snake or a basilisk.

Descending from the “Drachenfels” path, I turned left onto the main path and followed the signs towards Bronn. That took me onto the other side of the water that I had been walking along before.

At the next way point, I took a left towards Mittelmühle, but instead of walking directly by the water, I chose to check out the Jägersteig to see the area more from above. My dog approved and took in the view as well!

Eventually, we did make our way back down towards Mittelmühle and reached the water. that we had been seeing. The water belongs to the Weihersbach and in days gone past, there used to be a couple of mills here taking advantage of the water. When I visited, the Weihersbach did not carry much water, but my dog still enjoyed getting her paws wet.

From Mittelmühle it’s only a short way back to the parking lot.

HOW LONG IT TAKES AND WHO IT’S FOR

For the whole route, I would budget around 1 hour, depending on your pace. In total the route as mapped is roughly 3km long. If you are looking for a longer hike, you can definitely extend this walk and explore other areas too though. As it was threatening to rain when we visited, we kept this walk a bit on the shorter side.

This route is suitable for almost any pup and human. Even though you are in a mountainous area, the route is relatively flat, and you are on trails the whole time.

THE BOTTOM LINE

I enjoyed this walk, but my dog loved it. She was so happy exploring the different terrain, going up and down the sides of the mountains and sniffing absolutely everything. The opportunity to get her paws wet towards the end was a nice bonus. If you are taking a trip with your dog through Franconian Switzerland, this is an easy and enjoyable route to explore. Highly recommended!