Germany/Black Forest: What can you do during Blueberry Week in Enzklösterle?

From July 19 to 27, 2025, Blueberry Week will take place in Enzklösterle in the Northern Black Forest in Germany. There will be guided hikes, including the Blueberry Trail, as well as food and drink, events, and concerts. I've tested it out.

“Off to the blueberries” is the motto.

At almost 900 meters, the bushes are thick, and forester Waidelich knows the best spots. "This spot is perfect, but don't pass this place on ," he warns me. After a short hike over hill and dale and a bit of cross-country, we come to a large clearing. Exactly the place the blueberries love.

The fruits hang on the bushes like thick blue pearls.

During Blueberry Week in Enzklösterle in the northern Black Forest/Germany, there are numerous events and activities that you can join … for example …

Hike with forester Waidelich to his secret blueberry spots

We are armed with two large fruit baskets and two small baskets with string. The small baskets are tied around our necks like an apron. Harvesting is done with a comb called a reff, to which a handle and a small sieve are attached. This comb is carefully combed through the branches, and the blueberries collect at the back of the sieve.

Click on the first image to start the photo gallery

There is a lot to do during the blueberry weeks – for example, relaxing on the blueberry swing

Or eat blueberry pancakes

Things are not quite as relaxed during the blueberry harvest

The blue fruits are carefully stripped from the bush with a comb

The blueberry trail leads to the beautiful blueberry platform

Alternatively, you can also have an audience with the Blueberry Queen and Princess.

As soon as a few have gathered, they are poured into our hands and the leaves, stems, and mushy blueberries are picked out. Stefan Waidelich is very strict here, too; only perfect fruit goes into the basket. Even as a child, he picked blueberries with his father; there used to be blueberry holidays. Back then, children could earn as much money from the harvest as lumberjacks – his father earned his first pair of shoes that way. The inhabitants of Enzklösterle used to be very poor and therefore dependent on the income from selling blueberries. The soil here is so barren that farming was almost impossible, and so the people lived off forestry. A pound of blueberries could be bought for 20 pennies, and the harvest time used to be longer. While today the blueberry harvest ends after 1-2 weeks, a few decades ago it took 4-6 weeks; due to climate change, the optimal ripening time has become much shorter. In 1900, for example, people harvested 100 tons, then as now, only by hand.

"As a child, I dreamed of a blueberry vacuum cleaner"

he tells us, as we bend down and slowly work our way through the bushes.

Conifers are not monocultures

As a forester in the district surrounding the blueberry village, he has spent the last 30 years thinning "the dark fir trees" to provide the berries with an optimal habitat. "Most people automatically think of conifers as monocultures, but that's not true. There is also a mixed coniferous forest of firs, pines, and spruces ."

Hiking on the Blueberry Trail

He co-designed the Blueberry Trail, a 12-km premium hiking trail, to bring this experience closer to locals and visitors. From the blueberry platform in the forest, you can enjoy a magnificent view of the valley over blueberry bushes. If all that sounds too much, you can put your feet up on the blueberry swing.

Key Facts about the Blueberry Trail in Enzklösterle

♡ Factor: ♡♡♡♡♡

Walking time : 3:45 h

Altitude : 382 m up and down

Length : 12.7 km

Accessible by public transport?

Yes, accessible by train and bus

Directions:

B 294 from Pforzheim, or from Freudenstadt to Enzklösterle.

GPS data: You can find the GPS data on the Outdoor Active website .

Starting and ending point: The circular route starts at the tourist information office (there are free parking spaces and public toilets).

Safety note: Canada is a bear country. In my blog post " Hiking and Camping Safely in Bear Country Canada, " you'll find tips on how to avoid the bear and what to do if you do encounter one.

Equipment: For this hike, I recommend hiking boots or trail running shoes. Hiking poles can also be helpful. Depending on the weather, bring rain gear. Bring plenty of water.

Blueberry pancakes galore!

Back in Enzklösterle, the Blueberry Queen and the Blueberry Princess hold an audience at the Blueberry Festival. They have blue blood, literally.

“I went blueberry picking with my parents as a little girl.”

reigning Princess Jody Bredenhagen tells me. And what's her favorite thing to eat with the blueberries, I want to know. Queen and Princess agree: blueberry pancakes . I'm quickly convinced. Because I don't even have to "go blueberry-picking" for that, just go to one of the many stands set up in the village square.

info

The website www.mein-schwarzwald.de offers all information on accommodation, restaurants, hiking trails and all activities.

This year, Blueberry Week and Blueberry Festival will take place from July 19 to 27.

You can book various tours around the blueberry on the Enzklösterle website under Events .

Arrival

As an officially recognized “ Sustainable Travel Destination ,” the northern Black Forest is easily accessible by public transport .

Accommodation

If you have always wanted to spend the night in a shepherd's wagon , the Unterer Berghof is the place for you. Just right. In a meadow lined with old fruit trees, there are two blue and one green shepherd's wagons; it's hard to imagine a more idyllic place to sleep.

The Schwarzwaldhof is located in the center of Enzklösterle. Some of the newly renovated rooms feature an integrated sauna.

Eat:

In the Blueberry House In Enzklösterle, you can find everything related to blueberries. From blueberry cake to blueberry secco.

Hear a video, which I did during the blueberry harvest: