The Mummelsee is the most visited stop on the Black Forest High Road — and, for most people, a quick one. This guide is about getting more out of it: how to reach it, how long to give it, what it costs and how to see it when it is quiet.
How long do you need?
- One hour — walk the 800 m loop, look at the sculptures, have a coffee. Enough to see the lake.
- Half a day — add a pedal boat and the climb to the Hornisgrinde summit plateau for the view to Strasbourg.
- A full day — drive the High Road end to end, with the national park at Ruhestein and the Allerheiligen waterfalls.
- A long weekend — base yourself in Baden-Baden or on the High Road and add Triberg, Titisee or Strasbourg.
Getting there
The lake lies directly on the B500, about 40–45 minutes by car from Baden-Baden and an hour from Strasbourg. Without a car, take the train to Achern and a regional bus up via Seebach, or join a day trip from Strasbourg. Our getting here guide covers every option.
The legend of the Mummelsee
The lake’s name most likely comes from “Mummeln”, the local word for the white water lilies that once grew here — but everyone in Seebach will tell you about the other Mummeln: the water sprites who lived in a crystal palace at the bottom of the lake under their Lake King. The sprites came down to the village at night to join the spinning rooms and dances, always leaving before midnight. When one night they stayed too long, the lake is said to have turned red.
The legend inspired Grimmelshausen, who sent his hero on a journey to the Lake King’s realm in Simplicissimus (1669), and Eduard Mörike’s ghostly poem “Die Geister am Mummelsee”. Look for the painted figures of the nymph and the Lake King beside the shore.
What to see
The lake & the Hornisgrinde Mummelsee
The legendary lake of the northern Black Forest
A dark, fir-ringed cirque lake at 1,036 m, scooped out by an Ice Age glacier below the Hornisgrinde. Walk the 800 m loop, hire a pedal boat, hear the legend of the water sprites and eat Black Forest cake on the terrace of the lakeside hotel.
The lake & the Hornisgrinde Hornisgrinde
The rooftop of the northern Black Forest
At about 1,164 m the Hornisgrinde is the highest summit in the northern Black Forest — a broad, windswept plateau of raised bog and dwarf pine right above the Mummelsee. A boardwalk crosses the moor, and on clear days the view runs across the Rhine plain to Strasbourg and the Vosges.
Along the Black Forest High Road Black Forest High Road (B500)
Germany’s classic ridge-top drive
The Schwarzwaldhochstraße runs about 60 km along the ridge from Baden-Baden to Freudenstadt, mostly between 800 and 1,000 m. It is one of Germany’s oldest scenic routes, and the Mummelsee sits halfway along it — the natural stop on any drive.
Along the Black Forest High Road Black Forest National Park
Wilderness in the making
Baden-Württemberg’s first national park, founded in 2014, covers around 10,000 hectares along the High Road on either side of the Mummelsee. Its visitor centre at Ruhestein, the wild Wildsee lake and the storm-forest trails show a forest being left to itself.
See all of them, with directions and tours, in our things to see guide.
What it costs
The lake itself is free. Typical costs around it:
| Item | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Entry to the lake and loop path | Free |
| Parking at the lake | A few euros — check the machines |
| Pedal-boat hire | Charged per boat and time slot, seasonal |
| Coffee and Black Forest cake | Roughly €8–12 |
| Day trip from Strasbourg | from about US$245 per person |
| Guided walk in Baden-Baden | from about US$17 |
| Double room on the High Road | Varies widely by season — see live rates |
Prices change; treat these as rough guides and check current rates on the spot or on the booking pages.
What to eat
This is the home of Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte — Black Forest gateau: layers of chocolate sponge soaked in kirsch, whipped cream and sour cherries, finished with chocolate shavings. The terrace at the lake is the classic place to order a slice.
For a proper meal, look for Black Forest ham (Schwarzwälder Schinken), trout from the valley streams, Flammkuchen from the Rhine plain, venison in autumn and the local Ortenau wines from villages like Sasbachwalden and Kappelrodeck just below the lake.
Where to stay
Staying overnight lets you see the lake without the crowds. Options fall into three groups:
- On the High Road — the hotel directly on the lake, or wellness hotels like the Schliffkopf. Quiet, high up and right by the trails.
- In the valley — Seebach, Sasbachwalden, Kappelrodeck and Achern: wine villages, good value and closer to Strasbourg.
- In Baden-Baden — the widest choice, thermal spas and great restaurants, 40 minutes from the lake.
We compare the best of each, with live rates, on our where to stay page.
Practical details
- Money: Euro. Cards are widely accepted at the hotel and shop, but carry some cash for parking machines and small kiosks.
- Language: German; English is widely spoken in tourism, and French is common so close to the border.
- Weather: at over 1,000 m the lake is often 5–8 °C cooler than Baden-Baden, with more rain, wind and fog. Bring a waterproof layer year-round.
- Accessibility: the loop path around the lake is barrier-free; the Hornisgrinde climb is steep.
- Dogs: welcome on a lead on the paths; keep them on the boardwalk on the Hornisgrinde.
- Connectivity: mobile coverage is generally good at the lake but patchy in the side valleys.
Common mistakes
- Arriving at midday on a sunny Sunday in August — the car park is full and the shore path crowded.
- Coming in summer clothes. It can be 25 °C in Baden-Baden and 15 °C with fog at the lake.
- Only seeing the lake. The Hornisgrinde is thirty minutes’ walk away and has the best view in the northern Black Forest.
- Expecting to swim. The Mummelsee is not a bathing lake.
- Skipping the valley. Sasbachwalden and the Ortenau wine villages are twenty minutes below the lake.
Combine your trip: Rothenburg and Zurich
Rothenburg ob der Tauber: for a wider southern Germany road trip, the walled medieval town of Rothenburg on the Romantic Road is roughly three hours’ drive north-east via Stuttgart. Our Rothenburg ob der Tauber travel guide covers the town walls, the Night Watchman tour and where to stay inside the walls.
Zurich: heading south instead, the Rhine valley motorway leads past Basel into Switzerland, and Zurich is around three hours away by car. Above the city, Zurich’s own mountain makes an easy half-day — see our Uetliberg guide for views over Zurich.
