Obermaiselstein: Legends, Nature and Living Tradition

Discover legends and experience nature

The legend trail in Obermaiselstein is available both in person and digitally. This means you can choose whichever format you prefer when exploring the trail. Both options offer a concrete starting point for making local legends the focus of an outing, without committing to a single medium.

Local legends are also associated with Sturmann Cave near Obermaiselstein: they tell of a dragon and a hidden treasure of gold. These motifs give the cave a mythical backdrop. For families who enjoy weaving stories and mysterious themes into their trip, this offers a different way to explore than following a route or heading for a summit. The Nagelfluhkette Nature Park is another part of the area’s identity: Obermaiselstein lies in and alongside the nature park.

Winter days with different focuses

The Idealhanglift in Obermaiselstein has a practice lift for children and beginners as an introduction to winter sports. This is a practical option for families whose children or adults want to gain their first experience of winter sports. Tobogganing is also possible at the Idealhanglift. The toboggan run is prepared when snow conditions are suitable. Tobogganing and the practice lift appeal to different interests; if you’d like to include both in your vacation plans, you can treat each activity as a separate focus.

A winter hiking trail in the surrounding area leads to the Mittelalpe. Its features include views, cake and offerings for young guests, too. This is another idea for a winter day when you don’t want the practice lift or tobogganing to be the main focus. Together with the activities at the Idealhanglift, it shows that winter experiences take different forms: from trying winter sports and tobogganing to a hike with a destination at the Mittelalpe.

Viehscheid and local tradition

At the Viehscheid in Obermaiselstein, around 1,300 cattle from 11 alpine pastures are returned to their owners after the summer on the alpine pastures. The festival features cattle wearing polished cattle bells, alpine herders and locals in traditional dress, music and food. The figures give an idea of the scale of the Viehscheid; the bells and traditional dress also make the participating animals and people defining images of the festival.

For your travel plans, the Viehscheid offers a different occasion from a hike or a winter’s day at the lift: the focus here is a festival with livestock, music and regional food. If you’d like to experience traditions like these, you can take this into account when choosing your stay.

Hiking destination and getting around

The Beslerrunde follows a hiking trail to the summit plateau of the Besler. This makes a summit plateau the stated destination of the loop; you can consider this hiking destination as a separate focus alongside the legends, traditions and winter activities. This description doesn’t specify the trail’s length or duration, so the Beslerrunde shouldn’t be compared with the other activities based on its name alone.

There is a scheduled bus connection towards Balderschwang: a bus runs from Obermaiselstein via the Riedberg Pass towards Balderschwang as far as the Herzbergalpe stop. If you’re considering travelling in this direction, the stop is a named point of reference. You can also explore destinations in the surrounding area through the pages for Oberstdorf, Balderschwang, Fischen Im Allgäu, Dietmannsried, Hörnergruppe, Haldenwang, Blaichach and Bad Hindelang.

For the broader travel overview: Oberallgäu.