Discover Emmerting: Trails and Nature along the Lower Alz

Circular Trails and Nature in Emmerting

The Lower Alz Nature Reserve was designated in 1990 and covers approximately 760 hectares. It includes parts of the municipalities of Emmerting and Mehring, the market town of Marktl, the town of Neuötting, and the Holzfelder Forst. The protected area therefore extends beyond Emmerting itself. In Emmerting, a 5 km circular trail in the “Lower Alz” Landscape Conservation Area invites visitors to relax and unwind.

The forest circular trail runs through Emmerting. In the wider region, it can be complemented by easy hikes in the Lower Alz Nature Reserve or along the Klosterau Forest Adventure Trail. For planning a day out, the 5 km circular trail provides a specific distance; the forest circular trail can also be combined with other hikes.

Directions near Hohenwart

The Klosterau Forest Adventure Trail can be reached via Hohenwart. From Emmerting, drive east along the unpaved municipal road Alte Poststraße into the state forest. After about 600 metres, the hiking car park is on the left. These directions provide a specific landmark for the trip without specifying a walking time.

In the Altötting travel destination: Landscape and Nature

The Altötting district lies between the Inn and Salzach rivers. Its landscape is characterised by a plain about 10 kilometres wide, through which the Inn flows, bordered to the north and south by lush green hills. Together with the Mühldorf district, Altötting is part of the Inn-Salzach tourism region. The region's visitor information includes, among other things, cycling and pilgrimage routes, museums, and bathing lakes.

The protected areas in this wider travel destination include Dachlwand on the Inn, northwest of Marktl. The area covers about 206 hectares, includes parts of Marktl, Erlbach, and Perach, and was converted from a landscape conservation area into a nature reserve in 1986. The internationally significant wetland and nature reserve “Lower Inn between Haiming and Neuhaus” offers a different perspective on nature. It provides a habitat for migrating, wintering, and breeding marsh and water birds; more than 25 different bird species associated with aquatic and wetland habitats breed there.

A shorter loop in Altöttinger Gries is listed as approximately 1.4 kilometres, compared with the 5 kilometres of the circular trail in Emmerting. Along the stream, the nature trail in Altöttinger Gries also features 10 different interactive stations. The two routes therefore differ mainly in their stated length; the trail adds hands-on stations to the Gries area.

The Inn Cycle Path also offers the prospect of a longer route: one popular option runs from Neuötting through Altötting and the extensive Öttinger Forst to the ducal town of Burghausen, then past the confluence of the Inn and Salzach rivers to Marktl. The section in the Inn-Salzach region is just over 75 kilometres long. Current detours may apply, so check the route before setting off. Peracher bathing lake is one of the bathing lakes listed by the Altötting district. Check facilities and conditions before setting off.

Culture and Architecture in Altötting

St. Anna Basilica is the largest church in Altötting and can accommodate more than 8,000 people. The historical dating of the octagonal Chapel of Grace goes back a long way: it was probably built around the year 700 and is considered to be Germany's oldest centrally planned building. The Golden Steed in the Altötting Treasury was made in the Parisian court workshops in 1404.

At the Brother Conrad Museum, visitors can see the Old Gate and Brother Conrad's death cell. As of 8 September 2026, the Brother Conrad meeting rooms can be visited free of charge. Burghausen Castle offers another impressive architectural scale: it is 1,051 metres long and has six courtyards.

If you mainly want to explore the trails in Emmerting, you can keep this in mind when looking for a holiday apartment. If you would also like to explore nature and culture in the wider travel destination of Altötting, you can tailor your search to the itinerary you have in mind.

Also discover Mehring.

Discover more destinations: Reischach, Unterneukirchen, Tüßling, Pleiskirchen, Garching An Der Alz, Neuötting, Perach.

Back to the travel overview: Altötting.