Oker Valley to Kästeklippen: 10 km Harz Hike

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A demanding hike from the Oker valley up to the impressive Kästeklippen rocks. This roughly 10 km walk leads from the edge of Oker up partly rather steep paths to the Kästehaus at the Kästeklippen. The route then follows a ridge with further crags before dropping just as steeply back down to Oker.

We start our hike at the Waldhaus hotel and restaurant on the edge of Oker (towards the Oker reservoir). First we cross the road and then follow a wide gravel forest track. After about 150 m we take the path to the right, which now climbs slowly. After a few more junctions we reach the Ziegenrückenweg, a narrow trail that takes us steeply and steadily uphill.

A steep climb to the Kästehaus on a narrow path

Part way up there is a bench at a viewpoint which, after that hard climb, practically forces a short break on you. At the end of this section of the Ziegenrückenweg a shelter awaits, along with a wide forest track leading off to the right at a moderate gradient. But that does not last long — after a few hundred metres we turn left again onto the “continuation” of the Ziegenrückenweg. This narrow path also has us gaining height quite quickly. Once we are back on a wide forest track heading for the Kästehaus, we come to a junction with a … bus stop!

Hexenküche, Mausefalle and Feigenbaumklippe line the route

At the Kästehaus, which is staffed and serves food (closed on Mondays), there is a checkpoint of the Harzer Wandernadel stamp trail. Opposite the Kästehaus a narrow path leads to the Kästeklippen themselves, well worth the detour, with a superb long view across the Oker valley and out to the Harz foreland. The “Alte vom Berge” (a face in profile formed by the rock) enjoys that view every day.

After this short detour we walk back to the Kästehaus and head off to the right towards Hexenküche, Mausefalle and Feigenbaumklippe — the names of the striking granite formations that line the route.

Harzer Wandernadel checkpoints at the Kästehaus and the Treppenstein

From here a narrow path takes us briskly downhill again. Only after a few hundred metres do we turn right onto a wide and relatively level track, which leads us past the Treppenstein crags, where there is another Harzer Wandernadel checkpoint.

We soon rejoin the track we already used on the way up to the Kästehaus, and so we follow the Ziegenrückenweg, which brings us briskly back “down” towards the starting point.