Do you want to get out into nature, breathe in the forest air, discover new things, and maybe even take a dip? This short, one-way late-riser tour is just a stone's throw from the hustle and bustle of the capital and is the ideal destination for little explorers and big nature lovers.
Your late riser highlights:
- Exciting and entertaining: at 16 interactive stations, learn about the flora, fauna and regional habitat on an educational trail with the forest gnome Wupatz
- Nature and idyllic scenery: sometimes feeling like you're in a primeval forest at the foothills of the Löcknitz valley
- Refreshing: jumping into the clear water of Flakensee in summer
- A lovely place to linger: at my favorite viewpoint right by the lock in Woltersdorf
Length / Duration: 8 kilometers / 2 hours
Arrival: RE1 or S3 to Erkner station
Check out: Tram 87 from Woltersdorf Schleuse to S-Bahn station Rahnsdorf, alternatively bus 418 to Erkner station
Directions:
When you arrive at the S-Bahn station in Erkner, it's not far to the hiking paradise - the Löcknitz Valley. Follow Bahnhofstrasse to the roundabout and then turn into Friedrichstrasse. Cross the Flakenfließ and continue past the Bürgerle ice cream parlor, where you can get some refreshment. Then turn left into Fürstenwalder Strasse, where you'll find the start of the hike on the right.
From Erkner to the Löcknitz Valley
The regional express takes you to Erkner very quickly. First, you walk a bit along the Way of St. James through the town, where you pass the Bürgerle ice cream parlor and can get some refreshment if you need it. After the railway underpass with its exciting graffiti, the tour turns onto the Wupatz educational trail. Here, you can learn about the flora, fauna and the regional habitat on an educational trail at 16 interactive stations with the forest gnome Wupatz. There is a lot to discover and try out!
After a short stretch between the railway line and a garden area, the trail leads through typical Brandenburg pine forest towards the Löcknitz Valley. At the Hubertussteg footbridge, you'll meet the 66 Lakes Trail and cross the old channel of the Löcknitz River. The area is densely overgrown, making you feel almost like you're in the Amazon. Be sure to try the balance course on the nature trail.
Around the mystical Wupatzsee
The Leistikowsteg crosses the now wider Löcknitz again and leads in an arc around the Wupatzsee, which is lined with reeds and alders. The densely overgrown shoreline repeatedly offers views of the lake and its inhabitants. Magnificent great crested grebes hunt for fish. Anyone who takes this tour in June will experience the blossoming of the water lilies and anyone who is out in spring can enjoy the many lilies of the valley.
View of the Flakensee
The path continues along the edge of the forest and lush meadows along the Löcknitz towards Woltersdorf. It goes past a small forest playground with a swing, slide and insect hotel to the Flakensee. Here the path offers beautiful views of the water under fragrant pines and alders. Benches invite you to linger and bathing areas, including a large sandy beach, invite you to splash around.
Culinary Reward
You can end your late-riser tour in comfort in the restaurants at the Woltersdorf lock, for example with cake, snacks or home-brewed beer in the beer garden. The last few meters of the tour lead over the lock bridge to the tram stop. If you have to wait, you can easily shorten it: watch the locks in operation, try out the wind chimes on the sidewalk or enjoy an ice cream at the bakery opposite.
The Wolterdorf tram travels through the Köpenick city forest back to the city center.
Refreshment tips:
- recognizerDEKAFFE coffee roastery, Bürgerle ice cream parlor
- lockWoltersdorf: various restaurants and cafés
- Ice cream and bakery: Cafe Bürgerle in Erkner, Café Knappe Woltersdorfer Schleuse
- Pedal, paddle and license-free small motor boats is available at Spree-Safari on the Flakensee near the Woltersdorf lock. Online reservation possible.
- Playgrounds: Forest playground at Flakensee, at the Woltersdorf lock
- Swimming: various natural bathing areas at Flakensee
- Public toilets: S-Bahn station Erkner, Woltersdorfer Schleuse
- Partly natural, partly paved paths
