Lochen

The Lochen is a striking massif in the south-western Schwäbische Alb, rising above the Balingen district of Weilstetten. Its two main peaks, the Lochenstein and the Lochenhörnle, form part of the Balinger Berg group. The area straddles the municipal boundaries of Hausen am Tann and Meßstetten’s Tieringen district. The Lochenstein offers one of the Alb’s finest viewpoints, reached in twenty minutes along a steep path from the Lochenpass. From its summit cross, set on an exposed rock, walkers look north over the Alb foothills to the Zollerberg and the Hohenzollern castle. The Hörnle, two kilometres east, presents a sharp ridge above the Eyachtal and Schlichem valley, where the river rises at an 860-metre-high spring. On the plateau stands the Lochenhütte, a locked shelter run by the Schwäbischer Albverein. Nearby lie the Tieringen family holiday village and the Balingen-Lochenstein youth hostel. The Lochenpass road attracts motorcyclists, while long-distance trails such as the Schwäbischer-Alb-Nordrand-Weg and the Beuroner Jakobsweg cross the massif.