Kleiner Winterberg Hike Rock Gap

This image was taken along the trail near Kleiner Winterberg, looking onto a model between two rock formations. To get to this location, you'll need a car and you'll have to hike for about 45 minutes. You can park at the start of the hike, which starts along the trail at Pension Felsenmühle (near 50.925790, 14.275775). From there, enter the Kleiner Zschand forest road until you reach a crossing. Turn right here and continue uphill. After a few minutes there will be a sign that points left and says Winterberg. Follow the Fremdenweg sign until you reach steps that take you all the way up the mountain. This part can be pretty exhausting, but it only takes a couple minutes. Once you've reached the top of the steps turn left towards Kleiner Winterberg. You'll have to walk underneath a fallen tree, then turn right immediately. There's no clear trail but following the given coordinates will navigate you to the spot in two minutes. Please note that reception is bad here, I suggest downloading the offline map and Location Insight before you start out on the hike.

You can find similar conditions at the Kleiner Winterberg hiking trail during any season, except winter. In the winter months, the stairs will be frozen and everything will be snowed in so you can't see the gaps between the rocks. These conditions are very dangerous, so do not attempt to hike when it's still winter.

For similar lighting, visit at sunrise. Oftentimes, there will be fog in the valley and the sun will rise just behind the small hills in the distance. These early-morning conditions provide an ideal background for your shot.

Proceed with caution along this trail — especially if your model is going to jump between the rocks. Advise your model to avoid the rocks if it's recently rained. The rocks can become extremely slippery and they could injure themselves.

I recommend bringing along a headlamp so you can see the trail before the sunrises.

Experiment with the different focal lengths of your lens. Try getting close to the rocks and shooting with a 16mm. Then, stand farther away and take a compressed shot with a 70-85mm lens.

If you're looking to continue hiking, I recommend heading to Frienstein/Idagrotte. It takes about 45 minutes to get there from Kleiner Winterberg and the hikes are incredible.