Briesetal Hike: The Most Beautiful Circular Route Through the Natural Idyll

Wild romantic nature with impressive beaver dams, the enchanted river landscape along the Briese enchants even die-hard city dwellers. A stone’s throw away from Berlin, the Briesetal Hike offers pure nature. Here you get tips for the children’s program, catering and the most beautiful hiking route..

The Briesetal is located in the north of Berlin in the Mark Brandenburg. By car you need from the city center to the starting point of the hiking route in Birkenwerder not even an hour and find yourself in one of the most beautiful natural landscapes near Berlin. The hiking trail leads completely along the Briese, a tributary of the Havel, here the beavers are the undisputed rulers of the river. Impressive beaver dams dam up the little river, until you suddenly move a few hundred meters further through an enchanted dream landscape, with green swamps, from which tree trunks rise and lazy swans draw their circles. Breathtakingly beautiful it is here!

The Briese meanders about 16 km from the Wandlitzsee through the Rahmer- and Lubowsee and flows into the Havel in Birkenwerder. If you bring a good 4-5 hours easy can hike along the Briese on a 13 km long path in its entire length. However, we have chosen the most beautiful and shorter circular route for our Briesetal hike and arrived by car. It leads along the most scenic section about halfway to the bridge, which we crossed and hiked back on the other side of the river.

The entire trail is easy to walk, there are no inclines and it can be done with a stroller (as long as it is equipped for forest trails). The Briesetal hike is worthwhile at any time of the year: when the fog rises in winter or when nature shows itself in its full glory in the warm season.

You are always looking for beautiful destinations in the area? On Abenteuer Freundschaft you can find more worthwhile excursion tips for Berlin and Brandenburg. Do you already know the Ziegeleipark in Mildenberg or the beautiful hike around Hellsee in Barnimer Land?

Tour Facts for Your Briesetal Hike

• Best season: all year
• Difficulty: light and family friendly
• Route Length: ca. 9 km
• Duration: ca. 2-2.5 hours
• Refreshment stops: Children’s Climbing Forest Magic Monkey, Rest areas with benches are many
• For Children: Beautiful nature trail & Children’s climbing forest Magic Monkey for children from 2 years directly at the parking lot of the forest school.
• How to get there: By car, you go north on the B96 or the A10 to Birkenwerder to the forest school in Briese (district of Birkenwerder), there is a large free parking lot. If you arrive by public transport, take the S-Bahn to Birkenwerder with the S1 or S8 and follow the signs to the district of Briese.
• Brief description: Wildly romantic circular hike through the Märkische Fließ through marshy meadows and natural mixed forests.

The Briesetal Hike to the “Schlagbrücke” Bridge

Directly at the forest school, a hiking map provides an overview of the hiking routes

This must be the fifth time I’ve done this hike. So far, I am only missing the winter, in the spring, summer and fall, a trip here is worthwhile for different reasons. Even in summer at 34 °C the path is pleasant to walk, because it is shaded over large parts. It is still worthwhile to put on long pants or thoroughly abzusuchen after the Briesetal hike, because just at the edge of the path like to lurk ticks.

Start of the Briesetal Hike

The hiking trail is lined with information boards and there is a nature trail

Directly at the parking lot in Briese (district of Birkenwerder), the trail leads along the entrance to the forest school, past the nature adventure garden. After that, we take a wide forest path that leads to a fork in the road with signposts. For the circular trail, we follow the signpost to the Schlagbrücke bridge, cross it and walk back on the opposite side of the river.

First it goes through sparse beech forest until we soon reach the Briese and walk along its banks.

Tip: Directly at the forest school Briesetal with parking lot is the Magic Monkey climbing park and a nature adventure garden in which the little ones fauna and flora experience The entrance costs 1 € for adults and 50 cents per child and it is worthwhile to visit the lovingly landscaped garden as a prelude before the hike. There are play opportunities for children and beautifully landscaped ponds, inland dunes, heath and moorland.

Nature Trail Along the Briesetal Hike

Amphibians, reptiles, rare birds can still be discovered here

Along the way, there is always something for children to discover on the nature trail. So it is a bat hotel in the trees to spot, a beech with a woman’s face flanks the path, a wind chime sounds, animal tracks must be guessed. So the hike is entertaining even for the little ones by the nice mix of information, nature games and puzzles around nature.

Impressive Beaver Structures on the Briese

Already after a few hundred meters, the Briese begins to show its dreamlike side. Here gigantic beaver dams line up, unfortunately I have seen only the paw prints of the shy animals, they are best observed at dusk.

The Briese is a narrow stream here, the riparian vegetation is wild, untouched and reminiscent of a lush green European jungle. Here the water of the Briese is still flowing and will become more marshy as the river continues.

Fairytale Forest in the Middle of Green Water

Fairytale-like beautiful Briesetal in late summer

The path meanders on, sometimes leading a few meters away from the Briese. Then the view opens up to a suddenly very wide Briese, which almost looks like a large pond with inflow and outflow. Duckweed and light green vegetation cover the water surface and bare trees rise up from the middle of the green soup. Are we in the Everglades here or in Brandenburg? When the sun shines, the rays play on the water and one wonders involuntarily whether a fairy tale film has ever been shot here. The vegetation here is lush, ferns, mosses, lush tall grasses grow and cover again and again the view of the green fairy tale waters.

We discover an adder that quickly meanders along the bank into the stream, frogs, lizards and in the forest the birds are chirping. The forest is neatly churned by wild boars in search of mushrooms. Information boards inform about the local fauna and flora, there are even said to be rare animal species such as kingfisher, black woodpecker and smooth snake. It’s a bit crazy that this idyllic natural paradise is so close to bustling Berlin.

Helenen Wells and Hubertus Bridge

Hubertus Bridge with beaver dam in the foreground

Narrow rivulets flow into the Briese from the so-called Helenenquellen springs. They carry ferruginous spring water and you can’t miss them as an information board draws attention to them. In the marshy Briese you can recognize them where the water comes out of the fine sand that has been washed out.

Now it is not far to the Hubertus bridge, a plain iron bridge. There are also benches and tables ready to take a break or a snack.

For some time now, not far from the hiking trail, several small Helenen springs have been letting ferruginous spring water bubble over narrow rivulets into the Briese. A small footbridge along the riverbank and a sign draw attention to the springs and let you hardly miss them. You can recognize the visible Helenen springs by their water discharge through the washed out light fine sand in the marsh area.

The Hubertus Bridge is already in sight from the Helenen Springs. Right by the bridge, beavers have piled up a neat dam.

To the Schlagbrücke and Across the L211

Now it becomes more and more marshy and the Briese has become even wider. The duckweed forms streaks in some places and shimmers in the sun. Not only bare, but also leafy trees rise out of the water and I have a hard time deciding which view was the most fabulous so far. Here ducks quack and between the trees we see swans paddling lazily in the water.

On the Other Bank the Briesetal Hike Goes Back to the Forest School

The breeze is still clear, soon it will become swampy

From here it goes back to the Hubertus bridge and there over the bridge on the other side of the path to the last bridge just before the forest school.

If you have more time with you, extend the hike and walk to the Alte Försterei! There you can stop for a bite to eat and it goes through beautiful countryside, especially in the back part. In the Alte Försterei you can also wonderfully stop for hearty Brandenburg food or coffee and cake.

Tips for the Children’s Program at the Briesetal Hike

On the entire hiking route there are two turning points with paths on both sides of the river bank to adapt the route to the condition of the kids. So whether walking or hiking you can decide spontaneously.

• Build a shelter from sticks and leaves (or continue to build what is already there, which is faster ;-))
• Scavenger hunt through the forest to one of the built shelters
• A forest rally
• To do the nature trail together
• Go climbing in the Magic Monkey Climbing Forest (for children 2 years and older)
• Gathering mushrooms together, here are tips on what to look for when picking mushrooms
• Take an evening walk and watch beavers at dusk

We hope you have fun on your Briesetal hike! Here you can find even more ideas for special things to do in Berlin and surroundings.

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