Neuschönau: Nature Experiences and Skiing for Beginners

Nature at the Lusen National Park Center

At the Hans-Eisenmann-Haus in the Lusen National Park Center, the permanent exhibition “Paths into Nature – A Story of Forests and People” offers an introduction to the secrets of Bavarian Forest National Park. Its title alone connects paths in nature with the history of forests and people, giving your visit a clear thematic starting point. Anyone interested in the nature of the national park will find an introduction here that goes beyond simply spending time outdoors.

Visitors can explore the national park’s flora in the four-hectare open-air plant area. The national park’s wildlife enclosure at the Lusen Visitor Center is a separate attraction: it is located in the municipality of Neuschönau and can be explored on a tour. The treetop walk, in turn, offers a stroll right through the tree canopy. Plants, animals and treetops offer different perspectives on nature, each of which can be considered separately when planning your visit.

For a longer outing, the Lusen National Park Center offers a seven-kilometer circular trail; the discovery tour takes three to four hours, and shortcuts are possible. This gives you a clear idea of the time and distance involved, while leaving room for a shorter option. The site is suitable for strollers and wheelchairs, cleared in winter and freely accessible year-round. The stated duration of the circular trail and the available shortcuts make it easier to tailor the visit to your schedule.

Skiing for beginners and trails in Waldhäuser

The mountain village of Waldhäuser in Neuschönau has a ski and snowboard beginner center with a rope tow and a small practice slope. Calling it a beginner center indicates the focus of what it offers; the rope tow and practice slope are the facilities mentioned. If you plan to include this winter sports option, check the current operating status with the operator.

Waldhäuser is also the starting point for a hike marked “Habicht” (Eagle): it begins at the chapel and climbs uphill through the village. The starting point, trail marker and direction give you specific guidance for this hike. You can consider these details separately from the ski and snowboard offerings when planning, without combining the two activities into a single route.

At the natural swimming lake

The natural swimming lake in Neuschönau has a large sunbathing lawn, a shallow entry and a play area with a slide, swing and stone cave. The facilities include both a place to relax and specific play options. The shallow entry is a feature of the lake in its own right; the play equipment and sunbathing lawn add further specific aspects to the description of the site. If you plan your stay around different interests for each day, you can treat this as a distinct option alongside the nature attractions at the national park center and the winter sports offering in Waldhäuser.

The wider region: Freyung-Grafenau

Bavarian Forest National Park extends into the district as part of the broader travel destination of Freyung-Grafenau. It opened on October 7, 1970, as Germany’s first national park. The zoning map dated 2024 shows that nature zones account for 75.37 percent of the national park’s area. These details provide a regional context for nature experiences in the area; they refer to the national park and the broader travel destination of Freyung-Grafenau.

The Buchberger Leite is also part of the broader travel destination of Freyung-Grafenau. There, steep rock barriers force the boulder-strewn, cascade-filled Wolfsteiner Ohe into a deeply constricted bed; remnants of primeval forest have been preserved in the gorge’s moss- and fern-rich woods. An eight-kilometer themed hiking trail with information boards and an accompanying brochure runs through the gorge between Freyung and Ringelai. Historic timber-floating walls, tunnels cut into the rock and above-ground canals bear witness to centuries of human activity there. The Buchberger Leite thus adds a distinctive combination of gorge, river and historic traces to the region’s landscape.

Discover more destinations: Haidmühle, Grainet, Neureichenau, Waldkirchen, Innernzell, Perlesreut, Freyung, Schönberg.

Back to the regional travel guide: Freyung-Grafenau.