Germans claim that ‘hiking was invented in the Black Forest‘ in the mid-1800s. We don’t know if that’s really true, but we do know that the Black Forest offers some of the finest hiking in Europe. The Black Forest is not what the English name suggests. It is not a single forest, but rather it is the name given to the mountainous region in the south-western corner of Germany, where Germany, Switzerland & France share borders. It is 100 miles north to south and 45 miles east to west. The Black Forest can be grouped into North, Central and South because the terrain and weather are noticeably different.