Radau Waterfall & Radautal Valley Walk
Just a 20-minute walk south of the town centre, the Radaufall is one of the most accessible yet genuinely dramatic waterfalls in the entire Harz range, where the Radau river drops roughly four metres over a natural granite ledge framed by ancient beech and spruce. The trail along the Radautal valley that leads to it is flat, well-signed and beautiful in every season.
The Walk In
The most popular approach starts from the Kurpark, following the Radau stream south along a broad gravel path. The forest closes in quickly and the sound of running water accompanies you the whole way, making it one of those rare urban-edge walks that feels genuinely wild within minutes.
In autumn the valley turns amber and copper, and the beech canopy creates a cathedral-like tunnel of colour. In winter, ice formations sometimes cling to the rocks around the falls themselves, which is spectacular and unusual enough to draw photographers from across Lower Saxony.
At the Falls and Beyond
The waterfall itself has a viewing platform and a small wooden bridge that puts you close enough to feel the spray. It is modest by alpine standards but the dark granite setting and the forest silence around it give it a moody, fairy-tale quality that photographs beautifully.
From the falls you can continue deeper into the Radautal on marked trails toward the Okertal reservoir, turning a short stroll into a proper half-day hike. The path is part of the broader Harz network and connects to routes leading all the way to the Brocken summit.
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