From the bus turning loop (at the "Deutsches Haus" hotel) in Cunnersdorf, we follow the "green line" markings onto the Lindhornweg. At first the Lindhornweg is a narrow tarmac road, later a gravelled forest path that climbs steadily uphill and then turns into a grassy forest path. After approx. 3 km, we arrive at a covered rest area. About 50 metres from here you can admire the Cotta oak tree. It owes its name to Heinrich Cotta, the founder of the Tharandt Forestry Academy and his son, who worked as a geologist and mining scientist.
Back at the rest area, we continue to follow the "green line" markings and follow the sandy path to the next large oak tree - the Matthias Otto Oak. To reach the deserted village of Stolzenhain, we want to take a small diversions and leave the green markings. The wide forest path "Alte Drei" takes us back to the Lindhornweg. There is a small shelter on the right and opposite it we find a plaque where the deserted village of Stolzenhain is said to have been located. We turn right off the Lindhornweg onto an unmarked forest path and continue straight ahead until we reach Gebackene Birnenstraße. We continue along the "green line" markings until we reach the place where the Kühler Morgen deserted settlement is said to have been (plaque). It was long assumed that there was a village here until the Thirty Years' War, which was wiped out by the plague. The term may also simply refer to a clearing that was the size of an "Morgen" (old measurement of area, approx. a quarter of a hectare).
Now we branch off to the left, leaving the marked hiking trail but staying on the Gebackene Birnenstraße. When we reach the next wide forest path (T-path), we cross it and walk straight ahead until we reach the German-Czech border. Various boundary stones and the forest path markings (yellow vertical line) show us the way, which we follow to the left. There are now several steep ascents and descents on the border path, past small streams and springs, until the forest path turns sharply to the left. You can take a break at the Zschirnsteinbiwak.
Leave the forest path here and continue along the meadow path (marked with a yellow line). At the overgrown junction to the Alter Marktweg, you can discover a historical signpost ("Die Hand") from 1840. At the next crossroads (Kalkbude), turn left and walk uphill along the Zschirnsteinweg (marked "red dot"). The forest path soon turns left, but we continue a little further until the next path branches off to the left. The signpost says "Pulverkammer", which we discover after approx. 100 metres on the left by small rocks. This is where the black powder used in the basalt quarries was stored. Basalt was mined in the 19th century until around 1920 and used as road gravel.
We continue along this path, joining the forest track from below, which we now follow to the summit of the Großer Zschirnstein. Various views and a hut invite you to take a break. The triangulation column, which was erected in 1865 as part of the Saxon State Survey, marks the highest point in Saxon Switzerland.
For the descent from the Großer Zschirnstein, we take the wide hiking trail (marked with a red dot), past the former basalt quarry and then turn left towards Kleingießhübel. Further down, we can take a look at the game cellar before continuing left along the Schifferweg (marked with a green dot). We can refresh ourselves again at Hertels Born.
Once in the Krippental, we walk along the tarmac forest path to the left, past another spring (Furtborn) and shortly afterwards turn left onto the Furtweg (marked "green dot"). Here the trail climbs steeply again until we reach the "Lange Fünf" forest path and turn right. We continue to follow the "green dot" markings - a short stretch of road, car park and along the edge of the forest - until we reach the Lindhornweg again. The "green line" markings lead us back to Cunnersdorf.
