This is the high middle of the Schwarzwaldhochstrasse, where the road runs along the crest at more than a thousand metres and the Hornisgrinde, the highest summit of the northern Black Forest, rises just to the north. Right beside the road lies the Mummelsee, a small dark lake of glacial origin set in a hollow of fir trees. It is the stop everyone makes, which is both its charm and its problem: on summer weekends the car park is full, coaches line up, and the lakeside hotel and shop do a roaring trade in Black Forest cake and cuckoo clocks.
The lake has a legend that suits its colour. Local folklore says it is home to water sprites, the Mummeln, and that a king of the lake lives in its depths and punishes anyone who throws stones into it. The stories go back centuries and were picked up by writers of the Romantic era, including the poet Eduard Mörike. Today it is simply cold, clear and pretty, best seen early in the morning before the crowds arrive, when mist lies over the water and the forest is silent.
The Hornisgrinde itself is worth the short walk if you have the time. Its summit is a flat moorland plateau with boardwalks through the heather and bog, an odd and lovely landscape for the Black Forest, with a television tower and an old signal tower, and from the top you look down over the Rhine plain to Strasbourg's cathedral and the Vosges on a clear day. The weather up here changes fast: the crest gets more rain and fog than the valleys below, and the temperature can be ten degrees lower than in Baden-Baden.
For riders this stretch is all about rhythm. The road is broad, well surfaced and fast, with long sweepers through the forest and open views where windthrow and storms have thinned the trees. Its popularity means busy weekends and regular police controls, so keep an eye on the speed. Down the western side, small roads drop steeply to Seebach, Sasbachwalden and the vineyards of the Ortenau, with hairpins and tight wooded bends, a good detour if you want something more technical. There are restaurants and cafes along the crest, but for fuel look to the valley towns such as Kappelrodeck, Achern or Bühl, which are a twenty-minute descent away.