The Glaswaldsee is one of the wilder of the small cirque lakes scattered through the Northern Black Forest. It lies in a steep, north-facing bowl below the Hochkopf, surrounded by mixed forest and accessible only on foot. There are no buildings on the shore and no road within about an hour's walk. In summer the water is just warm enough for a quick swim if you like cold lakes.
The standard approach from the Freudenstadt side is to drive to the village of Bad Rippoldsau-Schapbach and follow signs to the Glaswaldsee car park, from which a marked path climbs about 200 metres in 45 minutes to the lake. The longer Glaswaldsee–Wildseebach circuit takes most of a day. Pack water; there is none at the lake.