The push to “get down to earth” has taken a literal form this Earth Day in two places far apart: Germany’s Black Forest and northern Arizona. At Park mit allen Sinnen, the walking experience is built around varied surfaces and quiet attention, while The Barefoot Trail near Flagstaff is designed to give visitors a similar chance to feel textures and temperatures with bare feet. The concept has also spread beyond those locations, according to the Associated Press, as people experiment with barefoot walking as outdoor recreation and wellness-style activity.
In Germany, the Black Forest trail offers ankle-deep challenges in water and mud at one point, while farther along a separate design element uses tree stumps arranged like stepping stones. The AP reports that the pathways in the region and the sites in Arizona are intended for visitors to use without wearing socks or shoes, as part of a deliberate sensory approach to walking. The goal, as described across the reporting, is to bring people closer to nature through sound and sensation as they move along the course.
Park mit allen Sinnen reflects a broader wellness-tourism focus in the Black Forest area that includes activities such as thermal baths and spa treatments. The park charges an admission fee and describes on its website a short, one-mile-long trail—offering visitors barefoot meandering over multiple surfaces. The park also markets the barefoot route as both exercise for the back and spine and a form of “foot reflexology massage” in fresh air.
Within the park, the experience extends beyond the ground. The AP describes a meditation cave at one location, identified by a sign in German that reads “Please be quiet.” Inside, a long bench faces tall windows overlooking the forest, and soft music plays through hidden speakers. The reporting also describes other sensory points, including a scent element that uses bulbs releasing aromas such as papaya or apricots and a hand-filling box with wild boar fur.
In the United States, Leah Williams is behind The Barefoot Trail near Flagstaff, Arizona, which includes a manicured trail of the same length. The AP says Williams opened the park two years earlier after a family trip in Europe, and she operates it as a nonprofit charitable foundation with ticketed entry. Williams told the AP that her mother, originally from Germany, encouraged her to go barefoot as a child while climbing trees and playing in forests and creeks around Seattle, and that Williams carried the habit into adulthood.
Williams said the earlier European visit—also shared with her family—showed her the range of ages present at a barefoot trail, including older visitors. “I loved everything about it. I saw all ages, and I loved seeing older people at the park because you don’t see that here in the United States,” Williams said, adding that seeing the scene inspired her to build a similar place after returning to the United States. The AP also reports that she provides educational materials for schools, summer programs, and camps for children who visit.
The AP describes barefoot trails as something many people do not do regularly, noting that walking without shoes can take time to adjust as feet encounter new textures, temperatures, and types of contact. Williams told the AP she likes watching how new visitors react when they begin walking. She also said barefoot trails are tied to stewardship of the environment, and described how the park set aside acreage for community enjoyment.
Although the idea centers on going shoeless, the AP reports that nude feet are not required at the parks it profiles. Visitors with neuropathy, diabetes, or other foot conditions are welcome to keep their shoes on at the Arizona and Germany sites. That detail appears in the reporting alongside the broader description of barefoot trails as open to newcomers while still treating foot safety and comfort as part of the experience.
The Associated Press also notes that barefoot trails exist across many countries. It lists several European nations—among them Austria, Denmark, France, Hungary, Switzerland, and the U.K.—and says some locations are meant more for local residents than tourists. The AP adds that in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan, some public parks include pebble trails where smooth stones are set into walkways for reflexology and foot massage, while in the United States there are wellness parks and informal barefoot hikes that are less common.
Williams told the AP she plans to expand the concept beyond Arizona, and the reporting says the foundation recently received about 8 hectares (20 acres) of land in Lawrence, Kansas, to develop a park like the one she opened near Flagstaff. “The park will be one of the components of a larger commercial space being developed,” Williams said. “It’s about integrating those natural environments into people’s daily lives and providing those safe spaces for people to enjoy.”