The intermediate inclination of the Albtrauf amounts to roughly 35 degrees. In the Erms valley region and near Balingen the Albtrauf reaches an average height of nearly 400m. The edge of the slope is at approximately 1000 metres above sea level (German: Normalhöhennull, English: standard elevation zero) in the southwest and at approximately 650 metres above sea level in the northeast. In the Eastern Alps and in parts of the Mid Alps (up to Bad Urach) W ß does not appear as a layer-former, but as escarpment in the slope which climbs up to the W δ. W ß and W δ levels, the latter being about 100 m high, are distinctly pronounced from Reutlingen to Mössingen. Further to the west the W ß forms both the front of the Albtrauf and an adjoining dip slope, which is several kilometres broad. Moreover, the W δ step, which includes inliers and outliers located on the outskirts such as Kornbühl, is receding. Retrogressive erosion has caused the Albtrauf to recede southeast by an average of few millimeters each year. This process is responsible for the deep dips and embayment along the Albtrauf. Landslides and rockfalls also contribute to this process. The ensemble of relief features includes cuestas, front side valleys, rock ledges, spurs and inliers. The most famous inliers and outliers without a dip slope include, from northeast to southwest, Ipf, Hohenstaufen, Achalm and Hohenzollern (Zoller). Kaltes Feld, Michelsberg, Farrenberg, the plateau of Burgfelden (Böllat-Heersberg) and Plettenberg rank among the most impressive inliers and outliers with a dip slope. Miscellaneous The vegetation consists mainly of beech wood forest. Juniper heathland, typical of the high plains of the Swabian Alps, can also be found in scattered locations, such as on Jusi, and is generally under conservation. Slow-growing oaks grow on the rocky outcrops. Spruce and fir forest can also be found in the Hohen Schwabenalb (high Swabian Alps) as a result of forestry atypical for the area. White outcrops of reef limestone protruding out of the forest all around are also characteristic. The Albtrauf was poetically dubbed “Blue Wall” by Eduard Mörike, owing to the pale blue shimmer that appears when it is viewed from a distance. The Schwäbische-Alb-Nordrand-Weg (Hauptwanderweg 1, HW 1), a hiking trail maintained by the Schwäbischen Albverein (Swabian Jura Association), provides access to the Albtrauf and leads from Donauwörth to Tuttlingen. Sport trail mountainbike Tieringen Albtrauf to Balingen-Weilstetten Lochenpass