Its source is located 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) north of Tieringen (district of Meßstetten) at an elevation of 880 m above sea Level.

[2] The catchment area of the Schlichem, which covers almost 109 km2 (42 sq mi), borders in the northwest on that of the small downstream Neckar tributary Schenkenbach.

The highest elevations in the catchment area rise above the plateaus on both sides of the upper course valley in the Alb, which are often above 950 m (3,120 ft).

The highest point is the forested peak of the Rainen southeast of Ratshausen at 1,006.1 m (3,301 ft), over which the southern watershed passes.

The similarly high right watershed just misses the 1000-meter mark at the upper part of the run with 998.6 m (3,276 ft) on the summit Gespaltener Fels of the Schafberg plateau.