The Palatinate region

Palatinate, also called Lower Palatinate by its second name, is an area in the southern part of Rhineland-Palatinate in southwest Germany. Since 1919, after the separation of the Saar-Palatinate, it has a total area of ​​5451.13 km² and approx. 1.4 million inhabitants.

The Palatinate region borders the Saarland in the western part, the Hunsrück in the northwestern part, the Alzeyer hill country in Rhine-Hesse in the northeastern part, Hesse and Baden in the eastern part and the French countryside of Alsace and Lorraine in the southern part.

The large reserve of biospheres, the Palatinate Forest covers an area of ​​1771 km² and is a forest area one of the largest in Germany. In the North Palatinate mountains there is Mount Donnersberg at 687m. height, with the highest peak. With a total of 68km. Share in the Palatinate region, the Glan is to the Rhine (with 80km. length) the second river in this region. The Alsenz is also one of the first three large water locations in the north of the Palatinate.

Hiking in the Palatinate

Taking a hiking tour in the Palatinate is of course a very special VIP nature experience. Some magnificent hiking routes in the Palatinate include:b:

• The Palatinate Forest-Northern Vosges Biosphere Reserve
• The Palatinate wine country
• The riparian forests
• The Bienwald on the Rhine plain and many more…

You can choose shorter hiking tours on flat paths, which are considered a relaxed and challenging day hike for most hikers. Or you can choose one of the three long-distance hiking trails, ranging in length from 114 to 172km.take. There are still many hiking trails and circular tours available here. Walks, with a length of 6 to 8km. or border runs into Alsace. In general, you have more than 48 different hiking tours on the menu, almost all of which are very well marked and have a combined length of approx.1300km. have Every hiking fan will definitely find something to their liking here. You can also enjoy Palatinate wines and specialties on almost every hiking tour. No matter whether in a stop in one of the huts or in a restaurant

The 10 best hiking routes in the Palatinate

1-      The Hatzenporter Laysteig

The Hatzenporter Laysteig hiking route runs along paths that are located directly on the vineyards. Lots of thrills and magnificent views will amaze you on this tour.

The route begins at Hatzenporter train station. We walk uphill on a narrow path and come to the first beautiful view. Here we go in an easterly direction, where we again have magnificent views of the Moselle valley, the St. Johanniskirche and Hatzenport have. After a few km. we will reach the Rabenlay with its delightful view.

Now we come to a completely different landscape that is indistinguishable from the Moselle valley. Wide fields come into view and only when we arrive back at the Kreuzlay can we see the glittering Moselle again. On the paths from Schromberger Thalsberg we reach the beautiful stunted oak forest.

We first follow the Schrumpfbach, take the path past the Probstmühle and then uphill to the heights of the Maifeld. Ultimately, the L 113 takes us back to the edge of the slope, where we can see the Moselle again. On the rest of the way on the vines, we occasionally get wonderful views on the panoramic path. Before the Hatzenport, special adventurers have the opportunity to try climbing the Dolling climbing path. We then reach our destination in Hatzenport again.

2-      Dahn circular hike

The Dahn circular hiking trail is approx.18.6km. This route can be divided into two sections and is known as the most beautiful and interesting hiking tour in the Palatinate.

The route begins at the Dahn Kurpark. First we go to the rock massif Hochstein, from where we enjoy a wide view of the Dahner Felsenland. The path then takes us to the largest castle complex in this area, Altdahn-Grafendahn-Tanstein. The castle museum should be visited. Then we set off again to reach the next destination on the route. Namely the rock massif “Römerfelsen”. With a ladder we can go up to the secured platform on the rock. You should enjoy the unimaginable view that we have of the sea of ​​treetops in the Palatinate Forest. We walk through forest paths over the Lachberg along huge rock faces on the side of the ridge and on the well-known rock massif “Jungfernsprung”. A short descent takes us to Dahn, where we end the first section of the tour.

Now we continue on the other side of the valley over the “Sängerfelsen” rock massif, along the “Hexenpilz” and “Satansbrocken”. Here we will reach the “Neudahn” castle ruins, which are known for their towers and rock chambers. Now comes a descent into the Moosbachtal nature reserve, which has something special for nature lovers. We walk past several tiny lakes to the “Dahner Hütte” run by the Palatinate Forest Association. During the leisurely rest we enjoy the area and walk along forest paths to the two rock massifs “Wachtfelsen” and “Bride and Groom” in Dahn. After going through Dahn, we go back to the starting point in the spa park.

3-      The Rhine Castles Trail No.9 (from Bad Salzig to St.Goar)

The RBW route is the so-called 9. Stage and starts at the spring pavilion in Bad Salzig. We continue through the spa park before leaving Bad Salzig, where the first climb greets us. After a short hike we can look out at the beautiful landscape. Here we walk along the outskirts of Weiler and cross the Ziehbach. A passage takes us to the edge of the slope and further to the “Ziehlay” view. There is a wooden figure of a praying nun here.

Here we continue towards Weiler, but then turn left down into Weilerbachtal. We now go steeply uphill on the donkey path. When we get to the top we can take a breather at the refuge. Narrow paths lead through the forest to the Europakanzel, which is located above Hirzenach. A detour to the pretty Probsteiggarten and the monastery church would be worthwhile.

After we have had a good rest, we can start the next climb to Holzfeld. Our path now goes to the Taunusblickhütte, which offers us a view of Holzfeld and the region. On the forest passage that follows, we have the opportunity to imprint the experiences we have gained. Here the path takes us into the hinterland and onto the rock-lined descent into the Heimbachtal. Here you can enjoy hiking at the highest level, because you can walk along the old alpine path through a coppice forest and have a breathtaking view over Fellen. In the direction of St. Goar we walk along the “Pilz” view and we have to cross the Gründerelbachtal. Once again we have a steep descent and ascent and shortly before we reach the stage destination, we are rewarded with a crowning conclusion. Rheinfels Castle. Then we arrive at the final destination.

4-      Palatinate Hut Tour

The start of the route is at the Albersweiler-St. hiking car park. John The path first takes us left through Schlossstrasse. The brown hut symbol on a yellow background takes us past the Hotel Berghof, through forests and vineyards to Frankweiler. At the entrance to Frankweiler we turn left into the forest.

Here we go uphill to the Ringelsberghütte, then downhill into the Hainbachtal and go to St. Anna Chapel. First we cross the Hainbach and continue to the right at the foot of the Kittenberg. Our next destination is the health resort of Gleisweiler. We continue walking to the sanatorium on Badstrasse, take a right-hand bend and turn left. We walk along an ascending path past the sanatorium grounds in the forest to Luitpoldplatz. Here we keep right, go north on the path and then turn right through a forest to St. Anna Chapel. Now we continue to the Trifelsblick hut, which has great views. We walk clockwise in the wrong direction from the Landauer Hütte around the Orensberg. We walk along the lookout point of the Orensfelsen and follow the markings downhill to Kiesbuckel and Albersweiler-St.Johann, who was our starting point.

5-      The Adolf von Nassau hiking route

Our hiking route begins at Königskreuz in Göllheim. We go southwest on Königskreuzstrasse and after about 800m. on the one from Göllheim. We hike through a very beautiful deciduous forest to the Röthe signpost. Continuing along the dog park, we walk K78 and cross it. We continue hiking across the meadow and follow the path to the right.Immediately afterwards we turn right again and walk about 100m. on the K76. We then take the path into the forest and along the forest passage we follow the road to Arleshof slightly uphill.

We continue through open fields and meadows to the tree line and keep to the left. When we are now in the forest, there is a wide path in front of us and we follow it to the right and then immediately turn left again.

We walk along the old cemetery to the most romantic place on the route, the Rosenthal Monastery. After hiking through Rosenthal, we walk past the hotel and turn right. Here we come to the Göllheimer Häuschen, one of the oldest restaurants in the North Palatinate. Now the hike continues on the Prädikatweg, which takes us to the northwest, then about 3km. runs parallel to the road over the paths to the northeast to the L396. We cross this. The war mountain hut of the Palatinate Forest Association Göllheim is located here. Where you can also come for a break on Sundays. We then walk along a path to the Ludwigshalle, which was built in 1890 in honor of King Ludwig II. was built by Bavaria.

We cross the L396 again and walk back over the “Hasenbühl” battlefield, over Woogweg, over Gutenbergstraße to the starting point in Königskreuzstraße.

6-      A Palatinate Weinsteig (from Anweiler am Trifels to Klingenmünster)

We start at the spa park in Annweiler and hike uphill through the chestnut forest to the Trifels Castle parking lot. Past the Barbarossa forest restaurant, we go below the Anebos ruins to the saddle, which is on the left side.

Now we cross below the rocks and the Scharfenberg ruins and shortly afterwards we hike on the steep descent past the wooded southern slopes of the Föhrlenberg. Then you come uphill to the Neukastell ruins. Using a ladder we climb to a viewing platform and view the beautiful surroundings of Madenburg.

We then go down to the small town of Leinsweiler and have a refreshment at the Kneipp facility on the side of the path. We hike through cozy forests and shady paths to the Madenburg castle ruins. There is a castle tavern in a historical ambience that invites you to stop off. We then go down into the Kaiserbachtal, along the Pfalzklinikum to the Landeck ruins. Ultimately we descend to the wine town of Klingenmünster, our destination for the day.

7-      The Eiffel Ladder (Bad Breisig – Adenau)

The first stage of the Eiffel Ladder begins on the Rhine promenade in Bad Breisig. Out of the spa park, along the Roman thermal baths we walk in the direction of Mönchsheide. Soon we can see Waldorf there. At the end of the first stage, we learn a little geology. Here we see the best-preserved horseshoe crater, the Bausenberg, the homeland of rare plants and animals.

Now we begin the second stage, in the wide Brohltal with the natural Königssee and the medieval Olbrück Castle. Now we walk on the very old paths, which were once the main roads of Roman times, through the village of Spessart to the second destination on this route, namely theSteinrausch adventure forest.

Our last stage takes us through the Steinrausch adventure forest. On the way you can enjoy the pure nature and the impressive panoramic views. Finally, we have the opportunity to hike to the town of Adenau and then complete our route.

8-    The Bärensteig

Our route begins at the parking lot of the forest cemetery. We walk along a forest path to the western Jüngstberg plateau and along a narrow path we go up to the “Jüngstbergkanzel”. Here we are greeted by a magnificent panoramic view over the Wasgau. Past the Jüngstberggrates, we go down to the Bundenthal hunting lodge, where we also have wonderful views in front of us. We then arrive at the Dahner Felsenland.

The 400m. A long forest path takes us to the “Drachenfelshütte”. Here we take a break and with strengthened legs we continue to the “Drachenfels” castle ruins, which are known as the most striking rock castle in the Dahner Felsenland.After we have left the castle tour behind us, we walk down into the valley to the cycle path, accompanied by the wonderful views and impressions. About 350m. We hike on the cycle path, walk past orchards and cattle pastures and take a path into the side valley “Staubborn”. We walk along this valley for approx.1km. long and reach the “Vierländereck”, where 4 local communities intersect.

We then hike to the “Geierstein” rock massif and find the bizarre honeycomb formations here. Then we go up the path on the southern side. If we are a little lucky, we can admire “rock climbers” with their acrobatics!

Before we start the descent to the starting point, we can take a short break at a seating group at the Elwetritsche washing area.

9-    The Lieserpfad

STAGE 1: The hiking route begins through the Struth and goes to the Hilgerather Church. We take our first break past the Neichener and Rengener Dreesen (the two carbonated springs). After the break, we continued our tour on the so-called Lieserpfad and walk on lonely and quiet paths to the Lieser valley. At the beginning we walk on green meadows and then through oak groves. Finally we reach the rock path on the upper side of the river and the castles of Manderscheid.

STAGE 2: On this stage we go through narrow and rocky paths. The destination is again the quiet landscape in the Lieser valley. Breathtaking viewpoints should be highlighted here. The wonderful views of the Manderscheid Upper and Lower Castles are worth mentioning. On the Schmitthütte, the Robertskanzel, the Pellenzkanzel or on the Burgberg near Karl. The routes are all signposted and lead along almost the same paths from the first stage.

10- On the rock wall tour

The start of the route is at the Forsthaus Beckenhof. From there we go to the first highlight, the Felsentor. We continue down into the Glastal with the Glastal fountain. We continue hiking to the end and at the end we turn left and walk uphill to the Schillerwand. We continue to the broken rocks and fields of Luitpold. The path continues to the hairpin bend, which we reach after approx.50m. to reach. Then we continue to the Kugelfelsen, from where you have beautiful views of the valley of the ice ponds.

Now the descent to the ice pond begins, where we can take a break on numerous benches on the bank. Then we continue uphill again through the murder hole, along the anvil rock until we reach the Platte forest car park. It goes downhill to Geißenfelsen and Kanzelfelsen. After we climbed very briefly past the Hammelsweiher, we arrive at the starting point Forsthaus Beckenhof and our route ends here.

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