Westerwald Trail: through a forest made for walking

The Westerwald Trail zigzags uphill and downhill countless times between the Rhine and Dill rivers. Awaiting in the Westerwald forest are dramatic gorges, idyllic river valleys, medieval villages with brightly painted houses and an alpine-style adventure.

The Westerwald forest is bounded by the Rhine, Sieg, Dill and Lahn rivers between Cologne and Frankfurt. It is the largest single expanse of woodland in Rhineland-Palatinate. The Westerwald Trail runs right through the heart of this beautiful landscape. From east to west, it traverses distinct natural environments. Hills and peaks dominate the section of the Westerwald forest in Hesse. The route passes right by the Fuchskaute (657m), the highest elevation in the Westerwald forest. From here, the views across the Upper Westerwald are simply sublime. Around the town of Altenkirchen there is plenty to discover about Friedrich-Wilhelm Raiffeisen – the great social reformer who lived in the area. Delightful little trails and dramatic views are features of the Kroppacher Schweiz region. In the Rhine-Westerwald nature reserve, the glorious Wiedtal valley is the star of the show. Adventurous walkers will enjoy stage 13 of the tour, which offers a genuine challenge. Close to Hölderstein, in the foothills of the Middle Rhine slate mountains, some 80 metres have to be climbed over a length of only 300 metres using climbing aids, stirrups, spikes, three ladders and a bridge. This via ferrata can only be tackled using proper climbing equipment and is done so at walkers' own risk.

Tip

RömerWelt – Roman experience, Arienheller
The RömerWelt world of discovery is situated on the Upper-Germanic Roman Limes border wall. It paints a vivid picture of how Roman soldiers lived and worked along the Limes boundary. An archaeological park on the site features various interactive stations about Roman history.

At a glance

• Starts: Herborn
• Ends: Bad Hönningen
• Length: 235km
• Number of stages: 16
• Altitude variation (approximate values): Ascent 10,000m, descent 10,100m
• Terrain: 47% unmade, 19% asphalt, 34% other, e.g. gravel