Walking routes in the Palatine Forest fall into two categories. The first are longer walking routes, most of which are maintained by the Palatine Forest Club ( German: Pfälzerwald-Verein), or PWV, and which are linked to the national and international network of long distance paths. [1] The second category are those local circular walks and themed walking routes, some of which are of wider regional importance, and which are maintained by municipal authorities. The Palatine Forest, as part of the Palatine Forest-North Vosges Biosphere Reserve, is an important conservation area. As a result, the Palatine Forest, the bunter sandstone landscape of the Palatine Forest Nature Park, the castles in the Dahner Felsenland and the cross-border paths into Alsace and the Vosges make the region particularly popular with ramblers and walkers. [2]
This section lists those long distance paths that run through the Palatine Forest.
The
Palatine Ways of St. James are two historic
pilgrimage routes from
Speyer to
Santiago de Compostela, signed by waymarks with a white scallop on blue field (German: Weiße Muschel auf blauem Grund), the symbol of
Saint James. The historic, northern route ran along the
Speyerbach, through the
Frankenweide and the
Karlstal valley towards the
Landstuhl Marsh, past the pilgrimage church in Vogelbach, via
Karlsberg to
Homburg and from there via
Hornbach Abbey to
France. The present-day, less well known southern route runs partly along the
Klingbach stream, through the
Wasgau, and along the French border to Hornbach Abbey.
The
E8 European long distance path from
Ireland to
Turkey runs through the state of
Rhineland-Palatinate from the north along the
River Rhine to the
Donnersberg hill, then via
Worms in the
Odenwald (
Hesse). An alternative E8 southern route runs through the Palatine Forest, as follows:
The international Nahegau-Wasgau-Vosges long distance path is waymarked by a white cross and runs from
Niederhausen an der Nahe over the Donnersberg, the Schorlenberg, via Hochspeyer and
Waldleiningen to Johanniskreuz (to here it is part of the southern branch of the E8 European long distance path). From Johanniskreuz, the trail runs via
Leimen and
Münchweiler an der Rodalb to
Pirmasens. Heading for France, the route then runs via Pirmasens-Erlenbrunn, the Palatine Forest Club hut of Drei Buchen,
Eppenbrunn, the
Altschlossfelsen rocks and then over the border to
Bitche and
Wingen-sur-Moder in France.
The international Donnersberg-Donon long distance path is waymarked by a red bar and runs from
Bad Kreuznach through the Donnersberg area and Palatine Forest to the
Donon in Alsace. Its route through the Palatine Forest takes it via
Kaiserslautern, the
Aschbacherhof,
Trippstadt, past
Oberhammer and
Leimen to the ruins of
Gräfenstein Castle. From there it continues via
Hinterweidenthal and the
Neudahn Castle ruins, through
Dahn,
Bruchweiler and
Rumbach to the French border at the Emperor William Rock (Kaiser-Wilhelm-Stein). The trail is designated as
GR 53 on the French side and runs in several stages through the Alsace to the summit of the Donon.
The international Staudernheim-Soultz-sous-Forêts long distance path is signed with a blue bar and heads from
Staudernheim on the
River Nahe, through the
Palatinate to
Soultz-sous-Forêts in Alsace.
The international Pirmasens-Belfort long distance path is waymarked by a yellow bar and runs Pirmasens to
Belfort south of the Vosges. Details of the various stages of the route are given below.
The
Saar-Rhine-Main long distance path (Fernwanderweg Saar-Rhein-Main) is signed with a yellow cross and runs through the Palatine Forest and
Rhenish Hesse to the
River Main, more specifically from
Homburg via
Höheinöd,
Waldfischbach, the Hundsweiher Sawmill and the
Schwarzbachtal to Johanniskreuz. From there it continues through
Elmstein, along the
Helmbach to
Erfenstein, then via
Lambrecht to the Palatine Forest Club hut of Lambertskreuz. The last stage of the path within the Palatine Forest runs over the
Hardenburg,
Altleiningen and
Eisenberg to Rhenish Hesse, and there via
Alzey to
Wörth am Main.
The Franconia-Hesse-Palatinate long distance path (Fernwanderweg Franken-Hessen-Kurpfalz) runs from
Aschaffenburg via Speyer and finally through the Palatine Forest, waymarked with a red cross, to
Lichtenberg Castle. Its route through the Forest goes fromd
Edenkoben,
Naturfreundehaus Sauermilchtälchen, via
Taubensuhl and the
Eschkopf to Johanniskreuz (to this point it is part of the southern branch of the E 8 European long distance path). From Johanniskreuz it continues to the
Oberhammer and through the
Karlstal valley to the Friends of Nature house (Naturfreundehaus) of Finsterbrunnertal, then runs past the
Gelterswoog to
Landstuhl. Passing Kusel the path finally reaches Lichtenberg Castle.
These two trails run from Saarbrücken through the Palatine Forest to the River Rhine near Wörth.
The green bar footpath in the Palatine Forest runs from Zweibrücken-
Niederauerbach via
Contwig,
Walshausen, and
Bottenbach to
Kröppen. From there it goes via
Eppenbrunn and
Ludwigswinkel,
Petersbächel and
Schönau to
Nothweiler, before finally passing through
Bobenthal heading for
Sankt Germanshof on the French border. The route continues further via
Schweigen-Rechtenbach towards
Bienwald.
The path waymarked by a black dot on a white bar runs from
Saarbrücken (Schafbrücke) through the Palatine Forest into the
Anterior Palatinate as far as
Rülzheim. Its course through the Forest goes from
Landstuhl, via the
Gelterswoog and Kaiserslautern, continuing on the historic mountain road past Hochspeyer to
Frankenstein, through the
Jägertal valley to
Bad Dürkheim, before heading along the
Haardt to
Bad Bergzabern, and then finally east via the
Bienwald to
Rülzheim.
This section lists the walking routes of the Palatine Forest region.
In addition to the long distance paths waymarked by a white cross, red cross and yellow cross, all other paths in the Palatine Forest that are marked with a cross pass through the hamlet of Johanniskreuz (the name means "St John's Cross"):
Blue cross: from Niederhausen on the
River Nahe via Kaiserslautern to Johanniskreuz, then via the
Weißenberg mountain and
Bad Bergzabern to
Sankt Germanshof.
Green cross: from
Freinsheim via
Weidenthal to Johanniskreuz, then via
Münchweiler an der Rodalb and
Pirmasens-Ruhbank to the
Erlenkopf hill.
Green and yellow cross: from
Oberbexbach via
Schopp and
Trippstadt to
Johanniskreuz, via
Iggelbach and
Neustadt an der Weinstraße to
Ludwigshafen-Rheingönheim.
On the West Palatinate Way, waymarked with a coloured letter W, the Association for the Promotion of Tourism in the West Palatinate (Verein zur Förderung des Tourismus in der Westpfalz) used to offer guided tours with luggage transfer. Both this service and its waymarking have not been maintained since 2009. [4]
Green and blue bars: this route runs from Göllheim to Eppenbrunn. Its waypoints include Alsenborn, Frankenstein, Schwarzsohl Hut (PWV), Breitenstein, Eußerthal, Rinnthal, Schwanheim and Erfweiler.
Green and white bars: starting at Wasener Kreuz (west of Hertlingshausen, on the A6 motorway) this route runs through Lambertskreuz, Neidenfels, Esthal, Breitenstein, Forsthaus Heldenstein and St. Martin.
White and blue bars: called the Alsenz Valley Trail, this path runs from
Bad Münster am Stein via
Rockenhausen to the
Palatine Forest, and then runs via
Alsenborn and Hochspeyer to the Palatine Forest Club hut of
Forsthaus Schwarzsohl. From there it continues to Helmbach, through the
Dörenbach valley to
Eußerthal, and via
Annweiler and
Waldrohrbach to
Klingenmünster. From here the trail passes through
Gleiszellen, runs past the Silzer Linde, and the Palatine Forest Club hut of Hirzeck on the French border to St. Germanshof.
White and blue bars: the second route with this waymark is further east in the Palatine Forest. The starting point os Battenberg. Running past the Hardenburg castle,
Eckkopf (west of Deidesheim), with a branch to the Stabenberg mountain, and Weinbiet to
Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Haßloch, Germersheim before ending in Wörth am Rhein.
White and red bars: one path with this waymark runs from the Palatine Forest to Speyer on the Rhine. Its waypoints are Kaiserslautern, Waldleiningen, Schwarzsohl, Esthal, Erfenstein, Hellerplatz, Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Ordenswald/Haßloch, Fronmühle and Speyer.
White and red bars: another route with this waymark begins in the Krumbachtal valley, runs to Bad Dürkheim, continues along the edge of the Haardt mountains, before passing Heidenlöcher, St. Michael's Chapel near Deidesheim and Gimmeldingen before reaching Neustadt.
Blue and yellow bars: This path, which runs from
Lauterecken through the North Palatine Uplands to the Palatinate Forest, then passes through
Otterberg and the
Eselsfürth heading for Hochspeyer; from here it goes via
Waldleiningen and the
Mückenwiese to
Speyerbrunn in the
Elmstein valley. It then continues along the
Erlenbachs stream to
Hofstätten and the Annweiler Forsthaus, then via
Wilgartswiesen and
Hauenstein to the Palatine Forest Club hut of Dicke Eiche. Finally it goes via
Erlenbach bei Dahn and
Reisdorf on the French border to St. Germanshof.
White and green bars: the path runs from the
Obere Eselsmühle mill via
Enkenbach-Alsenborn,
Diemerstein and
Frankenstein to
Weidenthal. It continues via the
Goldbrunnen,
Esthal and
Erfenstein to the
Palatine Forest Club hut of Totenkopf. It then makes its way through the
Hüttenhohl to the summit of the
Kalmit which, at 673 metres, is the highest mountain in the Palatine Forest (with a manageed Palatine Forest Club hut), before descending from the
Haardt mountains to
Maikammer.
Green and red bars: the path from
Kaiserslautern into
Leininger Land heads initially eastwards past
Hochspeyer and through
Fischbach to
Frankenstein, then turns north via
Hertlingshausen, past
Altleiningen and
Altleiningen Castle as far as
Kleinkarlbach, below
Neuleiningen Castle.
Blue and red bars: the footpath starts in Kirchheimbolanden and runs via Elmstein, Iggelbach, Hofstätten, Hermersberger Hof and Hinterweidenthal toPirmasens.
Yellow and red bars: One of these waymarked paths is unusual in that it does not begin (or end, depending on your viewpoint) in a settlement, but on the B 48 federal road in Wellbachtal. Its route takes it through Wilgartswiesen, Hauenstein, Dahn, Schindhard, past the ruins of
Lindelbrunn Castle, through Silz and
the ruins of Landeck, out of the Palatine Forest into the Anterior Palatinate to Rülzheim.
Yellow and red bars: the other route with this waymarking begins at Lichtenberg Castle, heading for Wallhalben. It then runs via Thaleischweiler-Fröschen, Burgalben, along the valley of Schwarzbachtal, over the Eschkopf, through
Elmstein, Esthal and Mainzertal (on the B 39 federal road), and past the Drachenfels before finishing in Wachenheim.
Red and white bars: beginning in Niederwürzbach the route passed through Erfweiler, Hauenstein, Hermersberger Hof, Eußerthal, Dernbach and Gleisweiler before ending in Böchingen.
Yellow bar: the walk begins near Blieskastel and runs through Contwig, Leimen (Pfalz), Hofstätten, Taubensuhl (Landau Municipal Forest), Eußerthal and Annweiler before reaching Germersheim am Rhein.
Yellow bar: the second path with this waymark in the
Palatine Forest is part of the Pirmasens-Belfort long distance path and is located further south in the Palatine Forest. Its westernmost point is the town of
Pirmasens. It then heads for Dahn, Busenberg, Erlenbach (near Dahn), Birkenhördt, Bad Bergzabern, Schweigen-Rechtenbach, Weißenburg/Wissembourg (F) and ends in
Belfort.
Yellow bar: the third path with this waymarking runs from Glanbrücken to Eiswoog, Frankenstein, Friedrichsbrunnen, Lambertskreuz and Wachenheim.
Red bar: another sign used on several paths. For the first one, see above in the section on international long distance paths. The second one is a very short trail starting at Lambertskreuz, then running via Neidenfels, Lambrecht and Hellerplatz to Breitenstein.
Red bar: the third route begins in Neuleiningen, crosses Bad Dürkheim and Wachenheim, continues along the edge of the
Haardt to Neustadt an der Weinstraße, St. Martin, Frankweiler and Siebeldingen.
Blue bar: branching off the above long distance path with this marking, it is a short stretch from Drei Buchen ("Three Beeches") to Burrweiler an der Weinstraße.
Blue dot: from
Hauptstuhl via
Martinshöhe and
Wallhalben to
Steinalben; then from here via
Heltersberg to
Leimen.
Blue dot: from
Neustadt-Diedesfeld through the Klausental valley up to the
Hahnenschritt on the
Kalmit.
Blue dot: from Lindenberg via Weinbiet to Neustadt.
Yellow dot: from
Helmbach (Elmstein) to the
Helmbachweiher, then to the
Hornesselwiese and on to the end of the route on the Taubensuhl.
Yellow dot: from
Kettrichhof along the Hohe Straße ("High Road") to
Lemberg, past the Maiblumenfels and the annex of
Salzwoog to
Hinterweidenthal. From there via Vier Buchen and Winterkirchel to the PWV hut of Dicke Eiche ("Fat Oak") and then to
Erfweiler. Finally it goes via
Dahn and the Napoleonsfelsen rocks to
Fischbach.
Red dot: the path from
Hertlingshausen (
Carlsberg) along the
Haardt to the French border runs via
Kieskautberg and
Rahnfels to
Bad Dürkheim, then from
Wachenheim via the
Heidenlöcher to
Deidesheim, and through the Mühltal valley up to the
Stabenberg. From there through the Benjental and over the
Weinbiet (
Palatine Forest Club or PWV hut) past the ruins of
Wolfsburg Castle to
Neustadt an der Weinstraße. From the
central station the path runs over the Nollen Saddle up to the
Hohe Loog and then on to the
Kalmit (673 m), past the ruins of
Kropsburg to the Palatine Forest Club hut of Hüttenbrunnen. The route then runs past the ruinos of
Rietburg, via
Weyher, through the
Modenbach valley, to
Drei Buchen and
Ramberg. Passing the ruins of
Ramburg, the Palatine Forest Club huts – the Böchinger Hut and Siebeldinger Hut – the path climbs the
Almersberg, and drops again into the Wellbach valley to
Rinnthal. Via the Buchholzfelsen and
Spirkelbach it continues to
Hauenstein, past the Kreuzfelsen rocks to the PWV's hut Wasgau Hut. Finally the "red dot" trail runs via
Darstein, the Lindelbrunn Hut,
Lauterschwan, the Hirzeck Hut, to
Bobenthal and then through the Klaffental valley to the border crossing of Kehlingen (Petit Wingen).
White dot: this waymark is found where link paths have been established between the main routes and walking trails. It is possible to switch to another route. These signs are, however, rather uncommon.
The Palatinate Tourist Office worked in cooperation with the Association of German Mountain and Hiking Clubs (Deutscher Wanderverband) on the routes for three certified paths which were opened in April 2011, two of which run through the Palatine Forest:
Many villages and municipalities in the Palatine Forest have marked out local footpaths. These circular routes are usually waymarked with numbers and are of short to medium length, mainly used by local people. The care of these circular walks (waymarking, clearing) has been very neglected in recent years due to lower demand and tighter budgets. As a result, some can only be located with the aid of topographic maps.
Since the foundation of the Palatine Forest Club and the Vosges Club (French: Club Vosgien) about 100 years ago, both rambling clubs have used almost identical waymarking systems. As a result, not only are cross-border walks made very easy but it also supports the fact that the Palatinate Forest and the Vosges form a single unit from both a geomorphological and a topographical perspective, and should therefore really only be viewed as two halves of an overarching mountain range on the left bank of the Rhine. [9] [10]