Kalmit summit

Standing at exactly 673.3 m, the Kalmit towers above Maikammer. It is part of the community forest of the wine district and is the highest hill in the Palatinate Forest Biosphere Reserve. However, the Donnersberg, reaching 687 m, challenges it for first place in the Palatinate region. There are a number of theories as to the origin of the hill's name. For example, it may be derived from the Latin word "calamitas", meaning storm-swept heights. Due to its location right on the eastern edge of the Palatinate Forest, it plunges steeply down to the Upper Rhine Plain. The shortest yet steepest hiking trail (marked with a white and green streak) leads uphill from Maikammer for about 1 ½ to 2 hours, climbing 500 meters in height to the summit. Back in Roman times, the Kalmit was used as a signalling station. Today, there is still a telecommunications tower and a weather station at lofty heights.
Thanks to the Kalmithaus, a refuge hut belonging to the Palatinate Forest Club, the Kalmit is one of the most popular hiking and excursion destinations in the highlands of the Palatinate Forest. The hut, which is looked after by the local group Ludwigshafen-Mannheim, was built in 1907. The outdoor seating area in front of the hut has a magnificent view over the Upper Rhine Plain and the German Wine Route. The recently inaugurated prestigious Palatinate Wine Trail ("Pfälzer Weinsteig") also passes over the Kalmit.

Kalmit on foot: Hiking markings of white-green streaks or access trail marking for Palatinate Wine Trail.
By car, the Kalmit can be reached from Maikammer via St. Martin up to the Kalmit hiking car park.
From May to October, on Sundays and public holidays, a hiking bus (line 503, "Kalmitexpress") also runs from Neustadt an der Weinstraße via Maikammer up to the hiking car park.