Pfälzer Waldpfad full route

Stage 1: From Kaiserslautern to Finsterbrunnertal

The first stage of the Pfälzer Waldpfad starts at the main station of Kaiserslautern, from where it is not far to the southern outskirts of the city. There we hike uphill through dense forest to the Humberg Tower. The nearly 36 m high observation tower was built in 1900 and offers a fantastic panoramic view of the northern Palatinate Forest, the city of Kaiserslautern with the impressive Fritz Walter Stadium, and as far as the Donnersberg, the highest mountain in the Palatinate. The route continues through the forest over the ridge to the "Rote Hohl", reminiscent of an old crossroads at the mountain pass between Kaiserslautern and the Aschbach valley. After skirting the outskirts of Dansenberg, we descend into the Aschbach valley, walking past the Jagdhausweiher pond. Near the houses of Alte Schmelz, the route leads us up to the height of the Blaukopf and then down into the valley of the Moosalbe. At the entrance to a small side valley lies our stage destination, the Naturfreundehaus Finsterbrunnertal.

Stage 2: From Finsterbrunnertal to Johanniskreuz

From the Naturfreundehaus Finsterbrunnertal, we follow the course of the Moosalbe upstream. Along the valley, we pass several monuments of early industrial iron processing in the Palatinate, including the three former production sites Ober-, Mittel-, and Unterhammer. The Unterhammer estate now houses, among other things, a café where we can rest in an idyllic setting. The same applies to the Klug’sche Mühle restaurant/café, which we pass shortly after Unterhammer. At Mittelhammer, we follow the Moosalbe into the impressive Karlstal gorge. The small river flows here over several rapids and waterfalls past mighty boulders and steep sandstone cliffs. Above the gorge, we reach Oberhammer and continue through the now broader and gentler valley. After a small forest pond, we reach the "Moosalbsprung" fountain, inviting a short rest. At the end of the valley, we climb forest paths up to Johanniskreuz, where our stage ends at the House of Sustainability. The local gastronomy in Johanniskreuz invites you to linger with accommodation options.

Stage 3: From Johanniskreuz to Heltersberg

From the House of Sustainability across the large parking lot at Johanniskreuz, the Pfälzer Waldpfad leads back into the forest, passing the natural monument "Hindenburg Pine". We descend into the valley of the Schwarzbach, where we reach the Burgalb pond via gently winding forest trails. Then we continue on the right side of the valley along the slope above the Schwarzbach. Over a hill, we enter the catchment area of the Hahnenseybach, which we do not descend into but instead hike on a hillside path to the Molkenbrunnen spring. The spring invites a cozy rest before passing green moss-covered rocks to the Kiesel pond. After another ascent, we follow a forest road over the ridge before crossing the valley of the Hundsbächel and beginning the final ascent to Heltersberg. At the forest edge, we reach the Naturfreundehaus Heltersberg, where we can stop for refreshments. From there, it is only a few hundred meters following the signs to the stage destination at the bus stop in the center of Heltersberg.

Stage 4: From Heltersberg to Rodalben

The fourth stage of our hike leads us out of Heltersberg over meadows and fields past the Westrichhof into the forest. We hike for quite a while over the ridge until we reach the impressive Seelenfelsen cliff high above the Schwarzbach valley. Below the impressive red sandstone rock formation, we follow the route into a small side valley and then ascend to the ruins of the Heidelsburg, which served the Romans as a defensive structure against Germanic attacks. The Pfälzer Waldpfad leads us through the Schwarzbach valley to a former armory. Here we leave the valley and hike over a ridge with meadows and fields to the pilgrimage site Maria Rosenberg with its pilgrimage church and the Marian grotto. After another ascent, we reach Donsieders. After leaving the church in the center of the small community behind us, we follow the Höhgasse uphill out of the village to the high plateau of Orleberg. Surrounded by fields stands an impressive monolith of red sandstone, on which a plaque with a poem about the "Local Legend of Donsieders" is mounted. The route then continues through the forest past some striking rocks to the outskirts of Rodalben, where we meet the staffed Hilschberghaus (PWV). The hut is open Mon-Sat from 12:00 and on Sundays and public holidays from 10:00.

Stage 5: From Rodalben to Merzalben

From the terrace of the Hilschberghaus (PWV) (opening times: Mon-Sat from 12:00 / Sundays and public holidays from 10:00), we take one last look over the town of Rodalben before continuing – in several bends we hike above the town along the slope until we descend into the valley of the Rodalbe. Through a side valley of this small river, we reach the building of the former Birkwieserhof. The final section of the fifth stage of the Pfälzer Waldpfad leads us in several bends on forest roads to Merzalben. There we pass on the main street the church standing to the left above us and reach the day’s goal at the junction of Zimmerbergstraße.

Stage 6: From Merzalben to Hauenstein

The "king stage" of the Pfälzer Waldpfad begins in the center of Merzalben at the corner of Hauptstraße/Zimmerbergstraße. From here, the route leads us out of the town into the forest. After a short ascent, we reach the ruin of Gräfenstein Castle, dating from the Staufer period. Equipped with our flashlight, we climb the seven-sided bergfried (keep) of the castle and enjoy the view over Merzalben as far as the surrounding green sea of hills of the Palatinate Forest. Leaving the castle, we descend to the visitor parking lot, from where it goes uphill to Winschertkopf. The mighty red sandstone rock block stands on a hill high above the valley of the Merzalbe. After enjoying another splendid view there, we hike gently up and down through dense forest over the central heights of the Palatinate Forest to the summit of Weißenberg. At 607 m above sea level, this is the highest point of the Pfälzer Waldpfad. From the Luitpold Tower, we have a magnificent panoramic view over the largest continuous forest area in Germany. Then we descend into the hamlet of Hermersbergerhof and from there walk along below the ruins of Falkenburg further into the valley of the Queich. In the valley we can make a detour to Wilgartswiesen with its double-towered sandstone church before reaching our stage destination in Hauenstein.

Stage 7: From Hauenstein to Dahn

At the beginning of the stage, we hike past some rocks to the rock gate, the northern "gateway" of Hauenstein, where the Bahnhofstraße runs between two steep rock walls. After the route leads us along the slope above Hauenstein for a while, we reach the Paddelweiher pond and follow the valley of the young Queich upstream to the Queich spring. We refresh our tired feet with a short walk through the newly created water treading basin or briefly rest on the benches. After this break, the steep ascent feels easier. At the end of the ascent, the hiking lodge Dicke Eiche (PWV) (opening hours: weekends and public holidays 9:00 to 18:00, May to October also Wednesdays from 10:00 to 18:00, closed 25.12, 26.12 and 01.01) awaits with a typical Palatinate dish and a glass of wine or freshly tapped beer. Refreshed, we continue past the mighty namesake of the hiking hut – the old oak tree, which was damaged by vandalism years ago and now lies dead as a tree trunk at the edge of the clearing where it once stood in full splendor. Finally, we reach Winterkirchel. From there, the route leads through a valley down to the outskirts of Erfweiler and further along the slope of Wölmersberg to the edge of Dahn. We now master the last significant ascent of this stage up to Lachberg. Following the rocky ridge, we reach the Jungfernsprung, the landmark of Dahn. From here, we descend into the town center of Dahn, where the seventh stage ends.

Stage 8: From Dahn to Erlenbach

From Dahn, we follow the Pfälzer Waldpfad up to the Ehrenfriedhof cemetery with the St. Michael chapel, which lies in a picturesque location directly below the impressive rock massif of the Hochstein. From here the path leads through the forest over the heights to the castle group Altdahn-Grafendahn-Tanstein. High above Dahn, the three castle ruins sit side by side on a rock reef made of red sandstone. Afterwards, we descend to Erfweiler, pass through the town, and on the other side, walk through the forest at the slope of the Kahlenberg to a viewpoint at the edge of a light-flooded pine forest. After passing another viewpoint at the height of Kahlenberg, the route leads down to the outskirts of Schindhard and further through the forest to Busenberg. From there, we hike to the Drachenfels ruin, which, like the Dahn castles, stands on a massive red sandstone rock block. Near the ruin, we can relax comfortably at the Drachenfelshütte (PWV) before a final descent brings us down to Erlenbach. The Drachenfelshütte is open year-round (except Christmas and New Year) on Wednesdays from 11:00, Saturdays from 12:00 and Sundays/public holidays from 9:00.

Stage 9: From Erlenbach to Schweigen-Rechtenbach

The final stage of the Pfälzer Waldpfad leads us from Erlenbach first to Berwartstein Castle, the only still inhabited castle in the Wasgau. Afterwards, we pass the Seehof pond, which invites you to swim in hot weather, and follow the Portzbach downstream to just before its confluence with the Wieslauter. Here the Pfälzer Waldpfad route winds in several bends along the slope north of the Wieslauter through the forest to the St. Germanshof forest inn, which is located right on the German-French border. Shortly thereafter, we reach French territory. Just after leaving the forest edge, a magnificent view opens up to our right over the northern Alsace town of Wissembourg, which can reach as far as the Hornisgrinde in the Black Forest on clear days. We hike through vineyards over the literally green border back to German territory and then descend along the slope to Schweigen at the foot of the mountains. Here stands the German Wine Gate, which marks not only the southern end of the German Wine Route but also the end of our hike. A visit to the historic old town of Wissembourg is highly recommended from here. And of course, one should not miss stopping at a winemaker at the end of the route. For those still not tired of hiking, the wine tasting there can be seen as a kickoff for the Pfälzer Weinsteig. Please note: On the French side, the marking system changes. The Waldpfad logo is displayed small on the white signs of the Vosges Club at the crossroads.