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recommended route
Cross-Country Skiing
· Hochtaunus
Trail Loop Rotes Kreuz - Weilsberg - Kittelhütte - Seelenberg
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On the cross-country ski trail between the Weilsberg parking lot and the KittelhüttePhoto: Christoph Schumacher, DAV Sektion Frankfurt/Main
Of the cross-country trails in the Taunus that are regularly groomed with appropriate snow conditions, this is the longest and most beautiful overall and, due to its altitude together with the trail at Sandplacken, the most snow-secure.
Over long sections, the trail runs flat or with slight ascents or descents, but there are also some short steeper sections and descents.
Author’s recommendation
- On weekends with good snow conditions and weather, do not start too late. The parking lot at Rotes Kreuz is large but not unlimited. Also, the trails run on hiking paths and, even after being freshly groomed in the morning, become quite trampled after a few hours.
- You can get information about trail and snow conditions by calling the snow hotline: 06171 507817.
In my experience, the statement from the snow hotline that there is too little snow to groom trails does not necessarily mean you cannot ski the route (just untracked). You can get a relatively good impression of snow conditions via the webcam at Großer Feldberg: https://taunus.info/webcams/schmitten-grosser-feldberg/13/. But in this case, it is better to take skis for which a few additional scratches are not a problem. - The loop can also be started at the Weilsberg parking lot (this saves 1.0 km total for the round trip Rotes Kreuz - Weilsberg parking).
You can also start at the Kittelhütte parking lot. This has the advantage that you first ski the longer trail and then decide whether to add the shorter one. However, parking spaces at Kittelhütte are limited. - With good snow conditions, the route can be extended well beyond Seelenberg. Instead of turning sharply left just after Seelenberg, continue straight towards Mauloff and past it until you reach the road (K751). Here you can either turn back or follow the road about 500 m (carrying skis) until the path ahead becomes a field path again, and add the trail around the Riedelberg glider airfield.
- Instead of the glider airfield trail, in very good snow conditions you can also continue north/northwest past the airfield following the wide forest path until it turns west. Here turn right briefly downhill to Eichelbacher Hof, a small castle where delicious cake is offered in a cozy atmosphere on nice winter weekends. However, the route from Rotes Kreuz then becomes really long, about 30 km round trip, and the return journey is the more strenuous part because it mostly goes uphill.
Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.
Track types
Rest stops
Rotes KreuzSafety information
- On the descent from Rotes Kreuz towards the Weilsberg parking lot, the trail joins the road. Brake in time if icy!
- At the end of the slope from the large intersection down to the Kittelhütte, the trail turns 90 degrees left, the road continues straight. Again, brake in time if icy.
- A third descent where you should brake in time occurs on the return journey, after passing Seelenberg and overcoming the straight ascent, where you have to turn left onto the forest path back to Kittelhütte.
Roadbook
From the parking lot at Rotes Kreuz, first follow the road to Hotel Weilquelle briefly (50 m), then take a forest path to the left straight down to the Weilsberg parking lot. You can also start the route here, which shortens the distance by 0.5 km each way and 40 m in elevation. Shortly before the parking lot, you need to cross the Rotes Kreuz - Oberreifenberg country road.
At the Weilsberg parking lot, take a wide forest path to the right past Weilberg, with a beautiful view of Feldberg, Oberreifenberg, and the castle ruins further along. The trail then descends to the Niederreifenberg - Oberems country road (L3276), runs briefly parallel to it, then steeply ascends to the ridge on the left. There you reach a large junction and follow a wide forest path to the right, initially ascending slightly, then descending to the Kittelhütte. Just before the Kittelhütte, you must cross the L3276.
Instead of descending all the way to the road and then climbing back up to the ridge, you can also start ascending diagonally left earlier and curve back to the mentioned junction. The trail route in this area has changed in recent years.
At the Kittelhütte, you can decide whether to add the trail to Seelenberg or return to Rotes Kreuz. If you choose the latter, the total distance shortens by 3.8 km, and you can skip the following section in the description.
From the Kittelhütte, take a nearly level forest path to the right above the road to Seelenberg, staying slightly to the left of the village. After passing the village, turn sharply left onto a forest path that initially ascends straight but soon descends again. At the first opportunity, turn left again onto a nearly level forest path returning to the Kittelhütte.
At the Kittelhütte, cross the road again, then proceed on the forest path that runs diagonally right, initially ascending, then some sections ascending and level again. You pass the Beilstein rocks, then at a junction turn left and climb steeply to the Weilsberg parking lot.
From here, return on the familiar path back to Rotes Kreuz.
Friedhof Niederreifenberg
Kapelle
St. Casimir
Rotes Kreuz
Parking
- Large parking lot at Rotes Kreuz on both sides of the Königstein - Schmitten road and a small hiking parking lot immediately at the start of the trail at Rotes Kreuz on the road to Hotel Weilquelle (only a few spaces, usually occupied on weekends)
- Weilsberg parking lot: from Rotes Kreuz briefly towards Schmitten, then left to the hiking parking lot.
- Kittelhütte parking lot: usually quickly full on weekends in good snow conditions.
Coordinates
Book recommendation by the author
- Website of the Taunus Information Center Oberursel:
https://taunus.info/files/uploads/brochures/160204_Wintersportinfo_15_16_www.taunus.info.pdf - Website of the Hochtaunus Nature Park:
https://naturpark-taunus.de/services-infos/wintersport/ - Webcam on the Großer Feldberg (to assess snow conditions):
https://taunus.info/webcams/schmitten-grosser-feldberg/13/
Equipment
Cross-country skis and poles.
Since the track is often old/trampled or not present with little snow, having versatile equipment is usually an advantage.
Localization
Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.
User Questions