Schanzerkopf dream loop

The trail starts at the parking lot of the Argenthaler Waldsee, a natural swimming lake in the forest, which was still an iron ore mine in the 19th century. We walk along forest paths and trails past the Schwarzenbruch lake and continue along the geological adventure trail, which offers a small detour to the Argenthal quartzite quarry. From a visitor plateau there, you can gain impressive insights into the "mountain architecture" of the Soonwald forest. The trail leads through mixed forests in the direction of Ginsterkopf and hikes through a varied forest landscape to the Schanzerkopf parking lot, also the starting and finishing point of the Traumschleife. From here, the easy ascent to the Schanzerkopf begins, where our path meets the Soonwaldsteig trail at the summit and accompanies it for a while.

The summit of the Schanzerkopf offers a magnificent view over the Hunsrück, which can be enjoyed to the full during a short rest on a sensory bench. An information board clearly explains the meaning and purpose of the five striking towers visible from afar. After leaving the Soonwaldsteig trail, we hike through old beech, spruce and mixed forest stands in the direction of Ellern. After crossing the old route of the Hunsrück railroad, we walk through the "Kloppwiesen" nature reserve with its idyllic Neubrühlbach stream. From the edge of the nature reserve, the trail runs towards Argenthal through open meadow landscapes, partly over the embankment of the old Hunsrück railroad line through beautiful countryside with great views. Finally, the hike takes us back through a small wooded area, along the "Tree of the Year" route towards the Waldsee lake to the starting point.

On the last section of the tour, there are several information boards about the Rheinböller hut, which processed the iron ore from Argenthal. The ironworks was already in existence in 1598 and had grown into a major company by the middle of the 17th century. At the beginning of the 19th century, the Puricelli family came to own the ironworks. In addition to pig iron and wrought iron, Puricelli produced cast iron. The cast iron products ranged from the entire field of furnace construction to the manufacture of pipes, columns and candelabras (gas-powered street lamps).