Diemelsteig Quality Hiking Trail - The Quaint Hiking Trail with Heart

Directions for the Diemelsteig D km 0 to 5 The trailhead for the Diemelsteig is located at the Florenbicke hiking parking lot in Heringhausen, below the St. Muffert lookout point. We recommend parking at the lot next to the Tourist Information Office (Kirchstraße 6). From there, a 1-kilometer access path leads you along the waterfront promenade, offering magnificent views of small coves, sailors, surfers, and swimmers. The route passes the largest hotel on the Diemelsee and continues to the edge of Heringhausen. You’ll cross the L 3078 and, after a few meters, reach the trailhead at the “Florenbicke” hiking parking lot. Next comes the ascent to the hidden highlight of the Diemelsteig: The St. Muffert Cliff with its shelter, located almost at the highest point of the mountain (592 m). An incomparable panoramic view of both ends of the lake makes the arduous climb well worth it. You’ll cross the Eisenberg. Passing historic boundary stones of the Principality of Waldeck (FW), you’ll leave the forest behind and head toward Rhenegge. Kilometers 5 to 10 A beautiful view of Padberg and its monastery. Passing meadows and fields, the trail leads to the Frauenrad with its shelter. The shelter invites you to linger and offers a magnificent view of Adorf with its windmills. Now follow the dirt road downhill to the Rhene. This small stream used to feed the “Kleine Mühle” (Small Mill), whose wheel can still be viewed today at the “Hofmeister” restaurant in Adorf. Continue along the mill race to the Rhenegge Mill, where electricity is still generated today using a water turbine. The trail crosses a bridge and runs along the L3076 toward the “Christiane” visitor mine. Heading uphill past the exit of the “Pferdestollen” mine, the Diemelsteig trail leads to a small wooded area. D km 10 to 15 Turn left at the edge of the forest and follow the trail toward Martenberg. Before reaching the Martenberg Cliffs—known worldwide among geologists as the “Rosenschlösschen” and “Adorfer Stufe” formations—the trail descends toward Adorf. For the next two kilometers, you’ll be accompanied by the “Bicke,” a small stream that originates in Wirmighausen. D km 15 to 20 Walk along the Eselspfad on the outskirts of town to the main road, cross the K74, and leave Wirmighausen heading toward Lenkenberg. Passing meadows and fields over the Lenkenberg to the edge of the forest, after a short right turn, you’ll walk on the left side of the path toward Stunzenberg, parallel to and above the Aartalstraße in the forest. At kilometer 18.5, the trail turns at a right angle toward Eichenlied. Kilometers 20 to 25 At kilometer 20, cross the K74 and then head toward Kalkrose. As you emerge from the forest, a magnificent view of the village of Flechtdorf opens up, with its two-towered pillar basilica. After 500 meters on the county road, you’ll reach the village of Flechtdorf. Continue on to the church. At the cemetery, the trail turns right toward Halsberg. Passing the edges of the forest, fields, and meadows, the trail winds through the woods on a gentle ascent to the “Brückenkopf.” D km 25 to 30 On the relatively flat high-altitude trail (600 meters above sea level), you’ll enjoy the magnificent forested landscape of the low mountain range. At kilometer 29.5, you’ll leave the dense forest area below the “Widdehagen.” Shortly before kilometer 30, you’ll reach a shelter that invites you to take a break near the source of the Rhene. D km 30 to 35 For a short stretch, the trail crosses the K68 and continues straight ahead to a small grove. Once you’ve passed through it, a view of the village of Schweinsbühl opens up. In a small loop, you’ll leave the outskirts of Schweinsbühl, crossing the K 67 in the process. On the high trail past “Winterscheid,” turn left. At kilometer 33, the trail veers right and runs straight through the forest for about 800 meters. The trail winds downhill to the Hamesbeutel, circles it, and continues steeply downhill to the center of Deisfeld. Kilometers 35 to 40 After a short loop through the village, the trail runs for about 2 km along the Diemel River to the Speier Mill. After a few meters, you’ll reach Hemmighausen, where the Diemelsteig meets the Uplandsteig in the town center and the two trails continue together from here. The combined trail now leads uphill between Ölkesberg and Dietrichsberg to the mountain hut at Niegelscheid. D km 40 to 45 A wonderful view of Diemelsee invites you to take a short break. The landscape now offers magnificent distant views; the scenery is predominantly characterized by meadows and fields. Head uphill along the trail until kilometer 43; shortly after that, cross County Road 63 and follow the signs on a paved road to the Dommelhöfe (635 m above sea level). Once you reach the farms, you should take a moment to leave the trail and hike up to the Dommelturm (726 m above sea level). This detour is rewarded with a unique panoramic view of the Sauerland and the Waldeck region. This is also where the Diemelsteig and Uplandsteig trails diverge. D km 45 to 50 Amid the magnificent mixed and spruce forest, you’ll hike to the shelter at “Wiggenknochen.” Here, the low mountain range landscape shows itself at its most beautiful. The trail turns right toward Stormbruch. Above the village, it leads past meadows and fields. After kilometer 48, you cross the road to Bontkirchen and, after several hundred meters, reach a wooded area. The trail now leads through spruce and mixed forest above Diemelsee (where the Itter River flows in) and offers beautiful views of the reservoir and its nature reserve at several points. Kilometers 50 to 54 Emerging from the forest, Diemelsee reveals its Hessian swimming side. Heading downhill to the lakeside path near the campgrounds, you reach the Große Eschenseite. Passing through the Buchenwald and the nature reserve of the Diemelsee-Itter arm, you reach the end of Lake Diemelsee. Here, you cross the Diemelsee-Randstraße (L3393) and hike up the Diemelsteig into the deciduous forest above Kotthausen. Along the entire hiking route to the “Am Fresenberg” weekend homes, you’ll enjoy a beautiful view of the 3.2 km-long Itterarm. Above the weekend homes, the trail leads through the deciduous forest to the Helminghausen hiking parking lot and then continues toward the dam. A zigzag path near the dam leads to the power plant; from there, you cross a small bridge above the stilling basin and hike along the Diemel River to the small weir. From here, the ascent begins at an elevation of 341 meters above sea level, passing by the pond with an impressive view of the power plant building and the dam. After gaining 253 meters in elevation on the trail to the summit of the Eisenberg at 595 m above sea level, the view sweeps out over the lake and the many mountains of the (Hessian) Upland and the North Rhine-Westfalen Sauerland. Km 60 to 63 From the summit of the Eisenberg—the highest mountain in the city of Marsberg—the hike leads through the Buchenwald, past historic state boundary markers, and down to the turnaround point of the Diemelsteig at an elevation of 590 m above sea level. Now the trail heads back to the starting point, the Florenbicke hiking parking lot.