Dream loop "Nahe-Felsen-Weg"

You can enter and exit the circular trail at various points, but the Tourist Information on the market square in Oberstein (access route to the starting point at the hikers’ car park at the castle pond is marked) is the best place to start. From here, after visiting one of the numerous cafés and restaurants or the German Mineral Museum, we can first reach and visit the unique Felsenkirche (rock church) via a steep footpath that is designated as an access route. After a few hairpin bends and through dense forest, we reach Oberstein Castle and Bosselstein Castle high above the old town of Oberstein.

Viewpoints on the Nahe-Felsen-Weg

Our climbing efforts  are rewarded with a fantastic view of the city centre and the wooded heights of the “Prussian Mountains”. At the “castle pond”, only a few hundred metres away, a barbecue hut and several benches and tables invite us to take a short or longer break. From here, we take the northern route for the continuation of the circular walk, as it again runs through the dense forest without any steeper sections. Passing stream valleys, some of which are deep, the trail leads us to a “turning point” in the route to another viewpoint with a view of the Nahe Valley and the districts of Nahbollenbach and Weierbach.

Most scenic part

From this point, we reach the most scenic part of the hike, the “Altenberg” nature reserve (NSG), via a section of path that slowly descends into the valley, first via the sky ladder down close to the Nahe. It stretches along an undercut slope of the Nahe River on south-facing rocky slopes and is known for its diverse animal and plant communities. Numerous rare birds such as eagle owls, jackdaws, rock buntings and kestrels nest in the rocky slopes, which we can observe from the benches set up here - as long as we have a little patience and a good pair of binoculars.

Panoramic view into the Nahe Valley

Within the NSG we have to cilmb a few metres upwards again. Shortly after the summit, again combined with a wonderful panoramic view, we hike steeply down into the Nahe Valley after a short, flat stretch through dense forest. This time, too, the trail takes us past dry slopes on the Heinzenberg, where numerous butterfly species and other animals and plants that like warm conditions can be observed in early summer.

 A winding path leads from here into the Seitzenbachtal Valley. Via the Götzplatz, laid out as a meadow orchard and equipped with a sensory bench with a view of “Oberstein Castle”, the route leads to the “Homersfelsen” viewpoint high above the town. From here we walk towards the castle grounds and reach the path again into Oberstein’s historic old town, the starting point of your circular walk.