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Palatinate Forest Tour

· 1 review · Bicycle Rides · Naturpark Pfälzerwald
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  • Gelterswoog 2
    Gelterswoog 2
Starting in the Barbarossa city of Kaiserslautern, the Palatinate Forest Tour takes cyclists on a 61 km journey along the western edge of the Palatinate Forest through the river valleys of Moosalbe, Queidersbach, Schwarzbach, Rodalb and Merzalbe, and into a central area of the Palatinate Forest Nature Park and along the Wieslauter to Hinterweidenthal.
moderate
Distance 61.3 km
4:50 h
377 m
371 m
386 m
215 m

Difficulty level: Moderate tour with several small and two steep climbs (Gelterswoog - Queidersbach has a height gain of 80 metres over 1.5 km and the Gräfenstein loop 95 metres over 1.3 km. The latter can be avoided by riding directly between Münchweiler and Hinterweidenthal on the Pirminius Cycle Route through the Waschbachtal valley).

 

Route characteristics: 
Route
:
- 30 km of forest tracks and agricultural roads
- 14 km of cycle paths
- 16 km on urban roads with no cycle paths
- 1 km on rural roads with no cycle paths

 

Surface quality:
- 58 km of asphalt surfaces
- 3 km of crushed brick/stone surfaces

 

Route overview:
- Kaiserslautern - Queidersbach, 9 km (165 m of ascent, 90 m of descent): From the northern edge of the Palatinate Forest to the South West, and over the first scenic hurdle onto Sickingen Heights.
- Queidersbach - Biebermühle, 24 km (70 m of ascent, 150 m of descent): Heading south on cycle paths through the Queidersbach and Moosalbe river valleys.
- Biebermühle - Münchweiler/Rodalb, 10 km (65 m of ascent, 40 m of descent): To the east in the Rodalb valley.
- Münchweiler - Hinterweidenthal, 17.5 km (170 m of ascent, 220 m of descent): Gräfenstein high loop through dense forest.

 

The route in the cycle network: This important route connects Kaiserslautern with the Central Palatinate Forest.
Starting from the Barbarossa city of Kaiserslautern, with its Japanese Garden and Gartenschau park, the Palatinate Forest Tour continues to Hohenecken. Here you have the option of visiting the ruined Hohenecken Castle or enjoying a refreshing dip at Gelterswoog lido. The cycle tour continues along the country road to Queidersbach. Museum Sickinger Höhe, which is housed in a former school building, is open to the public on the first Sunday of every month. On the outskirts of town there is a shared footpath and cycle trail to the neighbouring municipality of Linden.

Author’s recommendation

In odd-numbered years, the “Radelspaß im Sickinger Land” cycling event takes place in spring from Landstuhl to Waldfischbach-Burgalben via Queidersbach. On this day, only cyclists and skaters are allowed on the road. The route is closed to motorised traffic and is transformed into a lively leisure trail for the whole family.
Profile picture of Dorothee Müller
Author
Dorothee Müller
Update: September 13, 2022
Difficulty
moderate
Technique
Stamina
Experience
Landscape
Highest point
386 m
Lowest point
215 m
Best time of year
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Track types

Asphalt 45.73%Dirt road 2.03%Forested/wild trail 32.56%Path 2.68%Road 15.89%Unknown 1.07%
Asphalt
28 km
Dirt road
1.3 km
Forested/wild trail
20 km
Path
1.6 km
Road
9.7 km
Unknown
0.7 km
Show elevation profile

Rest stops

Benderhof
Burgschänke Gaststätten Betriebs GmbH
Swimming area Gelterswoog
Seehotel Gelterswoog
Restaurant "Palatina Bar & Grill""
Ristorante "Da Memo"
Hotel-Rest. "Zum Schwan"
Restaurant & Lounge Theo's Risto
Hotel, Café & Konditorei Zum Schokoladengießer
Gaststätte Zum Spiegelbrunnen
Bold's Hotel-Restaurant Zum Grünen Kranz
Bahnhof Münchweiler an der Rodalb
Restaurant Avika
Brauhaus Ehrstein

Safety information

Cyclists must obey the German highway code (StVo).

Tips and hints

Feedback, errors or omissions? Contact us by email: radwege@lbm.rlp.de www.radwanderland.de (responsible for infrastructure and route description).

Start

Kaiserslautern: Hauptbahnhof (243 m)
Coordinates:
DD
49.436402, 7.768564
DMS
49°26'11.0"N 7°46'06.8"E
UTM
32U 410720 5476699
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Destination

Hinterweidenthal: Bahnhof

Turn-by-turn directions

Starting at the main train station in Kaiserslautern, the Palatinate Forest Tour goes straight along Richard-Wagner-Straße to the second set of traffic lights at the corner of Richard-Wagner-Straße and Pirmasenser Straße. Turn left for approximately 1.2 kilometres along Pirmasenser Straße until it ends at Königstraße (filling station on the corner). Here the cycle route turns left onto Königstraße. At the traffic lights take the left lane towards Hohenecken and at the second set of traffic lights turn left again onto Hohenecker Straße. The cycle route continues along Hohenecker Straße to the traffic lights at the L502 country road. Continue straight ahead at the traffic lights. Shortly after the traffic lights, the Palatinate Forest Tour picks up an agricultural track that runs parallel to the road and follows it to the outskirts of Hohenecken. The cycle route runs along Burgherrenstraße until it leaves the village of Hohenecken. Shortly before the B270, the route branches off to the left on a track which runs parallel to the B270 until it reaches the Gelterswoog. Here the cycle route crosses the B270 at the traffic lights and continues along the roadside cycle path to the junction with the L472 country road. The Palatinate Forest Tour crosses the country road and continues along a roadside cycle path until just short of the outskirts of Queidersbach. At the town sign, the cycle route crosses the rural road and picks up a short trail into Kiefernstraße. At the next junction, it turns left into Zum Winterberg. At the end of the road, the Palatinate Forest Tour joins a shared footpath and cycle trail and follows it for around 3 kilometres through the idyllic Queidersbach valley to the outskirts of the village of Linden. The cycle tour continues through the village along Hauptstraße. When leaving the village, it picks up the roadside cycle path and follows it to the outskirts of Horbach.

Public transport

Public-transport-friendly

Direct rail connections to the Palatinate Forest Tour are available in:
- Kaiserslautern: Railway line from Mannheim - Kaiserslautern - Saarbrücken
- Kaiserslautern, Schopp, Steinalben, Waldfischbach-Burgalben and Pirmasens Nord: Railway line from Kaiserslautern - Pirmasens
- Pirmasens Nord, Rodalben, Münchweiler, Hinterweidenthal: Queich Valley Railway from Zweibrücken - Landau

The (South) Western Palatinate is well connected by the railway lines from Saarbrücken - Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern - Pirmasens, and Zweibrücken - Landau. Trains run hourly (or more frequently) in all directions with precise connections to mainline routes. Services run daily, including Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. All trains have special bicycle and multipurpose carriages.

Passengers can travel with bicycles free of charge from Monday to Friday after 9 a.m., and on weekends and public holidays. Great ticket offers, for instance the Rheinland-Pfalz-Ticket offered by Deutsche Bahn, and the Gruppenticket 24+ group ticket available from the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar (VRN), also make the train a cheap way to travel.

By road

When travelling by car, any town can be chosen as the starting point of the Palatinate Forest Tour.
You reach the starting point of Kaiserslautern train station via the A6 (Kaiserslautern West or Zentrum exit), the A63 (Kaiserslautern Zentrum exit), the B270 or the B37.

Parking

Parking is available mainly at the train stations, the Gelterswoog, and in the towns of Queidersbach and Linden.

Coordinates

DD
49.436402, 7.768564
DMS
49°26'11.0"N 7°46'06.8"E
UTM
32U 410720 5476699
w3w 
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Show on Map
Arrival by train, car, foot or bike

Book recommendation by the author

bikeline - Radatlas Westpfalz erschienen im Esterbauer Verlag. ISBN: 978-3-85000-261-5 Preis: 12,90 € ADFC-Regionalkarte "Pfalz" erschienen im Bielefelder Verlag. ISBN: 978-3-87073-474-9 Preis: 6,80 €

Author’s map recommendations

Radkarte "Radeln im Westen der Pfalz", Radkarte "Pfalz" und Radkarte "Radwege in der Südwestpfalz", kostenlos erhältlich in der Tourist Information der Stadt Kaiserslautern, der Verbandsgemeinde Landstuhl und bei der Südwestpfalz Touristik.

Equipment

Please wear a helmet. Touring bicycle or bike with multiple gears, weatherproof clothing, drinks and supplies.

Questions and answers

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Rating

5.0
(1)
Jens Korn
March 15, 2022 · Community
Wirklich tolle Tour. Nach einem holprigen Start in Kaiserslautern mit nicht so tollen Radwegen wurde der Untergrund schnell besser als man im Wald ankommt. Bei den angegebenen 300m Höhenmetern bin ich mir nicht so sicher. Das kam mir unterwegs deutlich mehr vor. Meine Aufzeichnung sagt ca 1000hm. Die Tour würde ich nur mit ausreichend Konditionen empfehlen. Da schon einige starke Anstiege dabei sind.
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When did you do this route? March 13, 2022

Photos from others


Reviews
Difficulty
moderate
Distance
61.3 km
Duration
4:50 h
Ascent
377 m
Descent
371 m
Highest point
386 m
Lowest point
215 m
Public-transport-friendly Out and back Scenic Refreshment stops available Cultural/historical interest

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