Kellerwaldsteig

Quality hiking between Wüstegarten hill and Lake Edersee

The 155km Kellerwaldsteig (Kellerwald Forest Trail) explores the rich diversity of the entire Kellerwald Forest and Lake Edersee nature reserve, which also incorporates a smaller national park area. The walk can be started at any of the ten fascinating stages of the circular tour. The route leads through unspoilt beech forests, past popular excursion destinations on Lake Edersee, through idyllic river valleys and across wooded peaks. This scenic trail offers many striking, beautiful views ... true balm for the soul!

The Kellerwaldsteig in the Kellerwald-Edersee national park is one of the first trails in Germany
to comply with the standards of the Wanderbares Deutschland quality hallmark. Running through the beautiful highland landscape of the Kellerwald forest in a figure of eight, the route is designed to take in the natural, cultural, historical and ecological attractions of the region along with its tourist highlights. It has been laid out in such a way that the walk can be split into two separate trails, and walkers can start or stop at the end of every section.

Lake Edersee has long been a mecca for leisure boating and windsurfing. With the Kellerwaldsteig it is now also a great destination for walking. This large expanse of water surrounded by hills and forests is the focal point of the region. Its 69km shoreline makes Lake Edersee one of the largest reservoirs in central Europe. The trail reaches its highest point in the Kellerwald forest on the summit of Wüstegarten (675m), the tallest hill for miles around. Shrouded in myth and legend, the Mausefalle (mousetrap) and the Exhelmerstein are two of the bizarre quartzite rock formations that scatter its slopes. Its peak is crowned by a 26m observation tower built in 2003 from local larch wood that offers spectacular views across the southern Waldecker Land region. On clear days, the vista extends over much of Hessen as far as the Harz hills, the Sauerland region and the Thuringian Forest.