View from Feldstein © CC BY-SA DeWandelaar.Org
Rothaarsteig
153 km
3904 m
4102 m
842 m
2 - Moderate
2 of 5
33 h
Rothaarsteig GPX
- Rothaarsteig.gpx 153km
- Talvariante.gpx 13km
- Westerwaldvariante.gpx 51km
Rothaarsteig Map & Elevation
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Introduction
Inaugurated in 2001, the Rothaarsteig, known as the ‘Path of the Senses’, is a premier hiking trail situated in the heartland of Germany, connecting Brilon in the north to Dillenburg in the south. Spanning 153 km, the trail traverses the scenic regions of Sauerland and Siegerland-Wittgenstein, crossing through the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse. Tailored for solo long-distance hikers seeking solitude and natural beauty, the Rothaarsteig is meticulously marked with a distinctive white-and-red logo, leading adventurers through varied landscapes of dense forests, serene river sources, and mountain vistas, offering a peaceful retreat into one of Germany’s richly wooded and less inhabited regions.
Exploring the Rothaarsteig offers a blend of natural wonders and cultural points of interest. Among the natural highlights, the Bruchhauser Steine stand out for their impressive rock formations, and the 45m tall Feldstein can be climbed for breathtaking views. While the Langenberg (843.5m) is the highest peak in the region, it unfortunately gives no views due to forestation, however the Kahler Asten (843.2m) has both views and a viewing tower. The trail also passes through Neuer Hagen, known for its large, aromatic heathlands that bloom around August. Water sources like the Ruhrquelle, Siegquelle, Ederquelle, Ilsequelle, and Dillquelle, illustrate the trail’s role in the origins of significant rivers.
Cultural and historical attractions enrich the journey further. The historical Borberg Churchyard and Friedenskapelle (Marienkapelle) provide spiritual solace amidst nature. The Waldskulpturenweg merges art with the forest landscape, presenting sculptures that provoke thought. The Rhein-Weser-Turm and Ginsburg castle ruins narrate stories of the past, while the whimsical ‘Nase im Wind’ viewing platform at Tiefenrother Höhe captures the playful spirit of the trail. Each landmark carries its unique story, enriching the hiker’s journey with layers of history and natural beauty.
The Rothaarsteig offers several route options. Near Schanze, hikers can choose between the main trail or the Kamm-variante, a ridge path across the Rothaargebirge featuring a suspension bridge, or the Tal-variante valley route through Latrop, known as the Hochsauerland route, which rejoins the main trail at the Millionenbank hut east of Jagdhaus. At the southern end near Tiefenrother Höhe, the main trail goes through Rodenbach, then offers splendid views of Dillenburg and its castle, while the Westerwald variant heads south to Liebenscheid, passes near the three-state border (Dreiländereck) of Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Hesse, before reaching Dillenburg from the southwest.
Highlights of the Rothaarsteig
Bruchhauser Steine
At 756m above sea level, the summit of the 45m tall Feldstein with 9m cross can be climbed for an impressive view, while the Bornstein is the tallest at 92m. Don't forget to refill water at the Ewige Quelle found nearby.
Ginsburg Castle
Built in the early 13th century on earlier ruins, this medieval hilltop castle became a pivotal site in 1568 when William I of Orange met here to plan his campaign to liberate the Netherlands from Spanish rule.
Borberg
The Borberg area contains the ruins of an early medieval fortification, while inside are ruins of a monastery church from the 1100s and the Friedenskapelle (also Borbergskapelle or Marienkapelle) from 1923.
Rhine Weser Tower
Near the Rhein-Weser watershed, this 24m observation tower, built in 1932, offers expansive, panoramic views from 680m above sea level and houses a restaurant and restroom to fill water bottles.
Springs
There are many springs directly on and closeby the Rothaarsteig. The Ruhrquelle may be the most visited, however the historic and 'holy' Ilsequelle is one of the best for hikers to replenish water supplies.
Huts
Regular huts (Schützhutten) along the Rothaarsteig make long-distance hiking care-free. Most are basic shelters, but some like Am Streit have tables and others are in great locations or near springs.
Trail Features
Details of the trail marking and route logo, difficulty, recommended equipment, and trail certification.
The main Rothaarsteig trail from Brilon to Dillenburg is marked with a white “R” on a red background, access paths have a black “R” on yellow, and the circular Rothaarsteig-Spuren trails have a white “R” on black.
The Rothaarsteig is a moderately challenging trail, suitable for hikers with a reasonable level of fitness, featuring varied terrain that includes a few steep climbs, descents, and lengthy stretches of nature.
Certified as a “Longer Quality Hiking Trail of Germany” since December 31, 2022, a the route meets nationwide, transparent standards for attractive hiking paths, nature conservation, trail maintenance, and marking quality.
DeWandelaar’s Experience
I walked the Rothaarsteig from Dillenburg to Brilon, opposite the usual direction, in just over four days during mid-August 2022. My journey began with an early morning train from Amsterdam, arriving in Dillenburg around 16:00. This gave me enough time to check into the Hotel Liebezeit (previously Hotel Dillenburg), explore the town, visit Dillenburg castle, and stop by the Lidl near the train station.
The next morning, after a breakfast included with my stay, I set off around 08:00. The route starts with a climb northeast out of town, passing a Bismarck statue and temple before reaching the Adolfshöhe lookout, offering views of Dillenburg and its castle. The trail then goes through forests and farmland, with some areas affected by logging and deforestation, likely due to bark beetle damage similar to what I’ve seen on the Harzer-Hexen-Stieg. These cleared areas offer distant views but also expose the impact of deforestation. With no shade, these sections were challenging in the heat. The first spring I came across was the Dillquelle, which was barely flowing. I stayed the night at the Dietzhölztaler hut, near the Jagdberg summit (675m).
Early the next morning, I reached the Heilige Ilsequelle, the best spring on the trail, had breakfast, and refilled my water bottles. The path continued through forests to the Siegquelle, another good water source, before I encountered heavy rain near Großenbach. The rain lasted all the way to the Gillerbergturm, by which point water had seeped into my boots, and began to cause blisters. Fortunately, the weather cleared by the time I got to Ginsburg, where I learned about its Dutch history. I missed the Ferndorfquelle itself, which is a little way off the trail, but made it to the Dreiherrnstein hut and spent the night near the Wanderparkplatz Hochheide, although the expected hut was not there.
After this point, the hike took a turn for the better, and I arrived at the Rhine Weser Tower by 08:00. Fortunately, it was open, allowing me to ascend, enjoy the panoramic views, and replenish my water supplies. This segment of the journey continued through a serene forest, highlighted by the Margaretten Stein hut, the Sombornquelle spring, and a pleasant detour around the village of Jagdhaus, eventually leading me to the Millionenbank hut. Here, I opted for the valley route, also known as the Hochsauerland route, passing through Latrop and Schanze. Despite not encountering any Wisent, I did pick up a tick or two. Make sure you check yourself regularly and take tick removing tweezers. Reflecting on it, I’m undecided if I would choose this route again; I missed the suspension bridge, potentially denser forest sections and views. I suspect the ridge option might be both easier and is certainly shorter. That night, I camped at the Friedensquelle, near where the two route options converge.
I prefer to avoid civilization during my hikes, so the next stretch through Langewiese and the ski fields of Winterberg wasn’t particularly to my liking, though I did ascend the ski jump tower for its impressive views. The Lennequelle was dry when I reached the Kahler Asten, and I made swift passage through Winterberg. Just outside the town lies a beautiful gorge, followed not long after by the Ruhrquelle, where I filtered water. The journey to the Hoppecke Quelle was enjoyable, especially as the Neuer Hagen heath fields were in full bloom and fragrant in August. Crossing over the Langenberg, the trail’s and North Rhine-Westphalia’s highest point at 843m, offered no views due to the dense forest. A steep descent followed, and I felt relieved to be going downhill, passing others who were laboring upwards. Near the hill’s base, I stayed in the Homberg hut.
On the final day, I set off early, reached and climbed the Bruchhauser Steine Feldstein by 08:00, after refilling my water at the nearby Ewige Quelle. This is possibly the highlight of the trail and I was glad to experience it at the end of the hike. Rejoining the Rothaarsteig before the Feuereiche, I enjoyed splendid views back towards the Bruchhauser Steine, leading up to the historic Borberg area, featuring the Borbergkapelle with its view over Olsberg, and the Borbergs Kirchhof. After passing under the Kyrilltor, it wasn’t much further to the Möhnequelle and the spa or ‘Kurpark’ of Brilon. I dropped off my pack at the Haus am Kurpark (wthe DJH Hostel is also nearby) before completing the trail at the Brilon marketplace around lunchtime.
References
External websites and resources used to create this page.
Data
Data may vary from other sources. Initial GPX track data sourced from rothaarsteig.de 1. This is modified to include start and end public transport stations, personal experience and compatibility with OpenStreetMap tiles. Minimal decimal degree track point coordinates are used to reduce file size. Website maps and GPX file coordinates may have different decimal accuracy to reduce file sizes and load times. GPX files are to 5 decimal points or better than 1.11m accuracy. Elevation is modified with CC BY 4.0 terrain data provided by Sonny at sonny.4lima.de. Elevation gain and loss is calculated by creating a sum of the increase or decrease between each GPX track point. Trail distance takes into account slope between track points. Time in hours is calculated using an average walking speed of 5km/h and takes into account speed changes due to slope.
Open Data
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