About the Palatinate Wine Trail

The Pfälzer Weinsteig has an official total length of 185 kilometres, which can be walked in eleven daily stages. Opened in 2010, the long-distance hiking trail is the longest of the three certified hiking trails in the Palatinate Forest, ahead of the Palatinate Forest Trail and the Palatinate High Trail. The trail is marked with a red and white wave and runs in a north-south direction from Bockenheim near Grünstadt to Schweigen-Rechtenbach on the German-French border. It alternates repeatedly between the Palatinate wine-growing region on the German Wine Route and the heights of the Palatinate Forest. In total, there are about 6,000 metres of altitude difference to be climbed along the entire route. Highlights of the tour include the Kalmit, the Weinbiet, Bad Dürkheim, Annweiler with its Trifels group of castles, the Peace Monument and many small winegrowing villages along the way.

We were on the Palatinate Forest Trail in mid-March 2021 and decided to reduce the number of stages to seven, resulting in a daily stage length of about 25 kilometres. Due to the Covid-19 situation in 2021, all accommodation was closed and the nights were still too cool for bivouacking. So we were on the road with two vehicles and always parked one vehicle at the end point in the morning and drove to the starting point with the second vehicle. We spent the night in the vehicle, some of which had very nice places to stay overnight. Have we aroused your interest? Then come with us on our journey along the Palatinate Forest Trail!

Day 2 - From the Langental hiking car park to Deidesheim

We started today's tour a little off the beaten track of the Pfälzer Weinsteig, as we couldn't find a place to spend the night directly on the route on this stage. So first we had to climb a few metres in altitude up to the Leininger Sporn, a mountain spur between Grünstadt and Bad Dürkheim. Once we reached the top, we first made a detour to the Ungeheuersee lake. It lies at an altitude of 357 metres in a small notch valley and is more of a "little lake" than a full-blown lake, but it has been a protected natural monument since the 1930s. According to legend, when the lake was still unkempt and the surrounding area was boggy, nobody liked to go there because forest spirits would be up to mischief here at midnight. Allegedly, a forest woman also lived by the lake, who is said to have stolen many a child. The lake is a dystrophic body of water due to its lack of nutrients. It has an acidic character, so there are no fish in it, but it is rich in amphibian life (sources: Wikipedia and information board).

The Bismack Tower and the Roman quarry

We continued along many small paths up to the Bismarck Tower on the Peterskopf at an altitude of just under 500 metres. It dates back to 1903, is a listed building and is a popular destination for hikers and mountain bikers. On the way to Bad Dürkheim, we passed the Teufelsstein mountain with the monolith of the same name, which is said to have been a place of sacrifice or worship in earlier times. From here you have a great view of our next destination, Bad Dürkheim. Before that, however, we explored the "Kriemhildenstuhl" just outside the town. The quarry from Roman times contains many depictions carved into the rock. The "sun signs" represent military insignia of the Roman troops who were active on site. Many inscriptions provide insights into the organisation of work. There are names of people with details of their position, military unit, people, animals and symbols for genitals (source: information board). A beautiful and very interesting place.

Via Bad Dürkheim to the Wachtenburg

We continued through Bad Dürkheim and then climbed back up to the flag tower, a sandstone building in neo-Gothic style. A few steps lead up to the 10-metre-high tower, which offers a magnificent panoramic view of the town and the Rhine Graben, and a few kilometres further on we reached Wachtenburg Castle near Wachenheim. It is a popular excursion destination with a castle pub and a steel staircase leading up to the viewing platform. We were lucky enough to see some kestrels nesting high up in the tower. A lovely place to rest and observe.

On the way to Deidesheim, we took a short detour off the route to the basalt lake. It lies within high cliffs and was formed over the years after the end of quarrying. The place used to be a quarry and its appearance is almost reminiscent of various lakes in the Vosges mountains. A lovely place for a picnic or a short break.

Shortly before the end, we hiked to the Heidenlöcher cultural monument. They are the remains of a hilltop castle or refuge from the late Carolingian period. We reached the Sensetal car park near Deidesheim at sunset. This was also our starting point for the next tour.

Watch the video of the second day on the Palatinate Wine Trail here

The tour on Komoot