Das Kinzigtal - entlang des hessischen R3

The Kinzig forms the natural northern border of the Spessart. It rises in Sterbfritz (Sinntal municipality) and flows into the Main in Hanau. On its 86 km long route, it flows through the beautiful Kinzig valley with its historic villages and magnificent meadow landscapes. The tour begins in Hanau where the Kinzig flows into the Main. It runs to Schlüchtern on the Hessian long-distance cycle route "R3" with the corresponding markings. If you start at the train station in Gelnhausen, you can reach the R3 from there via Bahnhofstraße and the street "Im Ziegelhaus". After the bridge, turn right onto the Kinzigtal cycle path. The next stop is Biebergemünd, which you pass just north of the Wirtheim district before reaching Wächtersbach. Continue along the Kinzig river and then along the Salz river to Bad Soden-Salmünster. The Spessart Therme with brine bath, sauna area, Dead Sea salt grotto and the WellVitamed wellness area is open to guests every day. The Arena in der Salz, the Pacificus Sprudel and the Stolzenberg castle ruins are also worth a visit. The route continues along farm tracks through the Kinzig floodplain landscape to the southern shore of the Kinzig reservoir - in summer you can hire a boat here. Continuing on the R3, with the foothills of the Vogelsberg on the left and the Spessart hills on the right in view, you reach Steinau a. d. Straße. In the Brothers Grimm town, a visit to the Brothers Grimm House Museum and Steinau Castle is a must. The route continues to Schlüchtern, the historic center of the Bergwinkel region. The name is derived from the meeting point of the Rhön, Vogelsberg and Spessart low mountain ranges. In Schlüchtern, leave the R3 at the traffic circle by the Kinzig bridge and cycle via Herolz, Vollmerz to Sannerz.* There, follow the sign "Radweg nach Sterbfritz" and the signs "Zur Kinzigquelle". From Sterbfritz, there is a train connection back to Gelnhausen.