Deep Creek Valley

If you start at Kirchplatz in Simmerath, you will soon come across the Tiefenbachtal nature reserve. As soon as you have left the first trees of a small forest behind you, you will see Mariagrube. This former slate quarry from the 19th and 20th centuries is one of Simmerath's earliest "business enterprises." Slate was mined underground here from 1847 until around 1924. A spoil heap still reminds us of decades of slate mining.
Following the Tiefenbach, the small forest turns into a proper forest, and you enter deeper into the nature reserve until an old oil mill gives you a glimpse into the 17th century: The complex of buildings still gives a good idea of how edible oils were produced here back then. Up to now, the route has been mostly downhill, but soon the path starts to climb, and after a march of about two kilometers, the forest clears and you reach the district of Huppenbroich. Here, you can admire the Christ the King Chapel, for which many hurdles had to be overcome until its solemn consecration in 1947. The construction of the church suffered greatly during the Second World War under National Socialism; it was only during the reconstruction that the villagers were able to fulfill their dream of having their own chapel.
From Huppenbroich, you then return to Simmerath, where the sight of the church St. Johann Baptist provides a beautiful conclusion to the hike.