Maple Lane

Whoever follows the trail marker of the strikingly jagged maple leaf here, discovers traces of Earth's history, rare orchids in species-rich beech forests, and other highlights of the nature and geopark TERRA.vita.

In historic places, you also experience the rich history of the region south of the city of the Peace of Westphalia. And last but not least: Do something good for yourself in our spa towns Bad Rothenfelde, Bad Iburg, and Bad Laer. The Maple Path is one of the oldest and most popular hiking trails in the Osnabrück region. Hiking enthusiasts who knew the region like the back of their hand developed the route around 50 years ago.

One path, five towers, countless views
They paid special attention to landscape enjoyment: Five lookout towers and numerous other high points always open up new views of impressive panoramas. For example, from the "Hermann Tower" on the Dörenberg, the highest point of the trail at 331 meters, you can look out over the ridges of the Teutoburg Forest, which stretch far into the North German Plain and enclose the Münsterland Bay. From the "Varus Tower," on the other hand, three charming kilometers away along a ridge path, you can look in the other direction towards Georgsmarienhütte, Osnabrück, and - in clear weather - the Wiehengebirge far in the distance.

The two towers are neighbors of the Iburg, an almost 1,000-year-old hilltop castle, which was expanded during the Baroque period into the magnificent residence of the Osnabrück prince-bishops. It perches high above Bad Iburg, the hub of the total 100-kilometer-long loop, which the Maple Path describes on the hiking map.

Flower magic on the forest floor and in orchards
The smaller, approximately 40-kilometer round route mainly runs along the ridges of the Teutoburg Forest through deep beech forests, which are full of woodruff, wood anemones, corydalis, and countless other spring flowers from March onwards. In Hagen a.T.W., you can experience the bloom of more than 3,000 sweet cherry trees from mid-April, some of which grow on traditional orchards, while others stand as ancient individual trees on farms. The harvesting and snacking season lasts from late May to August.

The larger round takes you at times to the plain and to Melle, to the source of the River Hase, and to the charming hilly landscape of Borgloher Schweiz. In Bad Laer and Bad Rothenfelde, you can enjoy one of the exciting chapters of Earth's history told by the TERRA.vita Nature Park: The brine that trickles over the graduation towers of the two spas is a remnant of the ocean that once crashed against the cliffs of the Teutoburg Forest millions of years ago. Further traces can be found all along the way - such as shells of prehistoric sea creatures in the limestone of the mountain ridges. But don't search for too long - otherwise, you might miss the next enchanting panorama.