Wallenfelser Höhenweg HRW 6

From the hiking parking lot at the Flößerhaus, we hike along the Wild Rodach to the town center. At the entrance to the old forester's lodge, our path branches off over the bridge and we reach a gravel path in the forest via the market square and the Höhenweg. The ascent does the Wallenfelser Höhenweg credit, but you are compensated with a wonderful view from the Schlossberg Chapel down to the former rafting town.

The chapel was built in 1923 in memory of the fallen of the First World War on the site of the former Waldenfels Castle and is a landmark of Wallenfels.

Our path leads to the left before the Schlossberg Chapel. We walk past several crossroads on the Nortwaldweg trail for the next 3.5 km through quiet forests on the ridge towards the small hamlet of Schindelthal. A shady spot under the village lime tree invites you to take a break. After 2 km uphill on a well-maintained farm track, we reach the heights near Neuengrün with fantastic views across to Neufang and Birnbaum with its observation tower. At the large Zwistel, we turn right and head directly towards Neuengrün.

The typical and award-winning circular village of Neuengrün (608 m) is characterized by the small but pretty curate's church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

From the village green, all roads radially lead out of the gem, one of which is the connecting road to Wolfersgrün that leads out of the village on the left. Follow the connecting road with the necessary caution on the left-hand side of the road. Wonderful panoramic views in almost all directions make the hiker's heart beat faster. After around 1.5 km, we come to a path that turns right into a wooded area.

At the forest clearing, Wolfersgrün, situated at an altitude of 574 m, lies before us with its Catholic branch church of St. Georg, built in 1948, and several marterns worth seeing in the surrounding area. A wonderful adventure playground near the church is a must for the children on the hike.

Past the old forester's lodge, the almost flat path then runs along the ridge of meadows and fields to the hamlet of Wellesberg. There is (almost) always an opportunity to stop off at the beer bar. The view sweeps over the long side valleys of the Wild Rodach to densely wooded areas of the Franconian Forest. After another 1.5 km on the ridge path and a short but steep descent, we reach Schnappenhammer, located at the mouth of the Lamitz into the Wild Rodach, in a southerly direction.

In addition to the entrance to the Lamitztal nature trail, we also come across the rafting area, the starting point of the show raft trips (www.wallenfels.de).

After carefully crossing the main road 173, we reach the footpath and cycle path along the Wild Rodach. The wide meadow valley typical of the Franconian Forest stretches westwards to the rafting town of Wallenfels. Passing the bridge to Köstenschmölz and the wildly romantic steep slope of the Schwarze Wand, after 2 km we reach the leisure facilities of Wallenfels with its outdoor pool, tennis court and campsite. A wooden footbridge takes hikers back to the parking lot at the Flößerhaus, the starting point of the tour.</p