The Saar-Hunsrück-Steig is a 400km long trail beginning in Perl on the Saarland-Luxembourg border which winds and zig-zags its way from the Saar River all the way to the Rhine in Boppard passing through the Hunsrück mountain range. We completed this hike over a total of 3 weeks on three separate trips.
Week 1: Saarland
Our first week on the Saar-Hunsrück-Steig in Saarland was at the end of October 2022. This portion of the trail was truly magical. I loved that we were mostly hiking on footpaths. The leaves were golden, partially on the trees and partially covering the ground. We had a gloriously sunshiny week. No one else was out hiking, the trail belonged to us! We also loved that it was so easy to navigate the trail – the signs on the Saar-Hunsrück-Steig in Saarland are idiot-proof.
Day 1: Perl to Hellendorf – 19.7km
We’re still young, we can sleep on the bus all night and hike 20km all day! Right? Our night bus from Berlin arrived at 7:30 in the morning in Trier. We found an open bakery for breakfast, where everyone seemed to know each other. Shortly before 9 we boarded an old squeaky train to Perl. We took the train to the end stop and the last stop in Germany before France. As the train tootled along, we began to recognize the names of places we had passed through just a few months earlier on our summer bike tour from Basel to Calais on the Euro Velo 5.
Out of the train, it was very easy to find the start of the trail. There are signs everywhere! We hiked upwards, through Oberperl, and arrived at Palais Nell. There we walked through the pretty baroque garden, still filled with colorful blossoms in the last week of October, to the official starting point of the Saar-Hunsrück-Steig.
All you need to know to bikepack in Europe
The SHS is no hike from point A to point B. We would hike nearly 20km today, but end up less than 10km from our starting point. This is what makes the trail so fabulous. If you are in a rush to get somewhere or to complete the hike from Perl to Boppard, then just take any number of shortcuts. The real magic of this trail is the fact that it zigs and zags and loops around, making sure you miss NONE of the highlights in the region. This really was a specialty of the Saar-Hunsrück-Steig in Saarland.
Leaving Perl, we hiked through the woods to the Dreiländereck, where Germany, France, and Luxembourg meet. We could see parts of our summer bike tour and the castle in Sierck-les-Bans where we had camped. The view here was amazing! The vineyards were changing from summer green to autumn yellow, and the light was just fabulous as the clouds cleared to reveal the sun.
Hiking in a large loop, we circled back towards Perl. Even though it felt like we were going in circles, our path never crossed back onto itself. The drizzle in the morning made the path slightly muddy. Infinite kinds of mushrooms were growing everywhere, awing us with their diversity, size, and weirdness. We overlooked Perl on a ridge with a great view of the Mosel River and Luxembourg. We sat on a relaxing curved bench to have some snacks and soak up the view. These benches are an iconic aspect of the Saar-Hunsrück-Steig in Saarland.
Crossing the L170, we saw signs which warned “Achtung Jagd,” worrying us slightly – caution hunting. Several men in orange sat in a row of tree stands at the edge of the field. We continued to follow SHS signs which led us on a big loop of Sehndorf, an adorable village surrounded by grape vines. The walk through the vineyard was enjoyable and at a safe distance to the hunters. After passing a large hut, the trail came back to the hunters. They were gathered around the cars parked there and no one was in the tree stands anymore. We asked if they were finished and if it was OK to enter the forest. Luckily, the hunt was over, though they hadn’t removed the caution tape, which made me suspicious.
Be sure to know these signs before you hike in Germany!
Once we passed under the Autobahn, we were out of the woods and out of the hunting territory. There was another curvy bench in the farm fields. I fell asleep as we enjoyed the sun warming our faces. We hiked by some windmills in a big field and then into the forest on our way to the next village, Borg.
Villa Borg is built on the remains of a Roman villa. Yes, the Romans were in northern Germany! My dad couldn’t believe it either when we visited Trier. We visited the grounds and explored a reconstruction of what the Villa might have been like. Of course, there was cake and we had to have some.
Afterwards it was a short 2km in the setting sun to Strupp’s Hof, our destination for the evening. We are the only guests!! The woman was a bit short with us but I was happy to have a place to stay. The other hotel in town is closed.
It was only the first day on the Saar-Hunsrück-Steig in Saarland, but there is already so much that I love about the trail: excellent view, great paths, easy signage. The autumn is fantastic: few hikers, beautiful light, and fall foliage.
Day 2: Hellendorf to Mettlach – 14.7km
A short but filled day! We started with breakfast at Strupp’s Hof. It’s just a half kilometer back to the trail and we passed some fuzzy cows on the way. The grass was wet and the sun blinded us as we headed East. Soon we were on an asphalt road along the military zone which was one grass-covered storage bunker after another. It was OK but not Premium Hike quality. Halfway along the fence, we checked the guide book and Komoot and realized the signs had led us on a huge detour cutting out some of the best parts of the trial for this section. We were totally bummed to miss the Neumühle, the Steinbach valley, and the waterfall. Later we saw a sign which indicated that this section of the trail has been rerouted due to flooding and is not passable.
Find out more about Premium Hikes in Germany
After the fence ended, we were soon in a field with an expansive view. We could already see Orschulz, the town closest to the Saarschleife, today’s highlight (and maybe the highlight of the week!). It felt like we had this huge field and the rising sun to ourselves. On a path above us we saw a man walking his dog. Towards the end of the field, we crossed a big group of men out on their Sunday hike together. When we reached the road, we crossed it at a roadside chapel and continued through another field. The view here was again expansive and incredible. There was steam rising from the landscape, a view of the valley below, and trees in every shade from green to yellow.
We got closer to Orschulz and climbed up the Orkelsfelsen rock. From the top we could already see the tree-top path (Baumwipfelpfad) at the Saarschleife. My excitement was getting hard to contain. We could already see people at the top. Good thing it was muddy and slippery or I might have run the whole way there. I had visited the Saarschleife 3 times when I lived in Saarbrücken because I love it so much. And now there is the new tree-top path and viewpoint to look forward too!
It felt like no time until we popped out of the trail and into the line for the Baumwipfel Pfad at Cloef. We walked a long, slowly inclining boardwalk with bird feeders, information boards, and squirrel comics. There was a slide and some other optional obstacles along the way. We read and played on everything. But once the Saarschleife was in view, I did not stop until we got to the top.
Ok, in reality I stopped every 10m to take another photo. The view got better and better as we went up. The weather was incredible – cloudy and sunny with mist rising from the mountains. We spent a longtime time at the summit of the strange semi-circular path to take in the view and the sunshine. It was windy but still enjoyable.
On the walk back down, we read the remaining signs about trees and animals, foreign species, the building of the tree top path and more. After the exit, we hiked back to the start to rejoin the SHS. The trail took us to the original viewpoint station for the Saarschleife, where C and I had been separately many times before. This was our first time here together. An empty bench invited us to eat our remaining breakfast rolls and people-watch.
We left the viewpoint and continued our hike. There were fewer people now, but we still ran into more than we had previously. It was a slow descent towards Mettlach. Occasionally we had views of the river and the castle in the center of the bend. There was a nice creek we passed with a few rapids and a cement bridge covered in fresh autumn leaves.
Check out Anninka’s opinion of this section of the trail
The trail really plops you into the center of Mettlach when you come out of the woods. In no time we were at our hotel. As Mettlach is a Kurort, there were many shops open on Sunday so we wandered around. The experience center for Villeroy and Bach is closed until 2023 for renovations, so we went to the outlet center instead. We attempted to get cake at a café, but it was so busy that our order never came, so we got it to go. At the hotel restaurant we had dinner. I got to eat Dibbelabbes! It is the Saarland version of potato pancakes. C had Flammkuchen, which is a kind of pizza from a nearby region of France.
Day 3: Mettlach to Losheim am See – 26km
We had a nice breakfast at Hotel Saarblick in the morning with a very misty view. There was so much mist rising from the Saar River that after a few steps, we could no longer see the steel bridge over the river. The trail quickly left the town and river to head up the mountain. Once we reached the Ziegelberg Hotel, we had a better view. The fog dissipated the higher up we went.
We crossed some fields by old farms. A man walking his Springer Spaniel asked where we were headed and joyously exclaimed that we’d have a great day with such a route. The dew was thick on the grass and made our boots and pants wet. We had a great view over the village of Saarhölzbach. We passed a pair of brown horses in a paddock, one let me pet its long face. Another man walking his baby and two dogs came along. The small Jack Russel was thrilled to have me pet it. It was so jumpy. I asked if it was still a puppy and he said no, already a mother!
We followed the Saarhölzbach creek for a long while and didn’t see any more people. There were a few fishponds. In 1920 Saarland became an autonomous region of France. In this valley there are a few remaining border stones to delineate Saarland (S) from Germany (D). Here in the forest, the leaves fell like bright yellow and brown snow. Towards the end of the valley we met three Dutch hikers headed in the opposite direction. After crossing the Saarhölzbach one last time, we took a long rest on a bench.
We were briefly in the forest near Britten and then hiked along the Panzbach valley next to the creek until it converged with the Rothenbach and led us to Bergen. There we sat at the Kneipbecken to take a break, though a nicer rest spot would have been a bit further up at the pond. We followed the Rodenbach a while uphill. All day long we must have crossed the small streams nearly a hundred times on little boardwalk bridges. Which I LOVE!!! Boardwalks are my favorite!
Eventually we crossed and left the creek to walk down towards Losheim. I was dead tired, so we stopped once or twice more for me to regain a bit of oomph. It wasn’t long until we reached another stream, the Metzerbach, which brought us to the Losheimer Bach and the Losheimer See.
At the eastern corner of the lake, we left the trail to head to our holiday apartment. We planned to spend a rest day here before heading onwards. We had gotten lucky with the weather all day – it should have rained around 1pm and despite darkening clouds, there was no rain! The apartment is huge and cozy. We got pasta and pesto from the supermarket. C surprised me with Oreo cheesecakes for dessert. How he managed that when I was next to him in the grocery store tells you how amazing he is or how exhausted I was after our 26km.
Day 4: Losheim am See to Weiskirchen – 18.5km
This morning it didn’t look like rain when we left Losheim, though it was forecasted for the AM. We climbed the hill out of the village past the senior home and lake resort to get back onto the trail.
Like the last two days, we saw some more signs for forestry work on trail sections 4 and 5 that was set to end two days ago on Sunday. But then we got to a banner sign blocking the trail and another hiker checking her phone there to look for a detour. We agreed that all signs and online info said the work would end Sunday. We surmised that this sign was forgotten like the hunting tape a few days ago. Under the banner we went, past heaps of freshly cut evergreens strewn about.
Two men walked towards us in the opposite direction were surveying the mess. The other hiker said something to the effect of, “all the big work is over now.“ The men looked confused and responded, “nope, another week to go.” It was a surprise to them when we said all the information presented claimed the work finished this Sunday. They were happy to know this so they could have someone fix the signs now. Less than 50m from the first banner, we crossed another, leaving the danger zone. We hiked a few minutes with the other woman and then split, we would see each other just a few times during the day, but not hereafter. She’s the first (and only) SHS hiker we’ve met!!
Steadily we gained altitude until we reached Scheiden. Behind us was a beautiful landscape with clouds, mist, and layers of mountains. Next to us was a field of fruit trees and lots of horses. From Scheiden, we walked by a few different rock formations and headed down into the valley. We reached and crossed the Lannenbach steam and headed back uphill. We crossed the road at the Bärenfelsweiher pond and followed the Lannen. There were more rock formations from the Taunus Quarzite and lots and lots and lots of mushrooms.
We came to a rest spot which was awesome! There was a big round wooden table with throne-like chairs engraved with the Saar-Hunsrück symbol. Behind it was a bathtub like structure out of wood holding several cases of beer and Apfelschorle. Water from the stream was pumped in to keep a fresh supply of cold water to cool the drinks. Sadly we had just stopped 50m before that to take a break. Second day in a row that we’ve missed a better rest spot, but this takes the cake.
Today we also saw more border signs. This time was for the boundary between Rheinland Pfalz and Saarland. We even crossed the border once for less than 100 m. Here, the two sides had built a 1.1km long ditch to delineate where the boundary was between different towns.
We saw 2-3 more Kneippbecken on the trail today. These are shallow pools of water with a railing to hold on to as you walk with stork legs to improve your circulation. Just before the village of Waldhölzbach we saw the Teufelsfels, one of the best rock formations of the day. It was even bolted for climbing. At the top there was a wooden swing. Then we hiked by a wildlife preserve, called Wildgehege Rappweiler, where we got an awesome bench in the sun. We sat there for a long while finishing the rest of our cheese and crackers. There were so many ladybugs and they kept landing on us.
We hiked a bit further along the fence and saw the European bison. The preserve also had cool info signs about wild cats in the region with little looking glasses you could look through to see a picture. Then it was just downhill to Weiskirchen, led by the Holzbach creek.
In Weiskirchen we checked in at the Jugendherberge (youth hostel), by a very friendly guy who allowed us to also book dinner there. Then we walked into town, visited the lake at the Kurpark, and made a quick stop at the Netto grocery store. Dinner was simple and filling. A spring roll and rice-stuffed zucchini with mushroom sauce. Plus salad and dessert.
The forest on this whole trail constantly smells amazing. I could just bottle it up! Like earth and evergreens. Today we saw a lot of day hikers.
Day 5: Weiskirchen to Grimburger Hof – 19.2km
This morning we left the Jugendherberge and hiked past the Freibad (public pool) to get on the trail. It was constantly up and down today. We saw fewer people than usual. Actually, we saw no one until we were about 2km to our destination. The forest smelled amazing!
The forest’s morning light was beautiful. We followed the Schlittentaler Bach creek and crossed 4 times on boardwalks in about 20m. We quickly arrived at the Herber Loch, a glass-surfaced pond formed from a former quarry. When we reached official trail kilometer 75, the light was still amazing and the forest was for us alone. We followed the Behlengraben, which was a gully formed during the last ice age, and Wahnbach creeks. We sat on a beach in the sun looking at a marshy landscape. It was wonderful to just enjoy the warm sunny weather and have nowhere to be. Before reaching the village of Reidelbach, we came across a sign warning about Fuchstaupe, a virus which is dangerous for dogs.
It was less spectacular on a wider forest road for a short bit until the Alm. Along the fence there was a great trail among the evergreens with jet black horses on the other side. We got to the Alm and, unfortunately, it’s only open Fridays and weekends since the end of the summer season. We sat on a bench in the sun and saw the first hikers of the day – though they were having an after hike break and not actually on the move. After a while we journeyed onwards, the trail completing a round of the Alm. The Saar-Hunsrück-Steig climbs a bit higher to have a great view of the Alm and surrounding mountains and villages.
From there it wasn’t long until we arrived at the Grimburger Hof. We followed the Lautenbach creek for a while, passed the Hof which was on the other side of the water, and then crossed the stream on a bridge which brought us over from Saarland into Rheinland Pfalz. From there it was 700m to circle back to the Hof.
The lady showed us our room and we asked about cake. She said she made cake today, though it’s something she never does – we were in luck! So we went down and had a slice. We sat outside next to a local couple and their dog, who had hiked part of the Saar-Hunsrück-Steig before. And lucky us, our room was full of lady bugs!
After cake we wandered around a bit to some of the other buildings in the village.
Day 6: Grimburger Hof to Hermeskeil – 20.2km
Breakfast was gourmet with fish and sausage and all… but also enough for vegetarians. Our hiking friend from the day before was there at breakfast as well as another couple from Berlin who were also hiking the trail.
We left before the others and headed up to the Grimburg, a castle complex from the 12th century. It was so impressive! We could not believe it was free to go up and explore the grounds and tower. It was very cool and had amazing views. The trees are so beautiful with all the changing leaves. On our way down we saw a woman with a dog who we talked with for a good half hour or more about hiking, how nice it is here, and that the locals don’t know what’s in their own backyard.
We continued and followed the Wadrill stream for a very long while heading northwards. There was a hiker in front of us we had seen as we got to the Grimburg, carrying a sleeping pad and a large backpack. I was dying to ask her about her journey but when we caught up at a signpost, we weren’t sure which way to go and she took off. The post was where the trail breaks off to Trier.
C had read that our trail was closed partly due to beaver damage and that we should briefly follow the trial towards Trier but stay along the Wadrill. We did just that and came eventually to a wonderful viewpoint with a covered picnic bench. There was a bridge back to the other side, which we took, but the trail with our signs went back the way we came. So we crossed again and stayed on the same side, now following our signs in the correct direction. In the end, I’m not sure that our detour was necessary. Beavers are a really important species for an ecosystem, so it was celebrated (as we read on the signs) that the they are having a natural comeback in the area.
At the point where the trail continues towards Reinsfeld or Hermeskeil, we saw two pairs of pensioners enjoying a very well-prepared picnic, including tablecloth and wine glasses. Another two women were on the trail ahead of us. We hiked along the edge of a field, on one side a horse paddock, the other thick with evergreens. In the darkness underneath we could see that this was an excellent breeding ground for mushrooms.
The women let us pass them and then we followed a nameless creek for a while. Our trail entwined with the Frau Holle Traumschleife and then parted. Here we finally made it to kilometer marker 100!
Hike in Frau Holle Land!
We came out into a field which was a “Wild Ruhezone.” This means a relaxing place for wild animals – no hunting and dogs must be on the leash! The field was full of beautiful wildflowers. We took a nice long break on bench for lunch.
We climbed to the top of a hill and thought we could see Hermeskeil already in the distance. Naturally, the Saar-Hunsrück-Steig did not take the most direct route to get there. We had to go back down into the valley and then up again. The trail zigged this way and zagged that way so that we had the best trail and the best views.
In the valley, we followed the Lösterbach creek past the Nickelsmühle mill with a barky dog and then under an old train trestle. We saw several mountain bikers, mostly e bikes. The trail climbed again, went into the forest, through a field, and back into the forest again. Finally, it was time to walk into Hermeskeil. 1.4km away from the trail, we arrived Hotel Jakobs. We were let in by the owner via intercom and found our key on the counter. It felt like there was no one in the whole place. Our room had a balcony which was great for hanging up our stinky hiking clothes. Since Hermeskeil is one of the bigger places on our route, we ate dinner at a Greek restaurant. Disappointingly we could only get tapas because there were only meat dishes on the menu.
Day 7: Hermeskeil to Neuhütten – 18.1km
We were the only ones at breakfast, which began at 9 (late for hikers). In typical Saar-Hunsrück-Steig fashion, we went in loops from Hermeskeil. First we hiked out to see some Celtic hill graves. We could see the locations marked by numbers, but most of them were hidden in the trees. Then we also hiked by two Riesen Mammutbaume, giant sequoia trees.
We hiked towards Hermeskeil again through some fields, then into the woods. Soon we were on a small path which had a beaver sign at the front. Quickly we came to areas which looked like they had been dammed by a beaver. We even saw a spot which looked like it could have been the beaver hut. Unlike yesterday, we didn’t notice any signs of the beaver being present recently (freshly gnawed trees) though there were many, many dams along the creek here which still functioned. It created a wonderful landscape! The trail followed along the Forstelbach creek and further on there were some fish breeding ponds.
Then the Forstelbach met the Prims at the reservoir. We hiked up and up and up to the top of the dam. The view of Nonnweiler was amazing! We sat in the middle on a curvy bench and had a break. Here we saw the first people of the day – mostly (E)mountain bikers.
NationalPark Hunsrück-Hochwald
Continuing, we finally entered the National Park! Very soon we arrived at the Keltenpark, an open-air museum of reconstructed Celtic buildings. The entrance is temporarily on the opposite side of the park because a huge visitor center is being built with a new entrance. The visitor center will also be for the National Park.
We decided to go to the Keltenpark which cost just €2.50 each. It was lucky that this weekend happened to be a culinary explanation of Celtic life. We spoke to a man for a while who was very informed on the eating habits of the Celts. We learned what kinds of grains, peas, and lentils they had. They could not cook with plant oils and used animal fats like butter and bone marrow instead. We got to eat pickled radishes and a yoghurt dessert with malt and honey. There are a handful of buildings and a smattering of texts in German to read. I hope with the new visitor center that the park will also get some information in English.
SWR, a TV Company, was filming at the Keltenpark. Later we saw them filming on the trail and the guy told me it was for a story about the Traumschleife – the Premium Hiking trails in Saarland are called “dream loops.”
Leaving the Keltenpark, the trail led us though the Wallanalage. This is the biggest wall settlement in Europe. It really looks like an enormous a pile of stones but it’s more than 2000 years old! The trail zigzags through so you get a look at much of the wall. There’s a spot where you can hike to the top of it to have a view. A man taking photos called to us to ask if it was ok to take our picture. Turns out he’s from the Sankt Wendel tourism and taking photos for their new brochures. Maybe we’ll end up on it! We’ll be famous!
From the wall, it went straight up and up to the Dollberg. Once we got there, I remembered that I had hiked there when I lived in Saarland in 2012. I had remembered the wall, but not until we were at the summit did I remember the Dollberg. Just a small sign alerted us to being on the tallest point in Saarland. We took a break on a fallen tree trunk at the top. When we continued, we found a great picnic table 20m away. For the third time we took a break just before a much better spot.
From here it wasn’t much longer to Neuhütten, where we left the trail to get to the bus stop. It was a long way down into the village off the trail, so I won’t be looking forward to getting back to where we left off the next time!! Though I do really want to finish this trail – it’s so beautiful! (Since I’m writing this a good year afterwards, I can say that we did return to the trail!) More coming soon!
If you’d like to hike the Saar-Hunsrück-Steig in Saarland or Rheinland Pfalz, I definitely suggest the Rother Wanderführer for planning and guiding your journey. The official website of the Saar-Hunsrück-Steig can also inform you about the trail itself as well as the many Traumschleifen in the area. Here is the website for the National Park Hunsrück Hochwald. On this page you can find any current detours or closures (in German) on the trail.