Discover the Eifel National Park

What to do in the Eifel National Park?
No matter if you are travelling single or with a group - take the opportunity and spent your time in the midst of Forest Water and Wildernis and the activities we offer. You can either enjoy the Eifel National Park by yourself (see "Theme Tours") or while being guided by one of the rangers or specifically trained tour guides.
Except Mondays and Thursdays, at least one Tour accompanied by a Ranger takes place every day of the week, throughout the whole year.

Special programmes address kids, families and School classes as well as handicapped people.

Please chosen from the following options:

Rangertours (R1 - R3)
Ranger Meeting Points (RT 1 - RT 5)
Individual Group Tours with Forest Guides (available in English, Dutch, French, Spanish, Italian as well as german and dutch sign language)
Theme Tours (T1 - T7): non-guided hikes
Environmental Education: Special Programme and Institutions for school classes, Youth groups and kids with families.

Which Ranger Tours do we offer?

Have you ever been on tour with a Ranger? There are some interesting hikes which are free of charge. Our National Park Rangers talk about the Parks characteristics as well as the animals and plants you encounter. The three tours (held in german) are called "Hirschley-Route" (R1)," Kloster-Route" (R2) and "Vogelsang-Wollseifen-Route" (R3), depending on where they take place. Every fourth Saturday of the month you can additionaly join a special tour, concentrating on topics of the prevailing season. Registration is not necessary - just meet the group and enjoy!

Phone: 0049 (0)2444. 9510-0
Fax: 0049 (0)2444. 9510-85
or via Email (see Email adress below)

Nationalparkverwaltung

Hirschley - Route (R1)

Traversing the typical beech forest with its tree gigants and the historical sites of the charburners. You will gain a first impression of the future-primeval forests in the Eifel National Park. Enjoy the fantastic views from a path, called Hirschley, overlooking the lake Rursee and the forests, growing all the ways down to its shoreline. The R1 takes about 3 hours (about 5,8 km long) and is accessible for seniors as well as families with kids and terrain-proven strollers.

Kloster - Route (R2)

Commencing at the National Park-Gate Heimbach (at the train station Heimbach) you will pass the local water reservoir and strive through the beech forests of the Kermeter region. After about four hours you will reach the only male trappist monastery in Germany, called Abtei Mariawald. A nice location for a break before following the ranger on a pilgrims trail back to Heimbach. The entire tour comprises about 9 km and includes steep as well as partly unsecured passages. The R2 is accessible neither for strollers, wheel chairs, untrained hikers nor children under the age of ten. A visit of the interesting exhibition "Waldgeheimnisse" (Forest - Secrets) in the National Park Gate resumes this tour and will hopefully leave you with sustainable impressions of the Parks' diverse nature.

Vogelsang-Wollseifen-Route (R3)

Explore the Dreiborner Hochfläche (Dreiborn plateau), which is acccessibale since the beginning of 2006. Look out for red deer and flying foxes while listening to the Rangers stories of this area, extending over about 33 square kilometers, which have been used as military training area for the last 60 years. Starting from the Tourist Information, Forum Vogelsang, the ranger will lead you through forests and passes the Neffgesbach (river Neffges) to the historial remains of Wollseifen. This former village was abandonned in 1946 inconsequence of the military purposes. Traversing the ecologically valuable graslands you get back to the former "Burg" Vogelsang (Camp Vogelsang) after about 3 hours (approximate length: 6,5 km).