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Family-Friendly Hikes in Hesse

2,263 routes in Hesse qualify, ranked below by how much walkers rate them. They average 3.8 km and 83 m (272 ft) of ascent.

That is 53 percent of the 4,295 routes we map in Hesse. They are shorter than the local average, 3.8 km against 11.0 km, which is what makes this a practical shortlist for a half day. They also climb less than the area average, 83 m (272 ft) against 244 m (801 ft), so they suit a recovery day or a group with mixed fitness.

Family routes here are short, gently graded and interesting enough to keep younger legs moving. Every one is under seven kilometres with limited climbing. Most of these are on the gentler end, which makes the list a good starting point if you are new to the area. A good share of them are loops, so you can park once and finish where you started.

Trails

Easy

Affoldern A1

Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee · Hesse

Distance
4.8 km
/ 3.0 mi
Elevation gain
105 m
Typical duration
1 hr 9 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Buhlen B1

Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee · Hesse

Distance
5.6 km
/ 3.5 mi
Elevation gain
124 m
Typical duration
1 hr 21 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Hemfurth H1

Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee · Hesse

Distance
4.3 km
/ 2.6 mi
Elevation gain
94 m
Typical duration
1 hr 2 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Kahle-Haardt-Route

Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee · Hesse

Distance
5.7 km
/ 3.5 mi
Elevation gain
124 m
Typical duration
1 hr 22 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Kanzel-Route

Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee · Hesse

Distance
4.3 km
/ 2.7 mi
Elevation gain
96 m
Typical duration
1 hr 3 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Nationalparkrundweg Quernstweg

Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee · Hesse

Distance
3.5 km
/ 2.2 mi
Elevation gain
77 m
Typical duration
51 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Nationalparkrundweg Talgang

Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee · Hesse

Distance
4.6 km
/ 2.9 mi
Elevation gain
101 m
Typical duration
1 hr 6 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Waldeck W10

Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee · Hesse

Distance
4.6 km
/ 2.9 mi
Elevation gain
102 m
Typical duration
1 hr 7 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Waldeck W20

Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee · Hesse

Distance
4.7 km
/ 2.9 mi
Elevation gain
104 m
Typical duration
1 hr 9 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Waldeck W4

Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee · Hesse

Distance
1.9 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
42 m
Typical duration
28 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Waldeck W5

Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee · Hesse

Distance
3.9 km
/ 2.4 mi
Elevation gain
85 m
Typical duration
56 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Waldeck W7

Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee · Hesse

Distance
4.0 km
/ 2.5 mi
Elevation gain
87 m
Typical duration
57 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Waldeck, W3

Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee · Hesse

Distance
6.3 km
/ 3.9 mi
Elevation gain
139 m
Typical duration
1 hr 32 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Rundweg Wasserkünste

Hesse · Germany

Distance
5.3 km
/ 3.3 mi
Elevation gain
117 m
Typical duration
1 hr 17 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
  • Castle and ruins
Easy

Hagenstein-Route

Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee · Hesse

Distance
4.6 km
/ 2.9 mi
Elevation gain
102 m
Typical duration
1 hr 7 min
Easy

Jakobusweg

Hesse · Germany

Distance
5.7 km
/ 3.5 mi
Elevation gain
125 m
Typical duration
1 hr 22 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Raute 1

Hesse · Germany

Distance
0.9 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
21 m
Typical duration
14 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Panoramaweg

Hesse · Germany

Distance
4.3 km
/ 2.7 mi
Elevation gain
95 m
Typical duration
1 hr 3 min
  • Panoramic viewpoint
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Schlosspark-Rundweg

Hesse · Germany

Distance
5.0 km
/ 3.1 mi
Elevation gain
109 m
Typical duration
1 hr 12 min
  • Lake
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Sterbfritz - Rundweg 4

Hesse · Germany

Distance
2.1 km
/ 1.3 mi
Elevation gain
46 m
Typical duration
30 min
  • Lake
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Oberorke Nr.7

Hesse · Germany

Distance
5.0 km
/ 3.1 mi
Elevation gain
110 m
Typical duration
1 hr 13 min
  • Forest
  • Panoramic viewpoint
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Ederhöhenpfad

Hesse · Germany

Distance
3.1 km
/ 1.9 mi
Elevation gain
68 m
Typical duration
45 min
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Easy

Bellings, Wanderweg B5

Hesse · Germany

Distance
2.3 km
/ 1.4 mi
Elevation gain
51 m
Typical duration
33 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Affoldern A1Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee4.8 km105 m1 hr 9 minEasyApril to October
Buhlen B1Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee5.6 km124 m1 hr 21 minEasyApril to October
Hemfurth H1Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee4.3 km94 m1 hr 2 minEasyApril to October
Kahle-Haardt-RouteNationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee5.7 km124 m1 hr 22 minEasyApril to October
Kanzel-RouteNationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee4.3 km96 m1 hr 3 minEasyApril to October
Nationalparkrundweg "Daudenberg-Route"Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee4.8 km105 m1 hr 9 minEasyApril to October
Nationalparkrundweg Bloßenberg-RouteNationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee3.4 km75 m49 minEasyApril to October
Nationalparkrundweg Bösenberg-RouteNationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee5.9 km130 m1 hr 25 minEasyApril to October
Nationalparkrundweg Fahrentriesch-RouteNationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee5.0 km110 m1 hr 12 minEasyApril to October
Nationalparkrundweg Hagenstein-RouteNationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee6.1 km133 m1 hr 28 minEasyApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with Waldeck, W3, Nationalparkrundweg Hegekopf-Route, Buhlen B1. Those are the routes people come back to. Every route on this page links through to a full guide with the map, elevation profile, seasonal advice and what to bring.

Frequently asked questions

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