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Loop Trails in Hesse

There are 2,462 hikes in Hesse in our database that fit. They average 7.5 km and 167 m (548 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 146 km.

That is 57 percent of the 4,295 routes we map in Hesse. They are shorter than the local average, 7.5 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, 167 m (548 ft) against 244 m (801 ft), so they suit a recovery day or a group with mixed fitness.

Circular routes: park once, finish where you started, and never walk the same section twice. The mix is broad: 1421 are rated easy and 140 are hard or harder, so there is something here whether you have two hours or a full day. A good share of them are loops, so you can park once and finish where you started.

Trails

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
Moderate

Dicker Kopf-Route

Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee · Hesse

Distance
10.0 km
/ 6.2 mi
Elevation gain
220 m
Typical duration
2 hr 25 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
Moderate

Waldeck W18

Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee · Hesse

Distance
8.3 km
/ 5.1 mi
Elevation gain
182 m
Typical duration
2 hr
  • 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
Expert

Wittgensteiner Panoramaweg

Hesse · Germany

Distance
143 km
/ 88.8 mi
Elevation gain
3,145 m
Typical duration
38 hr
  • Mountain
  • Panoramic viewpoint
  • 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
Expert

Bartenwetzerpfad

Hesse · Germany

Distance
114 km
/ 70.8 mi
Elevation gain
2,507 m
Typical duration
30 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Diemelsteig

Hesse · Germany

Distance
62.6 km
/ 38.9 mi
Elevation gain
1,378 m
Typical duration
16 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Dietemannpfad

Hesse · Germany

Distance
102 km
/ 63.4 mi
Elevation gain
2,244 m
Typical duration
27 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Grenzweg Nidda

Hesse · Germany

Distance
67.2 km
/ 41.7 mi
Elevation gain
1,478 m
Typical duration
17 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Jubiläums-Rundweg um Wiesbaden

Hesse · Germany

Distance
60.9 km
/ 37.8 mi
Elevation gain
1,340 m
Typical duration
16 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Rhenanuspfad

Hesse · Germany

Distance
94.0 km
/ 58.4 mi
Elevation gain
2,068 m
Typical duration
25 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Siegerland-Höhenring Raute1

Hesse · Germany

Distance
146 km
/ 90.8 mi
Elevation gain
3,216 m
Typical duration
39 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Uplandsteig

Hesse · Germany

Distance
66.0 km
/ 41.0 mi
Elevation gain
1,451 m
Typical duration
17 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Urwaldsteig Edersee, Hauptroute

Hesse · Germany

Distance
66.1 km
/ 41.1 mi
Elevation gain
1,454 m
Typical duration
17 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Vulkanring Vogelsberg

Hesse · Germany

Distance
121 km
/ 75.0 mi
Elevation gain
2,656 m
Typical duration
32 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Knüllwald Rundweg K1

Hesse · Germany

Distance
50.5 km
/ 31.4 mi
Elevation gain
1,111 m
Typical duration
13 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Taunussteiner Runde

Hesse · Germany

Distance
40.1 km
/ 24.9 mi
Elevation gain
882 m
Typical duration
10 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Panorama Weg

Hesse · Germany

Distance
11.4 km
/ 7.1 mi
Elevation gain
251 m
Typical duration
2 hr 45 min
  • Panoramic viewpoint
  • 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
Moderate

Wisper-Trail: Via Monte Preso

Hesse · Germany

Distance
12.1 km
/ 7.5 mi
Elevation gain
295 m
Typical duration
2 hr 58 min
  • Mountain
  • Alpine meadow
  • 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

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

Bellings, Wanderweg B5

Hesse · Germany

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

Briloner Kammweg

Hesse · Germany

Distance
47.8 km
/ 29.7 mi
Elevation gain
1,052 m
Typical duration
12 hr
  • 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
Kellerwaldsteig, Nordschleife (mit Alternative A1)Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee83.0 km5,945 m28 hrExpertApril to October
Buhlen B1Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee5.6 km124 m1 hr 21 minEasyApril to October
Dicker Kopf-RouteNationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee10.0 km220 m2 hr 25 minModerateApril 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 Locheichen-RouteNationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee7.5 km165 m1 hr 48 minModerateApril to October
Nationalparkrundweg QuernstwegNationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee3.5 km77 m51 minEasyApril to October
Nationalparkrundweg TalgangNationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee4.6 km101 m1 hr 6 minEasyApril to October
Waldeck W18Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee8.3 km182 m2 hrModerateApril to October
Waldeck W7Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee4.0 km87 m57 minEasyApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with Kellerwaldsteig, Nordschleife (mit Alternative A1), Kanzel-Route, Nationalparkrundweg Quernstweg. 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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