The “Holzweg”

The “Holzweg”

The Holzweg lives up to its name and leads nature lovers through the vast forests of the Teutoburg Forest. A path leads from the Haus des Gastes to the circular hiking trail. If you follow the route to the east, after a few hundred metres the path goes steeply uphill to the limestone ridge of the Teutoburg Forest. The Holzweg leads around the “Hermannsberg” natural forest cell. After the first ascent is done, the path continues downhill to the border with the Senne. You leave the lime-covered hiking trails and suddenly find yourself in the sand. Along the Stapel military training area the path continues west. From a refuge, the view extends over the large treeless sandy areas of the Senne. After about 2 km you reach the areas of the large-scale nature conservation project. With a little luck you can watch cattle and horses grazing in the forest before the “Holzweg” leads uphill again into the Teutoburg Forest. Again, the path goes through old beech forests over the ridge of the low mountain range. The hiking trail heads east through the Stapel Lage gorge. Here the “Holzweg” runs briefly parallel to the literary hiking trail, where short poems along the way invite you to linger. Further east, the path goes back to the Haus des Gastes.

The “Holzweg” is approx. 11.1 km long. The duration of the hike is approx. 3:00 h.

Parking facilities

• Haus des Gastes (Freibadstraße 3, Lage)
• Gaststätte Bienenschmidt (Kalkreute 100, Lage)

Experience senses on the  “Holzweg”

With its extensive forest areas, the Teutoburg Forest offers an experience for all the senses:

Stop at the natural forest cell “Hermannsberg” and look up into the foliage of the old beeches. The beeches form a closed canopy, which is reminiscent of a hall. This is where the term indoor forest comes from. Let the high green “ceiling” work its magic on you. 

Now close your eyes and smell the forest. Especially in spring you can smell the intense smell of wild garlic, which is closely related to garlic, in large parts of the Teutoburg Forest.In addition to the common beech, numerous other tree species line the “Holzweg”. Not only do they look different, they also feel different. Step closer to the trees along the “Holzweg”, close your eyes and feel the bark. You will feel big differences, which you often do not notice visually.

Sights on the ”Holzweg”

The Hermannsberg is one of 75 natural forest cells in North Rhine-Westphalia. No forestry is carried out on the approximately 80 hectare forest area. The forest can develop naturally without human influence.

There is a lookout point southwest of the Hermannsberg. From here you can look over the wide sandy areas of the Stapel military training area. With the app of the Senne and Teutoburg Forest large-scale nature conservation project, you will be guided along the “Holzweg” on an interactive tree species path. Download the extensive information about the tree species on the Hermannsberg to your smartphone before your hike.