Westerwald Lake District

The Rhineland-Palatinate recreation area that enchants...

The seven lakes in the middle of the low mountain range offer a special tourist attraction. The ponds of the Westerwald Lake District are located within the Rhineland-Palatinate town triangle of Dierdorf, Hachenburg, Montabaur and Westerburg. This German nature reserve already attracts visitors from all over Rhineland-Palatinate and the surrounding area. The wide range of leisure and sporting activities on offer are tempting for everyone. Hikers and cyclists have the opportunity to enjoy the unique panorama along the shore on the 7-pond hiking trail. In summer, the lakes offer fun and relaxation swimming or a pedalo ride on the Dreifelder Weiher.

A bird paradise for around 250 bird species

The NABU Foundation acquired the ponds in autumn 2019, in particular to protect the idyllic habitat of the animals and plants. The bird sanctuary, surrounded by forests and meadows, is home to around 250 bird species. The Westerwald Lake District is a true paradise for bird lovers and amateur photographers, as it is home to great crested grebes, grey herons and coots, among others. With a bit of luck, you can also spot protected species such as the great horned owl.

Highlights at the Westerwald Lake District

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Westerwälder Seenplatte - Dreifelder Weiher circular route

The way is not specially signposted. You can follow the signs for the 7-Weiher-Wanderweg Nordschleife, where you can discover the kingdom of the great crested grebes, gray herons and coots. The Dreifelder Weiher, with its shallow water zones, swamp areas and moist grassland areas, offers a habitat for rare plants and animal species, which can be observed from the bank trail. There are no inclines, the paths are gravel and can be walked on in any season. Several display boards explain a lot of interesting facts about the geology, flora, fauna, the country and the people. The highlights of this circular hiking trail close to the shore are the wooden high seat and the bridge in Dreifelden, which offer wonderful views over the lake and the river Wied.

Westerwald Lake District - 7-pond hike on the Nordschleife

Starting from the adventure playground between Steinen and Dreifelden, we will soon reach the nature reserve at the Dreifelder Weiher. We enjoy the calming view over the gentle waves and walk over forest paths and boardwalks through the alder-lined wetland. We take plenty of time for the display boards and quietly observe the extraordinary bird life that is at home here. With the Dreifelder Weiher firmly in view, we follow the path until we come to Langenbaum towards Steinebach a.d. Turn off Wied, where we can admire the cultural monument Talburgruine. Past the bakery, we soon come back to a meadow path and into the Steinebach sculpture park. Five sculptures with accompanying information boards were created here by local artists. Via Schmidthahn, the path soon leads us past the Hofmannsweiher to the west bank of the Dreifelder Weihers. With the Haidenweiher we pass another body of water in the lake district and hike back to the Steinen-Dreifelden adventure playground via forest paths.

Experience a lot on the Lake District Cycle Route (I)

The center of the lake district is the Dreifelder Weiher, because it is the largest of the lakes, two kilometers long and up to 800 meters wide. Here I can swim and row, and I can also rent a pedal boat. With a little time, I go on the hiking trail with 16 display boards, on which a lot can be read about the nature and the people here. Afterwards I look for a nice place to rest and eat, for example the cozy café-restaurant "Haus am See". Another highlight of the region is the large adventure playground near Steinen-Dreifelden. This forest playground entices the offspring to play for hours: a nice reward after a third of the tour. There are numerous benches and a shelter, as well as a fireplace for barbecue lovers and, of course, playground equipment such as large slides, swings and more. The Freilingen miniature golf course is suitable for the whole family. It is located at the Postweiher and offers drinks and snacks in addition to twelve lanes. The village of Freilingen also has a lido at the Postweiher.

Steinen

Forest playground Steinen-Dreifelden

Lochum

12.10.2024

Guided hike in the Westerwald lake district

About the Hazemer Heide This text was translated with the free translation tool deepl

Dreifelden

Hochsitz am Dreifelder Weiher

Dreifelden

Brücke am Dreifelder Weiher

Dreifelden

Dreifaltigkeitskirche Dreifelden

Explore also

the other natural areas that the Hachenburg Westerwald has to offer.

Drohnenaufnahme von Wanderinnen am Bergkreuz des Weltendepfades.

Kroppach Switzerland

© Andreas Pacek | Westerwald Touristik Service (CC BY SA 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Upper Wiedtal

Luftbild Schloss Hachenburg mit Sonnenaufgangn

City of Hachenburg