Urwaldsteig Edersee - a week of hiking in Sauerland

Are you looking for a region to really get away from it all for a few days? Prefer a quiet and enchanting environment? Then go hiking in the German Sauerland. The Urwaldsteig, a multi-day walking route around the Edersee reservoir, is less than a three-hour drive from Arnhem. This almost thirty kilometer long reservoir was constructed in 1914 and is actually part of the meandering river Eder.

You ascend and descend on average about 200 meters per stage, so that the route is easy to walk, even for inexperienced hikers. While walking you have beautiful views over the Edersee, the old castle Waldeck and the green valleys in the area. Ideal for a picnic on the go. Food or drink is rarely for sale on the route, so make sure you go out with enough provisions!

You regularly walk through quiet and extensive deciduous forests where mainly oak and beech grow. The streams that flow through this low mountain range (with peaks of about 500 meters) provide a welcome refreshment on hot days. Part of the route takes you through Kellerwald National Park. Here you walk through one of the last primeval forests in Europe where the ancient beech trees have taken on irregular shapes. A unique experience.

The 68 kilometer long Urwaldsteig starts and ends in the town of Waldeck. There are several villages along the route where you can spend the night, so that you can set the number of hiking days to your own liking. The entire main route is well signposted in both directions via a blue marking with a white logo.