Waldweg - Nr. 23

Route characteristics: 20% forest road, 80% forest trail

Forest Trail No. 23 – turn left, 900 m – 15 minutes
You start at the Nebelstein Forest Inn. The trail is mostly flat with a few gentle inclines. The forest trail takes you through pristine, romantic forests and connects the villages of Maißen and Hirschenwies. You’ll come to a sandy road—turn left here. Hiking Trail No. 20 toward Nebelstein leads straight into the forest from here. Follow the dirt road to the left up a gentle incline. You’ll pass a station in the Märchenhotel’s wellness garden. After about 100 m, the high forest ends, revealing a beautiful view of the Harbach Moor Spa. Follow the overgrown forest trail, past a wildlife feeding station. After a while, you’ll come to a fork; keep left here and continue along the main path. At the end of the path, you’ll reach a barrier blocking vehicle access. This is where the forest path meets the road. To the right, you’ll reach Obermaißen; to the left, the path descends into the village of Maißen. You can also follow the village road to the left to return to the starting point, or turn around here and hike back the same way.

Forest Trail No. 23 – right, 1.6 km – 20 minutes
Follow the hiking trail uphill between the Märchenhaus (an exhibition about fairy tales) and the inn toward Hochwald. You’ll come to a dirt road—turn right here. Follow the dirt road to the sharp curve, then continue straight ahead into the forest.
After a few steps, head left up the hill until you reach a large beech tree, where you’ll rejoin a forest road and continue to the right. The forest thins out a bit and the path levels off. In a gentle left curve, follow a well-trodden trail as it continues along the slope. With wild, romantic charm, the path winds deeper and deeper into the Nordwald. The sound of rushing water signals the first stream, which has carved its way through the forest and created a few floodplains. The trail continues over hill and dale, always following the winding path, until the forest suddenly opens into a meadow and a small house comes into view. Passing the house, follow the driveway to the forest road and keep to the left, where the path climbs slightly. After about 100 m, don’t miss the trail on the right, which winds its way inconspicuously through blackberries and shrubs. Now the trail becomes even wilder and more romantic; it winds through a sunken path until it finally joins a forest road again. Keeping left, the forest road climbs slightly and leads to a clearing at the edge of the forest, offering a good view of Hirschenwies. In a gentle right-hand curve, the forest road leads downhill again; there, it’s time to turn sharply left onto the next trail. The second stream rushes past ahead of you; the path goes slightly downhill and then immediately uphill again at a steeper incline, leading to a meadow. Walking along the edge of the meadow, you’ll reach the paved road after about 50 m and arrive in Hirschenwies. If you don’t want to take the same route back, you can walk down the road to the right, turn left at the phone booth, and continue straight ahead until, after about 1.3 km, you reach the GH Nordwald, the Pension Kristall with its beautiful Kristallstudio, and the Hirschenwies Motor Skills Park. Or walk all the way down the road, turn right at the bottom, and take a leisurely stroll back to the starting point, following the road.