Rohrbrunner Forest: ancient oaks and hiking trails

Rohrbrunner Forest combines ancient woodland landscapes with hiking trails and nature themes. The Eichhall Forest Nature Reserve in the Heisterblock, in the unincorporated area of Rohrbrunner Forest in the Aschaffenburg district of Lower Franconia, is home to oaks around 400 years old. The Eichhall section of the forest has not been used for forestry since 2002; the focus is on preserving and researching near-natural old-growth forests. This gives the protected area a particular emphasis on old forest structures.

Ancient oaks and two forest reserves

Nearby, the Rohrberg Nature Reserve lies between Geiersberg and Rohrbrunn. It is a mature oak wood pasture with remnants of oaks more than 500 years old. Eichhall and Rohrberg thus offer different ways to explore ancient oak forests: Rohrbrunner Forest itself is home to the approximately 400-year-old oaks of Eichhall, while remnants of oaks more than 500 years old survive at nearby Rohrberg.

Hiking trails with different focuses

Near Rohrbrunner Forest, the Faun Trail leads from the hiking car park along a small dirt path through varied woodlands and past the Rohrberg Forest Nature Reserve. The stations along the nearby Faun Trail provide information about stag beetles, bats, woodpeckers and other important species; you can also discover the different habitats of forest animals. In the area near Rohrbrunner Forest, the Faun Trail passes bat boxes and woodpecker cavities and crosses the highest mountain in the Spessart. The ascent on this nearby hike is considered not difficult.

Near Rohrbrunner Forest, a path on the Faun Trail also runs below the car park in the direction of the Rohrberg Forest Nature Reserve. In the area near Rohrbrunner Forest, this path passes ancient oaks, larches and other tree species before reaching a first station about deadwood. The Faun Trail near Rohrbrunner Forest therefore focuses both on animal species and on different features of the forest. If you are looking for a different type of tour, the Eichblatt Steinthor Rohrbrunn nature park trail is nearby: this circular hike is five kilometres long and starts at the Steinthor hiking car park in the Rohrbrunner Forest near Weibersbrunn. After about 600 metres, you reach a junction at the “Zum Puck” signpost. Check local signs and any applicable restrictions before setting out.

Rohrbrunner Forest in the wider destination of Aschaffenburg

The wider destination of Aschaffenburg offers another perspective on the woodland and hiking landscape. The Spessart in the Aschaffenburg district is part of Germany’s largest contiguous mixed-forest area. The Spessart Trails 1, 2 and 3 cross the district; they have been awarded the “Quality Trail Wanderbares Deutschland” certification by the German Hiking Association four times. The Eselsweg is a multi-day hike in the Aschaffenburg district. These regional trails represent a different scale of planning from the forest paths in the area around Rohrbrunner Forest.

When choosing accommodation, it can therefore be helpful to keep your travel priorities in mind: the forest reserves and trails in the nearby area, or other tours in the wider destination of Aschaffenburg. This makes it easier to tailor your search to the type of stay you have planned, without treating the different routes and forest areas as if they were the same.

Discover more destinations: Alzenau, Goldbach, Kleinkahl, Kahl, Bessenbach, Rothenbuch, Schöllkrippen, Krombach.

Back to the main travel overview: Aschaffenburg.