Discover Elkeringhausen

Elkeringhausen brings together several very different reasons to visit: hiking trails of approximately five to eight kilometres, a viewpoint overlooking the village as far as Winterberg, and the annual summer festival by the lake. The hiking trails range from the fairly flat Markental Circular Trail to the challenging Grimmerundweg (E4); the festival offers a different focus from the hikes.

Hiking routes with different profiles

The “Historical Hiking Trail” is an approximately 8-kilometre circular route in Winterberg-Elkeringhausen. The “Markental Circular Trail” is an approximately 5-kilometre, fairly flat circular route; the “Grimmerundweg (E4)” is an approximately 7-kilometre challenging hiking trail that starts at the signpost in the centre of Elkeringhausen. This means the three routes can be distinguished by more than their approximate length: two are described as circular routes, while the Grimmerundweg is also challenging and starts in the village centre. These differences provide concrete points of reference when choosing a route.

The Markental Circular Trail follows the Orke along its entire route. Its first section leads through the open, spacious Orke valley, past orchards, a footbath and a marsh plant area. Those who prefer to notice different landscape features along the way rather than head for a single viewpoint will find a different focus here from the summit cross on the “Alte Grimmen”.

A detour to the summit cross on the “Alte Grimmen” (750 m above sea level) offers views over Elkeringhausen as far as Winterberg and across the ridges of the Hochheide. The Elkeringhausen hiking portal is a starting point for hiking in the “Wanderbares Deutschland” quality region.

Summer festival and other interests

The summer festival by the lake is a recurring occasion beyond the hiking trails. It takes place every year in the lakeside spa park in Elkeringhausen and features atmospheric live music. The Elend mine also has information boards.

More experiences in the wider Winterberg destination

In the wider Winterberg destination, the “Family First” loop in Winterberg Trail Park is suitable for trail beginners and families looking to get their first experience on trails. With its distinctive arch, the St. George ski jump in Winterberg rises 80 metres above the Rothaar Mountains at Herrloh and is considered a landmark of Winterberg. The Panorama Adventure Bridge in Winterberg is 435 metres long and 20 metres high. It offers five fun elements that visitors can use to climb along above, below or beside the bridge. The bridge is accessible to wheelchair users; dogs are allowed on a lead. Check the current visitor conditions before your trip. In the wider Winterberg area, you can choose among a trail for first-time experiences, a landmark and a bridge with fun elements as distinct points of interest.

Choose accommodation based on the reason for your trip

When choosing accommodation, it helps to decide on the main focus of your trip: for hiking-focused days, the route length, whether the terrain is flat or challenging, and the starting point in the village centre may all matter. If the summer festival is a deciding factor, its event dates should also inform your travel plans. Experiences in Winterberg offer an additional regional focus.

Discover more destinations: Altenfeld, Mollseifen, Silbach, Altastenberg, Siedlinghausen, Niedersfeld, Hoheleye, Züschen.

Return to the wider travel overview: Winterberg.