Discover Gackenbach: hiking, wildlife park and culture

Gackenbach combines active trails, a diverse range of wildlife and traces of regional history. The certified Nordic walking park offers more than 50 kilometres across seven interconnected routes of varying difficulty; its entrance is located behind the parish church. If you are planning a stay, you can focus on hiking and nature days and add cultural history as a distinct element. When choosing accommodation, your preferred focus is therefore the main consideration: would you like to spend most of your time on the trails, visit the wildlife park, or combine both with historical insights?

Hiking in the Buchfinkenland

The Wäller Tour Buchfinkenland is a 14-kilometre circular trail around Gackenbach, Hübingen and Horbach. It passes forest meadows, streams and small rock formations and lies within the Staatsforst Stelzenbach FFH area. In good visibility, the heights repeatedly offer views across the Westerwald landscape. The stated distance may vary slightly depending on the map depiction or temporary diversions.

The Buchfinkenland, including Gackenbach, lies in Nassau Nature Park. The Wäller Tour combines a specific circular route with varied scenery: forest meadows, waterways and smaller rock formations shape its character, while views from the heights depend on good visibility. Unlike the Wäller Tour, the Nordic walking park brings together seven interconnected routes of varying difficulty. This information can help you consider each route and how far you would like to go that day.

Wildlife and leisure at the wildlife park

The Westerwald Wildlife Park in Gackenbach focuses on European species and endangered domestic animal breeds. Covering 64 hectares, it offers animal and nature experiences with more than 300 animals, as well as woodland and meadows. Family-oriented leisure facilities include a playground and a summer toboggan run. The visitor paths are steep and not accessible – an important consideration if accessibility is essential to your outing plans. Before visiting, check the current operating conditions for the summer toboggan run.

The site’s history is also part of what makes it special: during the war, Schiefer, a rocky place of refuge within today’s wildlife park grounds, sheltered residents of Gackenbach and Dies. The spoil heap of the former mine in Gackenbacher Goß can also still be seen between two ponds in the wildlife park. These historical traces add the landscape’s former uses to the story of its wildlife and nature.

Church, organs and local history

St. Bartholomew’s Church in Gackenbach was built in the Neo-Gothic style between 1879 and 1884 and consecrated on 25 June 1884. Its furnishings include a Göckel organ and a Nelson organ, which can be coupled to form a symphonic organ ensemble. Since 2009, the Gackenbacher Orgelkonzerte association has organised an annual concert series. If a concert is important to your travel plans, check the dates and access arrangements in advance.

In the lower village, a cast-iron cross marks the former site of the Trinity Chapel, built in 1706. The locally known Junkerspfad is associated with the legend of Sarnburg and leads towards the church in Kirchähr. The region’s industrial history can also be traced through named locations: the historic Buckerig smelter in the Hübingen valley processed ore from the mine in Gackenbacher Goß. These references represent different aspects of the past, from religious landmarks to mining.

Getting here and finding your way around

Gackenbach can be reached by bus route 8443 from Montabaur ICE station; return journeys are available from Gackenbach and Hübingen. Check the timetable again before travelling. Near the start of the Wäller Tour, there is a small car park on Kirchstraße in front of the parish church. The Zum Wiesengrund inn is 400 metres from the tour’s start and finish point. If you are considering it in your plans, check current availability.

The wider Westerwald destination also includes the 33.4-kilometre Buchfinken-Gelbach Tour, which passes through Gackenbach and Horbach. It offers a cycling option with its own route length, distinguishing it from the 14-kilometre Wäller Tour. When choosing accommodation, you can consider which of these activities you would like to shape your stay and plan your trip accordingly.

Discover more destinations: Helferskirchen, Sessenbach, Astert, Heilberscheid, Gehlert, Höhn, Neustadt/Westerwald, Wied.

Back to the overview of the wider destination: Westerwald.