Discover Feldatal: Hiking and Nature

If you are planning to hike and enjoy nature during a stay in Feldatal, you can distinguish between the circular hiking trails at the destination, the specifically measured Panorama Trail 2, and the nature reserve in the surrounding area. This puts trails, route profile, and a distinct landscape area side by side as different aspects of trip planning.

Hiking trails and elevation profile in Feldatal

Panorama Trail 2 is 14 km long and runs at an elevation of 287 to 415 m. The elevation difference is 128 m; the total ascent and descent is given as 278 m. These figures describe different aspects of the profile: 287 to 415 m indicates the elevation range, 128 m the elevation difference, and 278 m the total for ascent and descent. This makes it possible to consider the distance alongside the elevation changes, rather than looking only at the number of kilometers. The panoramic hiking trails through Feldatal are listed by the German Volkssport Association (DVV) as permanent hiking trails. Feldatal also has circular hiking trails. “Circular trail” describes the route type, while the figures for Panorama Trail 2 summarize its distance and elevation profile.

Landscape in the surrounding area

The Feldatal Nature Reserve lies in the area around the destination. It stretches for about 3.5 km along the valley of the Felda stream and its side valleys between Obernhausen and Schellnhausen. The floodplain complex includes near-natural beech forests as well as several ponds and pools; in places, the riverside vegetation is dense. Alongside the hiking profile, the valleys, forests, and waters of the protected area offer another distinct landscape aspect to explore.

In the wider destination of Vogelsberg

Vogelsberg is Europe's largest volcanic region. The Vogelsberg mountain meadows are the largest protected areas of their kind in Hesse. In Schotten, the Vulkanium explains volcanism in an engaging way as an interactive museum. A multimedia exhibition explores volcanism and geology in Vogelsberg; visitors can experience the past firsthand at various hands-on stations and with interactive exhibits.

At Hoherodskopf in Schotten, the treetop walkway is 500 meters long and equipped with suspension bridges. At the Hoherodskopf high ropes course, nature and adventure lovers can climb from tree to tree under the guidance of trained professionals. The 14-kilometer GipfelTour Schotten crosses four peaks in the Oberwald and passes through species-rich mountain meadows and varied forest areas with striking, rugged basalt formations.

The 11.6 km, moderately difficult Weitblicktour Ulrichstein is a circular route around Ulrichstein that passes through deciduous forests and varied, small-scale landscapes. The 119 km Vulkanring Vogelsberg connects natural and cultural highlights around the crest of the Hoher Vogelsberg. When comparing the hikes, distance and difficulty are different points of reference: the Weitblicktour is explicitly rated as moderately difficult, Panorama Trail 2 provides elevation-range and ascent-and-descent figures, and the Vulkanring sets a different benchmark with its length.

In Ulrichstein, the bathing water in the natural swimming pond is cleaned naturally by aquatic plants and circulation systems. Since 2001, centuries-old cultural heritage around the castle ruins has been maintained and cultivated using traditional farming methods in the Vogelsberggarten on Ulrichstein's Schlossberg. Visitors can discover 243 wild plant species there.

Discover more destinations: Groß-Felda, Grebenau, Schotten, Schwalmtal, Gemünden, Alsfeld, Lauterbach, Romrod.

View the broader travel overview: Vogelsberg.