Meerfeld and the Meerfelder Maar

If you’re looking for a hotel in Meerfeld, the activities available locally can help guide your plans: special swimming rules apply at the Meerfelder Maar, while trail length and difficulty are factors to consider when hiking. Meerfeld offers a range of options, from the maar and its protected landscape to marked trails and guided hikes. Mountain biking and fishing are also among the activities available.

Meerfelder Maar: Landscape and Swimming Area

The lake covers only part of the Eifel’s largest maar crater, which is 1,700 metres long. Meerfeld lies on the steep southern slopes of the section of the crater not occupied by the lake. Around the maar, wet meadows, sedge stands and a wide southern reed belt provide protected habitats for numerous animals. The Meerfelder Maar and its surroundings are a nature reserve.

Swimming in the maar is permitted only in the designated area. Check the local signs for the current swimming rules. Parking is available near the swimming area. Fishing is also possible at the Meerfelder Maar, so swimming and fishing are two different ways to use the body of water.

Hiking Trails and Activities in Meerfeld

Meerfeld has more than 40 kilometres of signposted hiking trails. The hiking options include both short, easy routes and long, challenging ones. When planning, you can therefore take both distance and difficulty into account rather than treating the trails as a single, uniform offering. Guided hikes are also available, and mountain biking is another activity.

The first stage of the VulkaMaar Trail provides a specific example of a longer route: it runs from Manderscheid via Bettenfeld to Meerfeld, is 12.2 kilometres long and takes 5.5 hours. The stage ends at the Meerfelder Maar, next to Meerfeld. These details set the tour apart from the general trail options in town: you can factor both the distance and stated duration into your schedule. As trail conditions may change, check the latest route information before setting out.

There are also different types of activities to choose from: you can hike independently or join a guided hike, while mountain biking and fishing add to the options. Swimming, however, is restricted to the designated area. These distinctions are useful when deciding which activities you want to focus on during your stay, without assuming that the same local conditions apply to each one.

Hiking in the Wider Bernkastel-Wittlich Destination

The wider Bernkastel-Wittlich destination brings together the volcanic Eifel, the Moselle Valley and the Hunsrück, with its abundance of forests and meadows. Another distinct hiking option there is the Manderscheid Castle Trail in Manderscheid. This moderately difficult circular route goes around the castles, is 5.4 kilometres long and is listed as taking two hours.

The Castle Trail can be distinguished from the first stage of the VulkaMaar Trail by the stated route details: one is a 5.4-kilometre circular route taking two hours, while the other is a 12.2-kilometre stage taking 5.5 hours. They are also different types of tours. This helps you put the details in context without equating the regional hiking option with the trails in Meerfeld.

Discover more destinations: Niederscheidweiler, Oberscheidweiler, Bettenfeld, Greimerath, Karl, Großlittgen, Eisenschmitt, Wallscheid

Back to the wider travel overview: Manderscheid.