Nothweiler: Forest Trails, Castles and Mining History
Accommodation in Nothweiler
Nothweiler lies in the southern part of the Palatinate Forest Nature Park. Hills, shady forests and extensive orchards characterize the landscape. Nothweiler is also connected to the transboundary UNESCO Palatinate Forest-North Vosges Biosphere Reserve. Its landscape includes dense forests, red sandstone rocks, almost a hundred castles and castle ruins, streams and quiet woodland ponds. When planning your trip, you’ll find a range of trails alongside the themes of forest, border and mining history.
Hiking on Local Trails and Long-Distance Routes
Nothweiler has three signposted Nordic walking routes, measuring 3.7, 6.7 and 9.7 kilometers. The three distances can be compared directly if you want to factor the length of the route into your plans.
The Nothweiler Forest Nature Trail is about 2.5 kilometers long and open year-round. It is therefore shorter than the shortest Nordic walking route, which is 3.7 kilometers. Information boards cover forests and woodland animals; rest areas and viewpoints are located along the trail. The starting point and finish are at the parking lot by the SchĂĽtzenhaus. The trail therefore combines a short route with a clear focus on nature.
The Grenzgängerweg is a roughly seven-kilometer German-French premium hiking trail. Information boards cover border history and the transboundary biosphere reserve. At about 9.5 kilometers, the Four Castles Tour is longer. It starts at the hikers’ parking lot at the end of Lembacher Straße in Nothweiler and leads to Wegelnburg, Hohenbourg, Löwenstein and Fleckenstein. One route focuses on the border and biosphere, while the other takes in four named castles.
The biosphere reserve as a whole has 650 kilometers of well-signposted hiking trails leading to viewpoints, castles and castle ruins, as well as several hundred kilometers of cross-border cycling routes. They lead toward the Northern Alsace and the Southern Wine Route.
Mining and Castles
The Sankt Anna Stollen represents the area’s mining history. Important for planning your visit: the visitor mine and information center have been closed indefinitely since April 2025 due to staff shortages. Check their current status before visiting. The level underground circular route was 420 meters long. It included hand-worked ore mining, a deep shaft, an underground cistern, a ventilation shaft and illuminated iron ore galleries. The information center’s permanent exhibition focused on mining and ironworking in the Wasgau. The mining history therefore spans everything from ore extraction to technical facilities and iron processing.
Wegelnburg is located near Nothweiler, was built around 1200 and was first mentioned in 1246. It is considered the highest castle in the Palatinate and offers panoramic views. The construction date and first mention provide two different chronological reference points for the castle.
Cycling and Refreshments
The approximately 48-kilometer Friedens-Tour passes through Nothweiler. There is also an e-bike charging station in the village. Check its availability before setting out, as charging infrastructure may change.
After hiking the Grenzgängerweg, several varieties of tarte flambée are recommended at Nothweiler’s restaurants. If you have a particular establishment in mind, please check in advance whether it is available.
Discover More Destinations
Discover more destinations: Wallhalben, Horbach, Trulben, Dietrichingen, Schindhard, Rieschweiler-MĂĽhlbach, Hinterweidenthal, Contwig
Back to the regional travel overview: SĂĽdwestpfalz.
