The best family-friendly hikes and walks around Gräfendhron

The start of the hiking trail is easy to find. The signage is very good.

Unfortunately, this beautiful hut with a wide view is only just before the end of the hike

The Hölzbach Gorge is the absolute highlight and namesake of the Hunolsteiner Gorge Tour, a premium circular hiking trail with exceptional diversity in the Hunsrück region. This impressive section encompasses approximately 800 meters of untouched nature and lies in the final third of the hike, just before the Hölzbach flows into the Dhron River. Hikers plunge into a deeply cut, gorge-like ravine, crossing which is a wildly romantic experience: the gurgling and bubbling water of the stream creates a cool, almost magical soundscape. The stream winds its way between slate cliffs and large boulders, forming rapids and small waterfalls, and creating a humid habitat for ferns and mosses. The narrow path through the gorge requires surefootedness and sturdy footwear. Ropes are provided in some challenging sections to assist in safely mastering the ascent. The passage through the Hölzbach Gorge is the most intense and wildest part of the tour and leaves all visitors with a lasting impression of the primal power of the Hunsrück nature.

After a rather steep climb, you reach this refuge, which offers a magnificent view over the Dhron Valley. Here you'll also find a first-aid kit and a guest book, which is worth leaving a few kind words of thanks for this lovely place to rest.

The Hölzbach Gorge is the absolute highlight and namesake of the Traumschleife Hunolsteiner Gorge Tour, a highly varied premium circular hiking trail in the Hunsrück. This section is an impressive, approximately 800-meter-long stretch of untouched nature, located in the last third of the trail, just before the Hölzbach flows into the Dhron. The path through the deeply cut, gorge-like ravine is a wildly romantic experience, where the gurgling and bubbling water of the stream creates a cool and almost magical soundscape that surrounds the hiker. Here, the stream winds its way between slate cliffs and large boulders, forming rapids and small waterfalls, and providing a cool home for ferns and mosses. The gorge is accessed on narrow paths that require surefootedness and sturdy footwear; in some more challenging sections, there are even ropes for support to make the climb easier. The crossing of the Hölzbachklamm is the most intense and wildest part of the entire tour and left us with a lasting impression of the primal power of the Hunsrück nature.

This tour starts at the Hunolsteiner Hof farm café, where it's worth stopping for a bite to eat at the end of the tour. In good weather, you can also sit outside. At the beginning of the tour, as is usual with the Saar-Hunsrück Dream Loops, is the entrance gate. A few minutes after starting at the "Hunolsteiner Hof" farm café, the largely destroyed castle of the former governors of Hunolstein is the first highlight of the hike. After walking a short distance through the town of Hunolstein, the trail descends into the Dhron Valley. The absolute highlight of the Dream Loop is the 800-meter-long, narrow path through the Hölzbach Gorge. The babbling stream flowing down the valley creates a dreamy audible backdrop. The relatively new "Häja Wiesn Schänke" refreshment station offers both alcoholic (proof of age required) and non-alcoholic drinks and snacks. Payment is based on trust, e.g., a credit card. Payment can be made in cash or via PayPal. Benches invite you to linger. The trail has been rated 82 points by the German Hiking Institute. Further information about the tour can be found at https://www.wanderinstitut.de/premiumwege/rheinland-pfalz/hunolsteiner-klammtour/

From here, you can see the Dhron Valley and the prominent Bocksberg. The border of the Burgfrieden district, the so-called Friedhell, once ran across the Bocksberg. The Dhron Valley slope near Hunolstein is still popularly known as Friedhell, meaning a pacified hill (by law or boundary). Several stories from long ago circulate around Hunolstein and the Hunolstein Gorge Tour, including one that is said to have taken place at this location: the story of the Electoral Waiter. The complete story of the legend of the Electoral Waiter of Bernkastel can be found online: www.morbach.de/kurfuerstlicher-kellner

The Schafpuhl Bridge, which connects Gräfendhron and Hunolstein, was once the scene of a very laborious procedure. At this widened section of the stream, also called "Puhl" or "Pfuhl," sheep were sheared with great effort as early as 1398. The spot at the Schafpuhl Bridge was particularly suitable for shearing, as the sheep could be washed while standing in the stream before being sheared. Shearing itself was a very laborious process, for which the shepherds even then enlisted the help of so-called sheep shearers. Each animal had to be sheared by hand with scissors, and depending on the breed, this could be done twice a year. This work kept the shearers and the shepherd busy for days at the Schafpuhl Bridge and was a spectacle for the subjects of the bailiffs, who crossed the bridge to deliver food to the castle, for example.