Paternoster Cliff – Ilsestein (HWN 030) loop from Prinzess-Ilse-Quelle

Hiking trails & Routes

Paternoster Cliff – Ilsestein (HWN 030) loop from Prinzess-Ilse-Quelle

Moderate

4.7

(651)

1,780

hikers

Paternoster Cliff – Ilsestein (HWN 030) loop from Prinzess-Ilse-Quelle

02:18

7.62km

250m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: August 28, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through protected areas

Please check local regulations for:

Nationalpark Harz

Waypoints

Start point

Bus stop

Get Directions

277 m

Heinrich Heine Trail (Heinrich-Heine-Weg) along the River Ilse

Highlight • Trail

A beautiful valley with admirable nature - we could see dippers, brown trout and, when it rains, numerous fire salamanders. Several seating areas along the river invite you to take a break.

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426 m

Ilse Footbridge

Highlight • Bridge

The bridges over the Ilse are always a highlight and popular photo opportunity.

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1.17 km

Ilse Valley

Highlight • Gorge

The path always goes along the roaring Ilse. Very nice.

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1.34 km

Wooden bridge over the Ilse

Highlight • Bridge

Here you can switch from Heinrich-Heine-Weg to the quieter side of the Ilse

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4.47 km

Paternoster Cliff

Highlight • Natural Monument

The paternoster cliff is located about 2.8 kilometers south-southwest of the Ilsenburg core town. At the rock formation the trail leads from Ilsestein to Plessenburg

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5.55 km

Ilsestein (HWN 030)

Highlight • Viewpoint

The vantage point in the Ilsetal!
Stamp point of the Harzer hiking pin and on weekends there is also a summit beer.

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5.98 km

View over Ilsenburg

Highlight • Viewpoint

Rocky path. Be sure to use sturdy shoes and enjoy the wonderful view.

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6.37 km

Ilsestein

Highlight • Natural Monument

The Ilsestein is undoubtedly one of the extensive list of particularly impressive rock cliffs in the Harz. Its walkable part is about 130 meters long, with its upper area being …

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7.62 km

End point

Bus stop

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

3.82 km

2.10 km

1.25 km

326 m

115 m

Surfaces

4.19 km

3.23 km

115 m

< 100 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (530 m)

Lowest point (330 m)

Weather

Friday 9 October

12°C

7°C

66 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 20.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

October 28, 2025,Vom Waldhotel Harz über den Ilsenstein zum Berggasthaus Plessenburg

After a great breakfast at the Waldhotel Harz in Ilsenburg, we wanted to get the stamps we'd skipped due to the weather. The weather was just as miserable as yesterday 🌧🌧🌬🌬, but whatever, there's no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing. 🤣🙋‍♂️🧏‍♀️
So, I first led my birthday girl ❤️ up a roughly 2 km climb to the …

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December 28, 2025,🦌🌲Plessenburg ⚔️

A beautiful circular hike through the Ilse Valley 😎💯

A highly recommended hike with fantastic highlights! Here are a few tips for the tour:

➡️ Parking: The ideal starting point is the parking lot at the Waldhotel Ilsetal. The parking fee is €5 (payable directly at the hotel).

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April 13, 2024,Heinrich Heine Weg – Ilsetal und Ilsestein Runde von Ilsenburg

A beautiful, not too difficult tour from Ilsenburg to Ilsenstein, Patanosterklippe and Waldgasthaus Plessenburg. The highlight of the tour is certainly the summit cross on Ilsenstein, but the Ilsetal valley from the second half of the tour is also worth seeing. You can make stops at Ilsenstein (more of a snack bar) and at the Plessenburg restaurant. If you would …

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April 12, 2022,Ilsetalrunde

Hiking in the Harz with the whole family today. Unfortunately, the storm destroyed a lot of wood and it looks very barren at the summit. Nevertheless, the climb is worth it. Afterwards for dinner in the Schnitzelkönig....

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June 3, 2026,Von Ilsenburg (Harz) nach Ilsenburg (Harz)

Again a beautiful tour with the Ilsetal and Ilsestein as a highlight.

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May 27, 2025,Von Ilsenburg (Harz) nach Ilsenburg (Harz)

There's an astonishing amount of greenery along this route. It gives you a glimpse of what the Harz Mountains might look like in the future. Plessenburg is also a very nice rest stop.

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August 11, 2024,1. Etappe Ilsenburg

From Ilsenburg: Waldgasthaus Plessenburg, then Paternosterklippe and then Ilsestein 👍🏻😃...

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January 14, 2024,Plessenburg🛡Ilsestein❄️🌲

😎❄️There are only a few valleys in the Harz that are so wildly romantic and varied. Heinrich Heine rightly created a literary monument to the Ilsetal in his “Harzreise” and also included the legend of Princess Ilse.

>>The legendary Ilsestein<<

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