Beech halls and oak slopes - Theme Tour 2 - Eifel National Park

Oaks and beeches take up around 26 and 24 percent of the forest area in the Eifel National Park and are on average 90 years old. On this hike through the Kermeter, however, you can come across 250-year-old specimens. Note that you will also see dead trees as they are part of any intact forest society. After all, this deadwood is an extremely important habitat for plants and animals such as insects and woodpeckers.
You mainly go through beech and sessile oak forests, some of which are cut up by small notch valleys. A beautiful distant view is offered at the Hirschley lookout point. Here you can see the Rursee and the picturesque landscape.

Difficulty level: The entire circular route is a little more strenuous due to some inclines on the Kermeter ridge, but can be shortened by a return trip by boat. Those who take the shortcut walk a straight stretch along the Rursee and have no demanding route elements.

Signposts: T2 and T2 short (abbreviation)

Author tip:
You can also shorten the tour at the "Kermeter-Ufer" jetty and take a boat across the Rursee to Schwammenauel (see route description).

Directions:
After leaving the parking lot in the direction of the forest, follow the path for about 3km along the banks of the Rursee. After the picnic spot in Ramsau, the path forks at a hut. Attention: The branch for the shortcut is located here. If you want to go back by boat, follow the path to the landing stage "Kermeter-Ufer" and take the boat to the Schwammenauel dam. If you want to continue the circular route without taking a shortcut, follow the left branch up to the Kermeter ridge, from where you have an impressive view of the landscape.