Stage start
Rhein-Weser-Turm
Trailhead
A lookout tower with a mountain inn beside it, and no village. The R36 demand bus (Rufbus) comes up here; the association lists it among the stage ends with little or no public transport.
Rhein-Weser-Turm to the Ginsberger Heide
Rothaarsteig · Stage 5
Walking time as rothaarsteig.de states it for this stage; measured on the mapped line: 3 h 39. Climb measured on the mapped line, on terrain heights. Rothaarsteig.de
14.1 kmStage distance
323 mAscent, measured
3 h 40Official time
5Stage number
By the Schwarzbach valley, the Dreiherrnstein and the source of the Ferndorf to the Ginsberger Heide: 14.4 km, 3 h 40, 244 m up, 290 m down. The Rucksackherberge am Rothaarsteig, a group hostel with 26 beds in Heinsberg, is 2.5 km off the trail on this stage.
Best season: All year. The Rothaarsteigverein says the trail can be walked in any season, every section in winter too, and its tour data marks all twelve months. In winter the trail is not cleared all the way: expect snow drifts and trees broken by snow, and some stretches are groomed as cross-country ski tracks, which walkers should not step in. Fire, gas stoves included, and smoking are banned in the forest from 1 March to 31 October. The packaged walks with luggage transfer run from April to October. Before you go
Loading topographic map…
Flat (<5%) Gentle (5–10%) Moderate (10–15%)
Green: Rhein-Weser-Turm to the Ginsberger Heide. Grey: full trail. Elevation follows this mapped track.
Rhein-Weser-Turm to the Ginsberger Heide
5 / 8
Where this stage starts and ends
Facts read from the guide's sources and OpenStreetMap on 13 October 2026. A page can change after we read it, so confirm with your accommodation before you rely on a date or a bed.
Stage end
Ginsberger Heide
Trailhead
A hotel on the heath above Hilchenbach-Lützel; Hilchenbach-Lützel station is 1.5 km away. If the hotel is full, the stage 5 page suggests walking about 5 km on to Lützel station and taking the train to a host further away.
Walking time for this leg
- Rhein-Weser-Turm to Ginsberger Heide: 3 h 40. Measured on the mapped line: 3 h 39. rothaarsteig.de, read 13 October 2026
Make it your trip
Book your nights ahead
Book every night ahead, the association advises, above all to sleep on or close to the trail; its partner hosts usually expect you between 14:00 and 18:00. Its website lists the hosts by stage, and its free service phone helps find rooms. Packages with a daily change of hotel and luggage transfer, such as "Das Original" in 6, 8 or 12 stages, are requested through the association's website and run by a tour operator; "Das Original" runs from April to October. The association also publishes a sporty 6-stage division (Brilon, Willingen, Winterberg, Jagdhaus, Giller, Haincher Höhe, Dillenburg: 25 to 29 km a day) and a gentle 12-stage one (by Bruchhausen, Willingen, Küstelberg, the Kahler Asten, Schanze, Jagdhaus, Oberhundem, the Ginsberger Heide, the Lahnquelle, Irmgarteichen and Rodenbach: 8 to 24 km a day). Tents go only on campsites; sleeping out in the open or in a shelter hut is tolerated.
Brilon to Dillenburg
The association's eight original stages, a night at the end of each.
Plan this journeyBrilon to Winterberg
Two stages through the Sauerland, with trains at both ends.
Plan this journeyWinterberg to the Ginsberger Heide
Three stages along the Rothaar ridge, by Schanze and the Rhein-Weser-Turm.
Plan this journeyGinsberger Heide to Dillenburg
Three stages by the sources of the Eder, Sieg and Lahn to Dillenburg.
Plan this journeyWeather this week
Loading the forecast for low point (519 m) and high point (694 m)…
Weather by month
Typical weather on this stage: at the lowest point (519 m) and the highest point (694 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
| Month | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | Poor | Poor | Mixed | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Mixed | Poor |
| High point, day / night | 2°/-3° | 3°/-3° | 6°/-1° | 11°/2° | 16°/6° | 19°/9° | 21°/11° | 20°/10° | 16°/7° | 11°/4° | 6°/1° | 2°/-2° |
| Low point, day / night | 3°/-2° | 4°/-2° | 8°/0° | 13°/3° | 17°/7° | 20°/10° | 22°/12° | 21°/11° | 17°/8° | 12°/5° | 7°/2° | 4°/-1° |
| Rain, mm | 136 | 103 | 105 | 69 | 74 | 78 | 106 | 90 | 94 | 106 | 113 | 142 |
| Snow at high point | Possible | Possible | Possible | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Possible | Possible |
| Daylight | 8 h 22 | 9 h 59 | 11 h 46 | 13 h 46 | 15 h 30 | 16 h 31 | 16 h 09 | 14 h 39 | 12 h 44 | 10 h 49 | 8 h 59 | 7 h 57 |
Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.
Before you go
Prepare for the Rothaarsteig
Arrange your stays, food and travel first, then check conditions again near departure.
Notices and closures now
The association lists its notices on one page. On 13 October 2026: the trail has been moved for good at the edge of Winterberg (Dumel and Helletal), so follow the waymarks there; timber harvesting after bark-beetle damage can close paths at short notice, and entering a closed path is forbidden and dangerous; the Westerwald variant near Dillenburg has a diversion over the A45 for bridge works until the end of 2026, which does not touch the main trail.
Rothaarsteigverein: current restrictionsThree stage ends off the trail
Willingen (stage 1), Schanze (stage 3) and Wilgersdorf (stage 7) lie off the main trail, 2.9 km, 2.5 km and about 1.6 km away. Each official stage includes the walk down, and the next one starts by walking back up; our line, our km and our times stop at the fork.
Rothaarsteigverein: the 8 stagesAfrican swine fever
African swine fever has been found in the Olpe and Siegen-Wittgenstein districts, and fences cross the trail. Gates let you through: close them behind you. Stay on the marked paths, and keep dogs on a lead in the infected zone; groups of at most 15 are recommended.
Rothaarsteigverein: African swine feverFood, water and fire
There are few places to eat on the way, the association warns, especially on the last two stages: carry enough to drink. Fire, gas stoves included, and smoking are banned in the forest from 1 March to 31 October. Tents go only on campsites; the association publishes a list of tent and trekking sites.
Rothaarsteigverein: frequently asked questionsWinter
Every section can be walked in winter, the association says, but the trail is not cleared all the way: expect snow drifts and trees broken by snow. Some stretches are groomed as cross-country ski tracks; walk beside them, not in them.
Rothaarsteigverein: winter walkingTrains in October
HLB, which runs the trains at Dillenburg, has evening and night closures on the RB40 and RE99 between Frankfurt and Dillenburg or Siegen from 11 to 15 October 2026, and some RE99 trains between Siegen and Gießen are cancelled until 9 December 2026. Check the day before you travel.
HLB: passenger noticesGetting there
Connect your journey
Travel around Rhein-Weser-Turm to the Ginsberger Heide.
Google Maps journey searches, not confirmed services. A mountain endpoint may need a booked transfer or an additional walk.
To the start in Brilon
Trains run to Brilon Stadt station, about 0.6 km from the market square where the trail starts; bus S30 stops at Brilon-Markt. Between Brilon Stadt and Willingen, the RB42 train or bus 382 runs, the stage 1 page says.
Rothaarsteigverein: the trail, arrival and parkingOn the way
Willingen has a station with trains from Kassel, Frankfurt and Dortmund, and Winterberg the RE57 straight from Dortmund. In the middle, transport is thin: the ISMO 466 demand bus to Schanze and Jagdhaus must be booked at least 30 minutes ahead, the R36 demand bus serves the Rhein-Weser-Turm, and the Lahnquelle has none (the association suggests a taxi to Rudersdorf station). Hilchenbach-Lützel station is 1.5 km from the Ginsberger Heide, and Rudersdorf, Dillbrecht and Rodenbach near the last two stages have HLB trains (RE99, RB95).
Rothaarsteigverein: by bus and trainHome from Dillenburg
The trail ends at Dillenburg station. HLB runs the RE99 and RB40 towards Gießen and Frankfurt, the RE99 and RB95 to Siegen, and the RB96 to Haiger and Betzdorf. Back to Brilon by train takes about four hours.
HLB: timetablesTake your trip with you
Offline maps
Prepare each stage while you still have a connection: on the forested ridge between the villages the signal can be weak.
Keep your route and maps on your phone for places without a signal. For multi-day trips, prepare them in the installed TrailSplits app.
- Open this trail in the app. Install TrailSplits, then open this trail there. On iPhone, downloads in a browser may not be available in the installed app.
- Choose your route or stages. Choose Prepare offline above. Wait for the route and maps to finish downloading.
- Try it before leaving coverage. Switch offline, close and reopen the app, then use My Hikes to start navigation. Repeat for every part you will need.
Saving a bookmark is not a map download. Storage can be cleared by your device; keep a backup map for remote trips.
Route & sources
Route map & sources
The Rothaarsteigverein, the association that looks after the trail, publishes the Rothaarsteig as eight original stages from the market square in Brilon to the station in Dillenburg, with an official stage time for each, shown beside ours on every stage. It also publishes a 6-stage and a 12-stage division. Stage 4 here is the ridge variant (Kammvariante); the valley variant (Talvariante) by Latrop is the official alternative. The eight stages add up to 168.5 km and about 46 h 40, because three stage ends lie off the main trail: Willingen, 2.9 km down an access path (Zuweg) from the Richtplatz; Schanze, 2.5 km down the valley variant from just past the Heidenstock; and Wilgersdorf, about 1.6 km on foot from the Hubertusbuche. The official stage figures include these walks, and the next stage starts by walking back up. The line here is the main trail on OpenStreetMap (relation 2018275, from the planet of 11 October 2026): 151.8 km, cut where each walk leaves it, so stages 1 to 4, 7 and 8 are 1.6 to 4 km shorter here than on the association's list. The association gives 157.7 km for the main trail in its tour data and 154 km in its text. At the edge of Winterberg (Dumel and Helletal) the association has moved the trail for good; the map may still show the old line there, so follow the waymarks. Our climb is measured on terrain heights, so short steep steps are smoothed out.
Official guidance and mapped-source comparison checked 13 October 2026. Map data is a route reference, not confirmation of today's path, weather or accommodation availability.
Rothaarsteigverein: the stagesMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Source relation