Hiking the Egge Trail through the Lower Saxon hills in Germany

If you are looking for a nice hiking weekend adventure then I full-heartedly recommend the Egge Trail (Eggeweg). Over 70 kilometers (43.5 miles), you hike through the Egge Mountains, exploring dense forests and enjoying peace and quiet in the beautiful nature and varied landscapes. This long-distance hiking trail takes you from the Externsteine rock formation in the southern Teutoburg Forest to the town of Marsberg or vice-versa. The Egge is a densely-wooded low mountain range that lies just to the east of the city of Paderborn in North Rhine-Westphalia. Once used by armies and as a trade route, today the mountains provide hikers with lots of fun!

In this Collection, I’ve divided the Egge Trail into three stages. At the starting point, the Externsteine, you’ll find yourself surrounded by thronging crowds. This comes as no surprise as the impressive rock formation is well-worth visiting. After starting your hike, you’ll be surrounded by fewer and fewer people as you walk through dreamlike heathland, breathing in the fragrant forest air and enjoying fantastic views over East Westphalia.

The path is peppered with historical sites such as Iburg Castle, Blankenrode deserted medieval town, and the Draken Caves near Marsberg. The Egge Trail was the first hiking trail in Germany to receive the ‘Qualitätsweg Wanderbares Deutschland’ seal of quality in 2004. The route is well-signposted with a white St Andrew’s cross marker.

The Egge Trail makes up part of the European long-distance hiking trail connecting the North Sea and the Mediterranean. You hike along the mountain ridge the entire way, which makes sense as ‘Egge’ means an elongated mountain ridge in German. You should pack plenty of provisions in your rucksack as you will not find many shops along the way. You also have to leave the actual trail for your overnight stays, but this is easy thanks to the region’s good infrastructure. I’ve listed accommodation tips in the respective stage descriptions. If you prefer to keep things more basic, you can also shelter in one of the numerous huts en route which gives an even greater dose of adventure. You can travel to and from the trail by public transport. Take a look at the stage descriptions for more information.

If three hiking days are too short for you then you can also combine the Egge Trail with the almost 170-kilometre-long (105-mile) Hermannsweg hiking trail and roam deeper into the Teutoburg Forest. You can find more information here: komoot.de/collection/204/8-etappen-auf-dem-hermannsweg