Suedpfalz Climbing Region

Intention of this page

The area of Südpfalz (Southern Palatinate) is one of the most important climbing areas of Germany. However, if you are looking for guidebooks you will stay empty handed: though there are a small number of excellent guidebooks they all have been printed privately and are available only at book- and climbing shops of the region itself. Moreover, the most important guidebooks are out of print now and you'll have to hunt high and low to obtain one of the rare copies. If you are talking about web pages, there are a couple of excellent sites, the best being the site of the Association of Palatinate Climbers (Vereinigung der Pfälzer Kletterer). Here you can find huge lists of all major regions, crags and boulders. The info on routes, however, remains very short. Also, the site is in German and since many US soldiers are located in Kaiserslautern, some 30km to the north, it is worthwhile to have a page in English.

When hiking in the heart of the area, at the town of Dahn, I "conceived" this project: similarly to what Moni has done with the Sächsische Schweiz Page I want to start an area guide on Summitpost. My hope obviously is that the many climbers out there will start posting their route beta about the routes they have done in the area. I am aware that this task can become Herculean: there are 120 towers and 200 "massifs" in the Südpfalz region. If all ran well, we could expect up to 500+ routes on this page (In which case a subdivision into smaller areas surely would be opportune). But for the time being there is a white spot on the SP landscape which now will be filled.

Overview

The southernmost part of my home state Rheinland Pfalz (or Rhineland Palatinate if you have to translate it) is one of the more important climbing areas in Germany. In general the area, called Pfälzer Bergland, consists of hills which reach an altitude of up to 500m. In its southern half (and yes, that's the part we are talking about: Südpfalz or Wasgau) however, between and among these hills you will find a lot of sandstone cliffs, which are loosely distributed over the whole area.

And this area is huge. To the north the boundary can be assumed being B10, the road between Pirmasens in the west and Landau in the east. To the south the boundary is the French - German border. All in all this adds up to an area of 500 square km. There are roughly 120 towers, 200 massifs (think of them as sandstone ridges) and uncountable numbers of boulders. They all are distributed over the whole area so that finding them is certainly a major logistical problem. Moreover, many of the crags are hidden in pine and beech forests or can be seen only from one specific direction. I therefore plan to include the exact topo coordinates for the various crags and additionally (very) short getting there descriptions. I'm not sure how to handle the boulders, though, since they are not shown on any map.

The most impressive and best known rocks, however, don't fall in this category. This is particularly true about Teufelstisch (the Devil's Table, see signature picture) which looms high above the village of Hinterweidental and can be even seen from B10, the main access road. Some other crags crop out of the forest directly above the villages. Jungfernsprung in Dahn, Kreuzfels in Hauenstein and Herrenstein in Erfweiler are a few examples. Moreover there are quite a number of castles in the area, all located on one of the sandstone ridges and offering great views and good hiking and climbing possibilities.

The sandstone is what we call "Buntsandstein" in German, a colourful (mostly red) variation. The character of the rock is quite similar to the on of Sächsische Schweiz in Saxony, but shows more difference in quality. "Solid as a rock" on one hand, "sand heaps and rubble" on the other. Almost all of the crags and boulders are overgrown with vegetation. You will barely find a rock which doesn't sport a little tree on its shoulder; all the north faces are covered with moss and lichen. Though the rock "has good grip", be careful on wet surfaces. Though generally as "grippy" as the dry rock, you'll often encounter spots where lichen has started to grow - and these spots can be astonishingly slippery! You will encounter the same problem, wherever magnesia has been used. It closes the pores in the sandstone and forms smeary surfaces when wet. For the restrictions on the use of magnesia see the Red Tape Section.

And for all the climbing you shouldn't forget the hiking possibilities of the area. A well kept net of hiking trails connects the villages with each other as well as with the rock outcroppings. You'll never know what you encounter on your hike - suddenly - seemingly out of nowhere there will be a huge boulder or two or even a large cliff barely visible through the trees. In sunny weather the play of shadow and light among the pine trees causes great effects, which unfortunately cannot be caught in pictures very well. The bright red sandstone contrasts beautifully with the blue sky, the light sandy underground and the red (also) bark of the pines. If you come across one of these hidden treasures by all means try to climb them - the "back way" (from the ridge / slope in the back) usually is manageable for everybody who can take exposure. Head along the ridge of the sandstone cliff - and suddenly everything else drops back. Especially during sunset this can become magical.

Climbing History

The history of climbing in the Südpfalz Region dates byck to the beginning of the 20th century. There had been ascents before but they had been using ladders, planks and whole tree trunks. In 1903 the first "free" ascent of Rödelstein was recorded by Karl and Oscar Mugler. Shortly afterwards a veritable climbing boom broke loose and most of the crags had been ascended by 1910 - 1920.

From then on the hunt for ever more difficult routes started, culminating in a XI- Route, Gambaxplosion on Retschenfels. Over the years there have been quite heated discussions about climbing ethics in the area, which by now have been settled by Climbing Guidelines, which have been generally accepted. The web page of the Pfalz Climbers Association lists them (in German) on this page. I will post a short transcript in the future in the Red Tape section.

Speaking of the Pfalz Climbers Association or "Vereinigung der Pfälzer-Kletterer" as it is known in German (also PK by its abbreviation), it has been founded in October 1919. After several disputes in the 1980s it now again is the generally accepted representative for all climbing related activities and all contacts with authorities and nature conservation agencies.

Its address is
Vereinigung der Pfälzer-Kletterer
Lindelbrunnstr. 40,
76855 Annweiler

History, the Castles of the area

Already mentioned in the overview section, there are a lot of castles in the area. By some accounts in the greater Pfalz region there were more than 500 of them. Most nowadays are ruins, often hidden in the forests and here, in the climbing area of Südpfalz they always have been built on sandstone rocks. In may cases they follow the ridgeline of the sandstone massifs all the way, which can be seen in the case of the three castles of Dahn in the picture above. Most of the castles were built between the 12th and 14th centuries, many got destroyed during the 30 Years War or the preceeding Peasant Uprising. Those which were left standing later got destroyed by French troops, an interesting example how an old technique (fortified castles) could not withstand progress (artillery).

As with the climbing rocks the castles don't stop at the French - German border. Landscape and culture still are very similar. The French Alsace as well as the German Pfalz have a chequered history, always having been at the centre of wars between the two countries. Still (or luckily) nowadays cross-border relations are very friendly.

The Cliffs, Südpfalz on SP

Interactive map of Südpfalz. Click the numbers to be directed to the corresponding section.

There are so many sandstone cliffs in the Wasgau area that a subdivision into regions is necessary. I follow the subdivision as given by the PK on their web site. I also follow their principal listings of crags though - for copyright reasons - won't give the specifics of the routes. Just go to their web site for this information. You will, however only get (very) short route characteristics. For more information see the book by U. Daiger and H.-J. Cron (see last section), where the PK data are coming from.

For me the main problem is to identify the crags, how to get there and what to expect in the vicinity. I therefore have studied the maps and made extensive hikes in the area. Together with the aforementioned book I could identify about 99% of the crags. These are listed in the tables below for each region together with a map, which shows the approximate location of the identified cliffs.

For identification I used the maps and topo CDs I have listed in the Maps & Books Section below. I always used elevations as stated on the maps. In case the cliffs didn't have an elevation label attached to them I used the 1:50000 CD for approximate data. Topo coordinates are accurate within 20m except for a few cases in which I had to do "intelligent guesses". The coordinates are given in WGS84 format and thus can be used together with Google Maps.

The regions are listed west to east. According to the schematic map above you'll find the following regions:

1. Eppenbrunn and Surroundings
   • Altschloßfelsen
2. Region Leimen / Merzalben
   • Otterfelsen
   • Jurassic Park (Östliche Kieneckfelsen)
   • Husarenfelsen
   • Heidelsburg
   • Seelenfelsen
3. Hinterweidenthal Area
   • Teufelstisch
   • Heufelsen
   • Hinterweidenthaler Rappenfels
   • Dreikönigsfelsen
   • Salzwooger Teufelstisch
4. Region Schönau / Fischbach
   • Adelsfelsen
   • Schönauer Hirtsfels
   • Fleckensteiner Felsen
5. Bruchweiler / Budenthal Region
   • Napoleon
   • Dürrensteine
   • Retschelfelsen
   • Bruchweiler Geierstein
6. Dahner Felsenland
   • Hochstein
   • Lämmerfelsen
   • Büttelwoogfelsen
   • Braut & Bräutigam
   • Schillerfelsen
   • Jungfernsprung
   • Rabensteine
   • Hohle Felsen
7. Bärenbrunner Tal
   • Pferchfeldfelsen
   • Sternfels
   • Honigfels
8. Busenberg and Surroundings
   • Schulerturm / Drachenfels
   • Heidenkammern (Buchkammerfels)
   • Heidenpfeiler (Schlüsselfels)
   • Drei Steine
   • Kreuzfels
   • Eckturm
   • Strackfelsen
   • Eilöchelfelsen
9. Erfweiler Area
   • Hahnfels (Brückenfels)
   • Hebelfels
   • Glasfelsen
   • Erfweiler Rappenwand
   • Kumbtfels
   • Schafsfelsen
10. Hauenstein Region
    • Spirkelbacher Rauhfels
    • Backelstein
    • Stephanstürme
    • Burghaldefels / Hauensteiner Puppe
11. Region Rinnthal / Wilgartswiesen
    • Mittlere Deichenwand
    • Kuhfels, Eselsfels
    • Bavariafels
    • Drei Felsen
    • Langenfels
12. Lug and Surrounding Area
    • Weiherwände
    • Rindsberg Westpfeiler
    • Östliche Kesselwand
    • Rothenfels (Rödelstein)
    • Höllenfelsen
    • Luger Friedrich
    • Hornsteine
    • Katerfelsen
    • Wernersberger Geiersteine
    • Dimberg
    • Engelmannsfels
    • Drei Puppen
    • Rötzensteinpfeiler
13. Vorderweidenthal and Surrounding Area
    • Rödelstein
    • Lauterschwaner Rappenfelsen
14. The Annweiler Region
    • Trifels
    • Anebos
    • Fensterfels & Bindersbacher Turm
    • Jungturm
    • Münzfels
    • Asselstein
    • Kleiner Hahnstein
    • Großer Hahnstein
    • Lebersteine

1 - Eppenbrunn and Surroundings

The area around Eppenbrunn is the south-westernmost part of the Südpfalz climbing region. It touches the French-German border as well as the border between the German states Rheinland Pfalz and Saarland. The area is compact with few climbing destinations, all close to each other. It sports a Teufelstisch, not quite as impressive as the one near Hinterweidenthal, which you can admire in the sig pic.

Rock / Massif	Height	Latitude	Longitude	Thumbnail
Stephanstürmchen	336m	49,1361	7,62526
Hübelfelsen	355m	49,1291	7,62748
Lattenteichfelsen	316m	49,12866	7,63248
Fleckstein	2398m	49,13363	7,65845
Eppenbrunner Christkindelsfels	357m	49,11088	7,61274
Eppenbrunner Krappenfelsen	350m	49,10882	7,61193
Eulenfels	407m	49,10885	7,58488
Rotenrumer Eck	401m	49,10794	7,54027
Hohle Felsen	356m	49,11018	7,55124
Eppenbrunner Altschloßfelsen	377m	49,10435	7,53975
Eppenbrunner Teufelstisch	358m	49,11709	7,54461
Rotzollwand	377m	49,11155	7,53083

2 - Region Leimen / Merzalben

The north-westernmost part of the Südfalz Climbing area is the region around the villages of Merzalben and Leimen. The crags are distributed evenly but many are very close to the villages. Zigeunerfels and Bruderfels are very close to the city of Pirmasens.

Rock / Massif	Height	Latitude	Longitude	Thumbnail
Breite Boll – Nordostturm	525m	49,2372	7,8244
Spitze Boll	540m	49,23205	7,8142
Otterfelsen	537m	49,24281	7,81579
Husarenfelsen	544m	49,25323	7,81873
Schmaler Hals	518m	49,24698	7,79668
Kieneckfelsen	527m	49,26211	7,81648
Östl. Kieneck Massiv (Jurassic Park)	523m	49,26175	7,83348
Hortenkopf Massif	520m	49,27184	7,81906
Wartenbergfelsen	440m	49,24148	7,78418
Kippkopffelsen (Geißenfelsen)	522m	49,26086	7,76205
Hubertusfels	522m	49,25614	7,74385
Langenbergfels	320m	49,24328	7,70483
Rappersborner Fels	402	49,29375	7,75327
Seelenfelsen	364m	49,27347	7,69803
Heidelsburg	340m	49,26656	7,69144
Rumbergfelsen	338m	49,27887	7,70059
Fischerfels	336m	49,26902	7,68599
Spitzfelsplatte	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.
Felixköpfel	331m	49,27075	7,67545
Roschelfels	305m	49,26886	7,67988
Clausener Platte	387m	49,26503	7,68558
Saufels	360m	49,24298	7,65573
Bruderfels	353m	49,23635	7,63473
Zigeunerfelsen	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.

3 - Hinterweidenthal Area

Famous for the Teufelstisch (Devil’s Table) between Kaltenbach and Hinterweidenthal this region offers more than one of these bizarre formations. Near Salzwoog there is a second Devil’s Table and there are a number of impressive cliffs directly in Hinterweidenthal. Most of the other crags are hidden in the forests, however.

Thumbnail

Rock / Massif	Height	Latitude	Longitude
Mautzenbergtürmchen	370m	49,22481	7,81052
Rotenstein	423m	49,21604	7,75188
Bauwalder Fels	473m	49,22573	7,73402
Hinterweidenthaler Steinbruch	230m	49,20118	7,75185
Handschuhkopf	324m	49,19623	7,74449
Kaltenbacher Teufelstisch	277m	49,19487	7,74352
Hinterweidenthaler Rappenfels	240m	49,19634	7,75482
Rehfels (Heibertsstein)	249m	49,18676	7,74185
Heufelsen	232m	49,18654	7,74699
Dreikönigsfelsen	244m	49,18451	7,75205
Schweinsspießfels	351m	49,18271	7,7919
Reiherfels	299m	49,18621	7,80482
Rohrwoogtürmchen	270m	49,18064	7,7939
Biegdentaltürmchen	275m	49,17214	7,79343
Woogelfelsen	266m	49,18126	7,74144
Maiblumenfels	453m	49,17223	7,7043
Salzwooger Teufelstisch	320m	49,16065	7,70508
Rumbergfels	340m	49,16419	7,63725
Kleiner Rabenfels	448m	49,17157	7,66753
Ringstein	449m	49,1764	7,67028
Hummelfelsen	459m	49,17976	7,67789
Ruppertstein	452m	49,18676	7,68592
Pirmasenser Kanzel	420m	49,18532	7,64834
Kugelfelsen Kanzel	355m	49,19779	7,62962

4 - Region Schönau / Fischbach

The region around the villages of Fischbach an Schönau extends across the border onto French soil (Alsace). Some of the more interesting rocks are located across the border underneath the castles (or ruins) Löwenstein, Hohenburg and Wegelnburg.

Rock / Massif	Height	Latitude	Longitude	Thumbnail
Rumbacher Christkindelsfels	325m	49,08858	7,77782
Rückkorbfelsen	314m	49,07537	7,78194
Schlüsselfelsen	512m	49,07125	7,7761
Kastellfels	302m	49,08316	7,76219
Kleine Rumbachtalplatte	255m	49,08386	7,75841
Rumbachtalfelsen	286m	49,08386	7,75499
Nördliches Rumbachtalmassiv	297m	49,08758	7,75777
Adelsfelsen	284m	49,07888	7,75052
Dachsbergtürmchen	427m	49,05614	7,72167
Schönauer Pfaffenfels	328m	49,05705	7,74622
Schönauer Hirtsfels	358m	49,05142	7,7658
Langer Fels	428m	49,06561	7,78677
Wegelnburgfelsen	571m	49,06078	7,78591
Löwenstein (F)	515m	49,05366	7,78621
Krappenfels (F)	451m	49,05155	7,7868
Fleckensteiner Felsen (F)	358m	49,04805	7,7758
Große Hinzenfelsen	300m	49,08024	7,70944
Mittlere Hinzenfelsen	277m	49,08069	7,70445
Kleine Hinzenfelsen (Kilpenstein)	226m	49,08372	7,70156
Florenbergtürmchen (D/F)	366m	49,06333	7,69014
Ostersäule	345m	49,05164	7,68695
Höchstturm	305m	49,08069	7,65812
Simter Türmchen	290m	49,07266	7,64645
Krähenstein	334m	49,06425	7,67723
Guckenbühlfelsen	330m	49,0636	7,65515
Spitzer Fels	330m	49,055	7,65254
Rumbergfelsen	331m	49,05345	7,65828
Adelsbergfels	395m	49,05436	7,64629
Biesenfels (Horbach-Kanzel)	308m	49,09241	7,6622

5 - Bruchweiler / Budenthal Region

The village of Bruchweiler – Bärenbach is the centre for the climbing activities in the Südpfalz Region. This are is rather small but consists of quite a number of crags, located very close to each other. All can be reached from the village in no more than a 30min hike. Also, the Dahn and Erfweiler Regions with their fascinating towers are close by so you have the choice among a lot of sandstone crags.

Rock / Massif	Height	Latitude	Longitude	Thumbnails
Mühlengrundtürmchen	250m	49,06111	7,83968
Bobenthaler Rappenfels	225m	49,06764	7,84962
Fladensteine	373m	49,10206	7,81729
Jüngstbergfelsen	491m	49,11221	7,82265
Kastellfels	310m	49,1093	7,81887
Bruchweiler Geierstein	309m	49,12437	7,808
Retschelfelsen	290m	49,12269	7,79277
Eisenbahnfelsen	357m	49,12563	7,79178
Bruchweiler Rauhfelsen	332m	49,12542	7,78403
Dürrensteine (Maria und Friedrich)	409m	49,12788	7,7768
Napoleon	336m	49,12179	7,77047
Dretschbergfelsen	460m	49,11726	7,76789
Bruchweiler Turm (Zwicksteine)	270m	49,11582	7,7701
Käskammerfelsen	269m	49,1146	7,77391
Beutelstein	312m	49,10863	7,77374
Birkelfelsen	352m	49,09938	7,78246
Hühnerfelsen	485m	49,08386	7,906

6 - Dahner Felsenland

Dahn is the “capital of the Südpfalz climbing region. Located in its middle, Dahn is surrounded by the most beautiful cliffs you can find. The distances to Erfweiler and Hinterweidenthal are short and you have the choice of so many climbing routes. Moreover with Jungfernsprung in the north, Hochstein in the south and the three impressive castle ruins of Altendahn the town is a tourist hotspot. There are also the fourth castle Neu Dahn and the twin towers of Braut und Bräutigam (Bride and Bridegroom) which add to the fascination of the place.

Rock / Massif	Height	Latitude	Longitude
Fischfelsen	278m	49,1451	7,8029
Schützenberg-Ostpfeiler	304m	49,14927	7,7986
Schützenwand	305m	49,14746	7,79913
Östlicher Schützenturm	300m	49,14821	7,79501
Schützenliesel	290m	49,14754	7,7926
Östliches Hochsteinmassiv	345m	49,14543	7,79379
Hochstein	296m	49,14532	7,78974
Jungfernsprung	259m	49,15321	7,77438
Vogelsbergturm	262m	49,15435	7,78091
Dahner Kuckucksfelsen	294m	49,15502	7,78349
Lachbergtürmchen	324m	49,15613	7,78727
Burgblickfels	305m	49,16176	7,79276
Römerfels	376m	49,16424	7,7914
Haseneckfels	271m	49,16221	7,7816
Bubenfels	270m	49,15638	7,7718
Oberer Galgenfelsen	261m	49,15815	7,77077
Nördlicher Galgenfelsen	263m	49,15996	7,76888
Mauchendellfels	264m	49,16317	7,76649
Weigelfels	229m	49,16401	7,76494
Rabensteine (Taub und Falk)	307m	49,16379	7,76924
Kreuzteichfels	298m	49,16762	7,75807
Kauertfelsen	307m	49,15793	7,76055
Waidmannsruhe	240m	49,15579	7,76099
Wolfsdellfelsen	233m	49,15388	7,75708
Nördlicher Schwalbenfelsen	235m	49,15174	7,75755
Südlicher Schwalbenfelsen	235m	49,1496	7,75755
Hirschfels	235m	49,14477	7,75566
Hohle Felsen	440m	49,1253	7,71753
Sängerfels	238m	49,15388	7,76888
Schillerfelsen	231m	49,14893	7,77232
Dahner Wachtfelsen	279m	49,14577	7,77491
Braut und Bräutigam	237m	49,14624	7,77318
Klammpfeiler	250m	49,14624	7,77096
Rotgraue Wand	257m	49,14521	7,76957
Blitzfels	238m	49,1451	7,76924
Pfaffdellfelsen	254m	49,14727	7,76993
Büttelwoogfelsen	249m	49,14285	7,7658
Büttelfels	276m	49,14091	7,77232
Lämmerfelsen	271m	49,13777	7,77441
Durstigfelsen	275m	49,1343	7,77852
Durstigfelsen	275m	49,13158	7,77495

7 - Bärenbrunn Valley

The Bärenbrunn Valley is the smallest of the climbing regions, wedged between Erfweiler, Busenberg and Bruchweiler / Budenthal. In effect all of the crags form a circle around Bärenbrunner Hof, which makes this farm the centre of all climbing activities in the Südpfalz region. The distances between the crags are minimal and the elevations are all between 250 and 450m. Bärenbrunner Hof is located at

• Elevation: 276m
• Lat: 49.1550N
• Lon: 7.8528E

Rock / Massif	Height	Latitude	Longitude	Thumbnails
Pferchfeldfelsen	345m	49,14443	7,84079
Mondfels	385m	49,14643	7,85158
Saarbrücker Türmchen	385m	49,14668	7,85362
Sternfelsen	370m	49,15299	7,85428
Honigfelsen	350m	49,15613	7,85739
Bärenbrunner Schandariefelsen	340m	49,15793	7,85428
Nonnenfels	340m	49,15682	7,85084
Klosterfels	340m	49,15479	7,84798
Bärenbrunner Pfaffenfels	320m	49,15546	7,84554
Bärenbrunner Kesselfels	370m	49,15171	7,83454
Kuckucksfelsen	270m	49,14377	7,82437
Kapellenfels	270m	49,14399	7,81579
Kahles Türmchen	300m	49,14521	7,81357
Kahles Wändchen (Geländerfels)	320m	49,14532	7,81218

8 - Busenberg and Surroundings

The area around Busenberg is a compact climbing region. All of the crags are hidden deeply in the forest and finding the starting points of the routes is certainly quite challenging. As an interesting destination the ruin of Drachenfels castle surely draws some attention.

Rock / Massif	Height	Latitude	Longitude
	Thumbnail
Schulerturm	350m	49,12213	7,82712
Heidenturm	420m	49,11966	7,83798
Heidenpfeiler	359m	49,11552	7,83695
Heidenkammern	352m	49,11627	7,83023
Buhlsteinpfeiler	387m	49,12935	7,85292
Buhlsteine	446m	49,13227	7,84912
Löffelsberg-Ostgratfels	448m	49,1406	7,85359
Löffelsberg-Südhangfels	379m	49,13791	7,8524
Busenberger Galgenfelsen	355m	49,1426	7,85587
Bärenbrunner Nadel	359m	49,13857	7,83573
Eichelsbergtürmchen	327m	49,13879	7,83245
Eichelturm	348m	49,13555	7,83418
Drei Steine	320m	49,1343	7,83132
Kreuzfels	320m	49,13374	7,82782
Strackfelsen	300m	49,13566	7,82318
Eckturm	347m	49,13768	7,82626
Eilöchelfelsen	315m	49,13632	7,81923
Dickenbergwand	356m	49,13385	7,81496
Dickenbergtürmchen	283m	49,13341	7,81379
Sprinzel (Dickenbergturm)	297m	49,13024	7,81185

9 - Erfweiler Area

Erfweiler is a beautiful village located in one of the most interesting climbing areas of Wasgau. Many of the cliffs are visible from the village itself and access distances are less than 1km for almost all of the crags. The three Altendahn Castles tower above the village to its west and the town of Dahn can be reached in an hour on foot.

Rock / Massif	Height	Latitude	Longitude	Thumbnail
Zimmerplatzfels (Löchelfelsen)	308m	49,15225	7,80583
Zimmerfelsen	293m	49,15494	7,806
Hebelfels	245m	49,15858	7,80839
Hahnfels (Brückenfels)	290m	49,15878	7,81511
Mittlerer Rauhfels	270m	49,15947	7,81769
Bänderfels	270m	49,15969	7,81814
Heegerturm	260m	49,15922	7,82336
Sorgenbergfelsen	296m	49,15619	7,83678
Schafsfelsen	374m	49,15228	7,82567
Erfweiler Sattelfelsen	330m	49,15098	7,83032
Kelterhausfels	300m	49,16711	7,81942
Trögenbergfels	270m	49,17117	7,81378
Erfweiler Klamm	280m	49,1758	7,80483
Westlicher Rappenfels	287m	49,16667	7,82217
Rappenwand	298m	49,16667	7,82422
Lobelia	280m	49,16814	7,82697
Westlicher Kumbtfels	280m	49,16958	7,82767
Kumbtfels	270m	49,16847	7,82972
Winterbergfelsen	300m	49,16803	7,8325
Glasfelsen	270m	49,16531	7,82903

10 - Hauenstein Region

Hauenstein is known for the cliffs around the town-centre: Kreuzelfels, Burghaldefelsen and the Felsentor Gate, through which the main road leads. To the south of the town you can find a lot of crags very close to each other and interconnected by a web of hiking trails. The southernmost of these rocks is Hühnerfels, one of the cliffs which have been equipped with steel ladders.

Rock / Massif	Height	Latitude	Longitude	Thumbnail
Neufeldtürmchen	245m	49,20051	7,84728
Nedingfelsen	336m	49,19793	7,85356
Neding-Ostgratfelsen	294m	49,19815	7,85912
Spirkelbacher Rauhfels	371m	49,19693	7,87164
Rauhbergtürmchen (Krappenfels)	340m	49,19921	7,87359
Rauhbergpfeiler	340m	49,19693	7,87442
Hülsenfelsen	360m	49,18126	7,87234
Kreuzelfelsen	329m	49,1879	7,85309
Kahler Fels	335m	49,18654	7,85326
Dörreinfelsen	305m	49,18407	7,85153
Backelstein	279m	49,18226	7,85395
Säulenfels	350m	49,1774	7,85703
Birkenfels	330m	49,17615	7,85773
Hühnerstein	456m	49,17013	7,86567
Hoher-Kopf-Turm	443m	49,1774	7,85084
Lanzenfahrter Felsen	285m	49,18057	7,84912
Burghaldefels	303m	49,18635	7,84626
Benztürme	320m	49,1791	7,8447
Hauensteiner Turm	300m	49,18101	7,8409
Stephanstürme	306m	49,17082	7,84523
Sattelfelsen (Dümpfelturm)	316m	49,17196	7,85015
Platzturm	320m	49,16924	7,84712
Wolfsfelsen	270m	49,16921	7,84601
Zimmerbergfelsen	370m	49,18984	7,83695
Lauberstalfels	250m	49,20696	7,80275

11 - Region Rinnthal / Wilgartswiesen

The region between the villages of Rinntal and Wilgartswiesen is very popular since most of the climbing crags can be reached either from the villages or the roads which cross the area. B10, the main highway, B48 and K56 all lead through the hills and there are quite many parking lots nearby. The cliffs, however, are far less impressive than the neighbouring Annweiler or Hauenstein cliffs.

Rock / Massif	Height	Latitude	Longitude
Buchholzfelsen	385m	49,21087	7,93077
Rinnthaler Falkenturm	353m	49,21334	7,92855
Mühlfelsen	332m	49,2164	7,92438
Schmalbühler Felsen	367m	49,21604	7,94108
Dingentalturm	369m	49,21818	7,93469
Haubenthaler Fels	290m	49,22123	7,92802
Kostenfels	327m	49,22076	7,92302
Brodfels	290m	49,22484	7,91913
Dachsfels	296m	49,21662	7,91066
Langenfelsen	271m	49,22798	7,91716
Langentaltürmchen	280m	49,2379	7,92855
Frohndellpfeiler	311m	49,23056	7,91577
Frohndelltürmchen	292m	49,23226	7,9143
Wellbachtalfelsen	247m	49,23748	7,90433
Göckelsbergtürmchen	270m	49,22609	7,9083
Göckelsbergeck	377m	49,22651	7,91205
Drei Felsen	282m	49,22551	7,90805
Wilgartisplatte	274m	49,22529	7,90358
Wilgartisburg	247m	49,22529	7,89997
Göckelsbergmassiv	279m	49,22079	7,89728
Mittlerer Göckelsbergfelsen	259m	49,21954	7.8951E
Westlicher Göckelsbergfelsen	269m	49,21859	7,89294
Darstein	220m	49,2184	7,8998
Finsterbergfels	259m	49,21259	7,89311
Wilgartswieser Puppe	292m	49,21109	7,89331
Kalmeckfelsen	292m	49,2077	7,88831
Prälatenkammern	270m	49,20701	7,89108
Bavariafels (Wilgartswieser Rauhfels)	320m	49,20457	7,87439
Wilgartswieser Rauhberg-Südostpfeiler	338m	49,2023	7,87267
Wilgartswieser Rauhbergpfeiler	328m	49,20207	7,86873
Aufels	220m	49,21201	7,88331
Freischbachwand	243m	49,2219	7,86534
Freischbachtürmchen	281m	49,22279	7,8777
Eselsfels	290m	49,20951	7,87164
Kuhfels	300m	49,20995	7,87061
Kuhplatte	270m	49,2104	7,86786
Vordere Deichenwand	270m	49,20843	7,86517
Mittlere Deichenwand	270m	49,20976	7,85948
Hintere Deichenwand	260m	49,21082	7,85553
Eselsturm	300m	49,21095	7,85189
Falkenburgfels	337m	49,20523	7,8605
Östl. Schloßbergturm	305m	49,20576	7,86217
Östl. Gratturm	270m	49,20782	7,85467

12 - Lug and Surrounding Area

The Lug region is one of the most popular climbing areas in the whole Südpfalz region. The most important climbing crags are directly accessible from the village centre which is located at the intersection of two important side roads through the region. The most important crags are Luger Friedrich – one of the first cliffs to be climbed and the Geiersteine, three high towers to the east of the village. There are less important crags nearby so in case of overcrowding (which easily happens here) you can turn to other destinations.

Rock / Massif	Height	Latitude	Longitude	Thumbnails
Weidenthaler Fels	242m	49,20545	7,91786
Östl. Kesselwand	260m	49,20645	7,91427
Westl. Kesselwand	260m	49,20568	7,91066
Rindsberg-Westpfeiler	292m	49,20501	7,90689
Östl. Bergerfels	310m	49,21012	7,92519
Westl. Bergerfels	290m	49,20907	7,92216
Weiherwände	358m	49,20476	7,90255
Ferkelstein Massiv	320m	49,20073	7,91361
Kleiner Ferkelstein	310m	49,20015	7,90383
Rothenfelsen (Rödelstein)	362m	49,20184	7,93244
Kriegstaltürmchen	246m	49,19948	7,92563
Heimelstein	462m	49,19804	7,93624
Wernersberger Wachtfels (Kanzel)	386m	49,19237	7,924
Klingelfels (Kisselbachwändchen)	360m	49,19337	7,90114
Kisselbachwand	284m	49,18835	7,89911
Laubendöllwand	290m	49,18498	7,89331
Luger Friedrich	310m	49,18362	7,88847
Höllenfelsen	414m	49,1834	7,88417
Runder Hut (Heischfels)	348m	49,19021	7,91325
Hornsteine	402m	49,1816	7,90083
Maus	400m	49,1806	7,90911
Katerfelsen	400m	49,18057	7,90775
Wernersberger Geiersteine	378m	49,17921	7,91291
Nesselbergfelsen	300m	49,1781	7,89272
Dimbergpfeiler	370m	49,16671	7,91119
Kaftenstein	350m	49,16807	7,90533
Dimturm	330m	49,17349	7,90083
Hoher Kopf (Dimfels)	360m	49,17191	7,90262
Dimberg-Nördliche Gratfelsen	376m	49,17140	7,90322
Dimberg-Südliche Gratfelsen	400m	49,16857	7,90921
Dimbacher Käshafen	350m	49,16649	7,89158
Hockerstein (Wachtfels)	333m	49,16785	7,88728
Isselmannsteine	371m	49,16429	7,91286
Engelmannsfels	357m	49,15885	7,93363
Drei Puppen	339m	49,15457	7,92266
Rötzensteinpfeiler	392m	49,15682	7,91083
Steiner Nadel (Käshafen)	372m	49,1541	7,93244

13 - Vorderweidenthal and Surrounding Area

This is an area to the southeast of Südpfalz, best known for on of its central climbing crags: Rödelstein. This was the first of the sandstone cliffs ever climbed back in 1903 over an UIAA 3+ Route. Another interesting location is the ruin of Lindenfels Castle with its Honeycomb Wall, the west face upon which part of the castle has been built. It is an overhanging rock, 20m in height, which sports three difficult climbing routes.

Rock / Massif	Height	Latitude	Longitude	Thumbnails
Haselstein	393m	49,15577	7,87095
Kochelstein	350m	49,15457	7,87959
Schanzenturm	360m	49,13818	7,87959
Rödelstein	423m	49,1361	7,88245
Nasenfels	400m	49,14352	7,89633
Kellerfels	320m	49,13182	7,90169
Krappenfels (Schweinsfels)	310m	49,1301	7,89625
Nördl. Silzer Schweinsfelsen	360m	49,14016	7,92216
Südl. Silzer Schweinsfelsen	390m	49,1377	7,91988
Hirschbergfels	331m	49,12045	7,90825
Lauterschwaner Rappenfelsen	338m	49,11785	7,90947
Roschelfelsen	410m	49,12038	7,93347
Lauterschwaner Türmchen	290m	49,11241	7,90993

14 - The Annweiler Region

Annweiler, a town not far to the west of Landau, is best known for Trifels Castle, which is located south of the town. The climbing crags form some kind of circle around the town. Annweiler is located directly south of the main access road B10.

Rock / Massif	Height	Latitude	Longitude	Thumbnails
Katzenfelsen	497m	49,26345	7,9749
Eußerthaler Krappenfelsen	330m	49,2602	7,95532
Scharfeneckfels	502m	49,25253	8,02073
Orensfels	565m	49,23717	8,02479
Behälter-Kopf Massif	354m	49,24962	7,9491
Eußerthaler Blöcke	354m	49,25387	7,95049
Beutelsbergmassiv	377m	49,25187	7,95771
Eußerthaler Sommerfels	387m	49,24498	7,95946
Gräfenhausener Sommerfelsen	373m	49,23073	7,95955
Annweiler Krappenfels	389m	49,21559	7,96446
Adelsberg	452m	49,20748	7,9498
Trifels	497m	49,19621	7,97843
Anebos	482m	49,19276	7,98168
Kiefernfels	425m	49,19271	7,98277
Brockel	425m	49,1921	7,9826
Fensterfels	425m	49,1911	7,98382
Bindersbacher Turm	425m	49,1911	7,98382
Jungturm	425m	49,19023	7,98504
Münzfels	488m	49,19023	7,98504
Asselstein	406m	49,1879	7,95963
Rehbergfelsen	576m	49,18146	7,97074
Föhrlenbergpfeiler	450m	49,19065	7,99415
Kleiner Hahnstein	451m	49,17615	7,97163
Großer Hahnstein	411m	49,16913	7,97946
Lebersteine	391m	49,15907	7,9713
Hundsfels	386m	49,1566	7,97663

Boulders

There are endless numbers of boulders in the area and I still have no idea how to pinpoint them. For the time being I'll refer you to the site of the PK. You'll find hundreds of bouldering problems there, however without the exact getting there info. There is a pdf-version of the main bouldering guide up for download available. Get it here!

Getting There

The easiest access road to Südpfalz is B10, which runs along directly to the north of the region. In can be reached from the surrounding larger cities as follows:

From Frankfurt (airport) via Ludwigshafen
Take motorway A5 southward in direction Karlsruhe. At Darmstadt switch to A65 (also southward). At the intersection"Viernheimer Dreieck" switch to A6 west. At the intersection "Kreuz Frankenthal" switch to A61 southward, which you have to leave two intersections later ("Kreuz Mutterstadt") onto A65 south. At the exit Landau-Nord leave the motorway and take B10 westwards.

From Mainz, Cologne (north)
Take motorway A63 from Mainz (or from the Intersection "Kreuz Alzey" if you come from Cologne) to Kaiserslautern. There turn briefly onto A6 west, which you leave three exits later ("Kreuz Landstuhl) onto A62 south. This motorway takes you to Pirmasens, where you switch to B10 east.

From Stuttgart via Karlsruhe
Take motorway A8 to Karlsruhe. Here take motorway A5 northward for one exit and leave for A65, direction Landau. At the exit Landau-Nord leave onto B10 west.

When To Climb

The whole area of the Natural Park is open all year. Several of the crags are closed for the first half of the year due to breeding peregrine facons and eagle owls (see red tape).

Red Tape

Yes, there is red tape and lots of it. The sandstone of Südpfalz forms lots of caves and overhangs. Though this makes it most interesting for climbers, two species of birds of prey compete for this habitat: the peregrine falcons and the eagle owls. Both are endangered and wherever there is a eagle owl pair found nesting in the sandstone the crag will immediately be closed. Generally this closure lasts from the beginning of each year through Aug. 1st. If breeding is not successful the closures will be cancelled even before that date. For a list of closures see the Closure List of PK.

The use of magnesia is not allowed in the whole Südpfalz region. This is rather a directive or an arrangement than an outright law. Thus you probably will get away with using it but do so only when absolutely necessary. Magnesia closes the pores which you find in the sandstone and together they form a smooth surface which will get very slippery in wet conditions. The rule of thumb is to use magnesia in the highest difficulty sections and only extremely sparingly.

A transcript of the rules as set by the PK will follow here in the future.

Accommodation, Food and Wine

Let me state first, that of course there are campgrounds in the region, However I can see no reason why one should camp out. In all villages you can find inns, hotels and apartments. And you can be sure to get excellent food out there. I know quite a lot of people who come a long way each year explicitly to dine in the region. In its eastern part, where the mountains suddenly drop into the wide Rhine River Valley you find the so called Weinstrasse (Wine Road), which stretches for 100km through vineyards. It should be obvious, why it got its name.

Camping
There is no shortage of campgrounds, some of which are used for youth clubs. Here is a list of and towns with campgrounds listed east to west:
Dörrenbach, Annweiler, Hauenstein, Erlenbach, Bobental (youth campground), Dahn, Bruchweiler-Bärenbach, Fischbach (youth campground), Lemberg, Ludwigswinkel, Stürzelbronn, Schweix.

You can find Youth Hostels in Dahn and Annweiler.

Accommodation Sites
This is certainly not a complete list. I suppose that each village has a page somewhere. I put up the most informative pages about villages at the heart of the climbing region of Südpfalz:

Tourist information Erfweiler

Tourist information Rumbach

Tourist Information Dahn

Accommodation around Annweiler and Trifels

Tourist information Bruchweiler-Bärenbach

Vacation Homes Eichwald

Weather Conditions

Lookup the weather conditions for the nearest cities, Pirmasens and Landau:

Pirmasens weather

Landau weather

Maps, Books & Web Pages - The Reference

Maps
As for maps there is a good overview map (1:50000) by Kompass Verlag but the best ones are the official topographic maps by the state government of Rheinland Pfalz, scaled 1:50000, 1:25000 and 1:5000. All official maps can be found on the web page of Landesvermessungsamt Rheinland Pfalz
1:50000

• Naturpark Pfälzer Wald
  Kompass Map WK766
  ISBN: 3-85491-523-3
  
• Annweiler am Trifels
  LVA RLP Map L6712
  ISBN: 3-89637-191-6
  
• Bad Bergzabern
  LVA RLP Map L6912
  ISBN: 3-89637-194-0
  
• Pirmasens Süd
  LVA RLP Map L6910
  ISBN: 3-89637-193-2

1:25000

• Pirmasens Nord, 6711, ISBN: 3-89637-139-8
  
• Merzalben, 6712, ISBN: 3-89637-140-1
  
• Annweiler am Trifels, 6713, ISBN: 3-89637-141-X
  
• Pirmasens Süd, 6811, ISBN: 3-89637-146-0
  
• Dahn, 6812, ISBN: 3-89637-147-9
  
• Bad Bergzabern, 6813, ISBN: 3-89637-148-7
  
• Ludwigswinkel, 6911, ISBN: 3-89637-151-7
  
• Fischbach bei Dahn, 6912, ISBN: 3-89637-152-5
  
• Oberotterbach, 6913, 3-89637-153-3

1:5000
There are endless numbers of maps, please look them up on the web page given above if you feel you need them.



Maps on CD
You can also get the official 50k and 25k maps as software CDs. Also to be found on the web page of Landesvermessungsamt Rheinland Pfalz.

• CD-ROM 1:50 000 Rheinland- Pfalz/Saarland 4.0
  1:50000
  ISBN: 3-89637-336-6
  
• CD-ROM 1:25 000 Nr. 4 Saarl.-Hochwald-Pfälzer B.
  1:25000
  ISBN: 3-89637-347-1

Books
As said in the introductory section there are a number of climbing guidebooks on the region of Südpfalz. The best ones, however, have been published privately and are sold only in selected bookshops of the region.

Hiking
• Pfälzerwald
  B. & J.-Th. Titz
  Rother Verlag
  ISBN: 3-7633-4268-0

Climbing
• Klettern im Buntsandstein
  U. Daigger, H.-J. Cron
  Westpfälzische Verlagsdruckerei St. Ingbert
  ISBN: 3-00-015457-4
  
• Kletterführer Mittelgebirge Pfalz: Klettern im Buntsandstein des Pfälzer Felsenlands
  by Jens Richter , Sabine Tittel
  Verlag: Panico Alpinverlag
  ISBN: 978-3936740417
  
• Pfalz ++, Klettern im Buntsandstein
  R. Burkard, P. Weinrich
  Published privately
  
• Klettern im Naturpark Pfälzerwald
  Naturfreunde Lambrecht
  Published privately

Bouldering
• Bouldern im Pfälzer Wald
  P. Weinrich
  Published privately and out of print
  PDF-Version
  
• Pfalz & Nordvogesen en bloc
  A. Wenner, Y. Corby, I. Bald
  Panico Verlag
  ISBN: 3-936740-19-4

Bike Touring
• Radwanderführer Pfalz / Rheinhessen
  H.-E. Rösch
  Kompass Verlag
  ISBN: 3-8134-0189-8

Web Pages
There are also a couple of (German) web pages, which give excellent overviews but which stop short when it comes to route descriptions.

• www.pfaelzer-kletterer.de
  
• www.on-sight.de
  
• www.palatinum.scubavideo.de
  
• www.garmin.de

Additions and CorrectionsPost an Addition or Correction

Viewing: 1-4 of 4

godisgreat82 - Feb 25, 2010 12:56 pm - Hasn't voted

Koordinates corrections

Some "intelligent matching" on the location of some rocks is wrong, so here are the correct coordinates for two of them: Rohrwoogtürmchen 49.18064,7.7939 Erfweiler Klamm 49.1758, 7.80483

Gangolf Haub - Feb 28, 2010 5:15 am - Hasn't voted

Re: Koordinates corrections

Fixed. Thanks!

jochen - Mar 13, 2012 8:46 am - Hasn't voted

New climbing book

There is an excellent new climbing book für Suedpfalz, much better than the old ones. Excellent topos, descriptions and pictures! Costs 39,90€ Kletterführer Mittelgebirge Pfalz: Klettern im Buntsandstein des Pfälzer Felsenlands by Jens Richter , Sabine Tittel Broschiert: 520 Seiten/pages Verlag: Panico Alpinverlag; Auflage: 3. Auflage. (August 2011) Sprache: Deutsch ISBN-10: 3936740410 ISBN-13: 978-3936740417 Größe und/oder Gewicht: 18,4 x 14,8 x 3,2 cm http://www.amazon.de/Kletterf%C3%BChrer-Mittelgebirge-Pfalz-Buntsandstein-Felsenlands/dp/3936740410/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331642610&sr=8-1

Gangolf Haub - Mar 14, 2012 8:20 am - Hasn't voted

Re: New climbing book

Thanks Jochen, I have it on some of my pages but forgot to update this one.

Viewing: 1-4 of 4

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