Palatine Ridgeway

The Palatine Ridgeway (Pfälzer Höhenweg) in the North Palatine Uplands of Germany is 112 km long and has seven recommended day stages. It is the third longest Prädikat path in the Palatinate region after the Palatine Wine Trail and Palatine Forest Trail. The long distance path was opened in the autumn of 2010. One year later, in September 2011, it was given its status as a Prädikat path.

Route
The Palatine Ridgeway runs in a semi-circle initially north around the Donnersberg, the highest mountain in the North Palatine Uplands and the whole Palatinate, then through the valleys northwest of the massif. The start point in the east is Winnweiler, and the finish point in the west is Wolfstein station. Opened in spring 2011 the hiking trail runs entirely within the North Palatine Uplands. Its waymark and logo, like the other two paths, is a hillside in a rectangular field, but with the difference that it is in blue and white, and has a stylised cloud and the name of the path.

Character
The path, with its climbs and descents, runs through one of the most important tourist attractions of the Palatinate: the large, forested, hill range of the North Palatine Uplands. The route has 3300 m of uphill and 3200 m of the downhill gradient. Its lowest point is at 148 m in the small town of Meisenheim and its highest point, at 687 m, is the summit of the Donnersberg. In addition, the trail runs in places through the valleys of the Alsenz, Moschel, Glan and Lauter, which belong to the river system of the Rhine tributary, the Nahe.

Stations and selected sights
Some of the stations and sights are managed comprehensively by various interest groups.
 * Winnweiler
 * Chapel of the Cross


 * Imsbach
 * Weiße Grube visitor mine


 * Dannenfels
 * Bastenhaus
 * Donnersberg summit
 * Keltenwall, Ludwigsturm and Donnersberg Transmitter
 * Ring of castles around the massif: Falkenstein Tannenfels, Wildenstein, Hohenfels und Ruppertsecken


 * Rockenhausen
 * Turmuhren Museum


 * Obermoschel
 * Ruins of "Moschelland Castle"


 * Meisenheim
 * Historic Altstadt


 * Lauterecken
 * Schloss Lauterecken


 * Wolfstein
 * Castles of Alt-Wolfstein and Neu-Wolfstein