Ruhr Heights Trail

The headwaters of the Ruhr are a little north of Winterberg at the Ruhrkopf - this is where we start our eventful hike. Until we reach Olsberg, we walk steadily downhill and more or less directly along the banks of the Ruhr. Now, however, we turn west and climb the first heights in the south of the Arnsberg Forest. Past the Hennetal Dam, behind Meschede, we cross the Ruhr twice and reach Arnsberg, with the castle of the same name, through the beautiful deciduous forest. The next section of the trail to Bergheim is characterised by several small communities. The route continues through the Luerwald forest, which is criss-crossed by numerous rivers and streams, to Menden in the Sauerland region. From Sümmern via Kalthof and Ergsts, the landscape changes as the forest is increasingly interrupted by wide fields and meadows. We continue our hike and are surprised to see a completely different side of the Ruhr region here: instead of huge industrial plants, historical sights and wooded paths await us. They lead us past Westhofen, Lake Hengstey and Herdecke, and then to Lake Harkort near Wetter - both lakes were created by damming the Ruhr. In Witten we change to the southern side of the river and then pass Hattingen. A wide curve in a northerly direction then leads us to Essen and Lake Baldeney, the largest of the six Ruhr reservoirs. We continue to follow the winding course of the Ruhr and walk from Essen-Werder via Essen-Kettwig to Oemberg, a district of Mülheim an der Ruhr. We enjoy the fact that we avoid the large conurbations and instead walk in scenic surroundings. We can also count the Duisburg city forest among these, which accompanies us to the port area of Duisburg. Along the harbour basin we finally reach the mouth of the Ruhr into the Rhine and have thus reached the end of the Ruhr Heights Trail.