The hike begins at the oldest town hall in the Nahe region, the historic town hall of Simmertal from 1499. Today, the municipality houses a
natural history museum in the town hall, featuring a paleontological collection from the Hunsrück-Nahe area. We walk past old fruit tree groves and small gardens of the Apfelbach Valley and reach a shady, richly structured forest on our way. Passing an old quarry where volcanic rock was once extracted, we are rewarded with a unique panoramic view over the Nahe region upon reaching
Braunenberg. Along a hedgerow populated by songbirds, beautiful views of the landscape unfold before us. At
Habichtskopf, we reach the highest viewpoint at 425 m.
At the Randhahn's Ruh hiking parking lot, we cross the Apfelbach on our hiking path and follow the boundary between Simmertal and Horbach, marked by prominent old boundary stones. We then hike through the species-rich semi-dry grasslands in a coppice and hedgerow landscape of the Vogelsberg. The hiking trail now turns north towards the tranquil village of Horbach before we approach the highlight of the hike, the 'Felsengarten'.
The following section with viewing platforms in prominent locations along the Simmerbach Valley is undoubtedly the crowning highlight of the trail. From the viewing platforms Falkenstein, Uhuwarte, Rabenkanzel, and Felsenköpfchen, we are treated to a breathtaking view of the Simmerbach Valley, featuring an extraordinary, southern European-influenced plant world. The Falkenstein shelter invites us to take an extended break. The entire lower Simmerbach Valley is designated as a Flora-Fauna-Habitat protection area and bird sanctuary. The strikingly green-colored slate rocks in the area of the Rabenkanzel are among the oldest rocks in Rhineland-Palatinate. The hiking trail leads us back through vineyard fallows, old fruit tree groves, and hedgerows to our starting point, the village of Simmertal.
