Trail Name: Vital Tour – Wald, Wein und Horizonte (Woods, Wine and Horizons)
Trail Type: Mid-distance circuit; almost exclusively paved or hard-packed surfaces (only a couple of grassy slopes otherwise), well maintained, and extremely well-marked!
Length: Total: 17.5 kilometers/ 10.9 miles
Convenient to: Bingen or Bad Kreuzmnach
Marking: A pair of rectangles in red, with black and red lettering for the trail name, on a white background.
Trail Description: A meandering trail, through woods offering plenty of shade, and vineyards and fields providing magnificent views of distant horizons, several features make this a family-friendly trail (albeit not one for strollers). Foremost is the shade from the sun in the forest segments (of which there are many). It is also relatively flat, easy enough for younger legs, with only a couple of steep inclines. Thirdly, there are rest areas and educational stops along the way, with descriptions (in German) of the geological, social and natural history of the area. Finally, there are several built-in, short-cuts, thus making three shorter circuits (6.8, 4, and 8.5 kilometer options) to choose from.
Trailhead: Langenlonsheim – Waldstr, Forsthaus Langenlonsheim
Parking:
Langenlonsheim – Waldstr, Forsthaus Langenlonsheim (Right at the trailhead)
Guldental-Heddesheim – Friedhofstrasse, off-street, unimproved lot by the cemetery (A short distance to the trailhead)
Public Transportation Options:
Rail: Deutsche Bahn Regional train service between Bingen and Kaiserslautern stops in Langenlonsheim on a frequent basis.
Bus: Not applicable
Suggested Stages: No stages per se, but three shorter circuits available. See above.
Trail Itinerary-Reference Points:
Langenlonsheim: Forsthaus, from there, through forest to the first long-distance view of the horizon, the “Rheinblick”; through more forest via numbered panels 2-10, to the next long-distance view, overlooking Windesheim, the “Soonwaldblick”; Windesheim: vineyards, and numbered panels 11-14 (the first being a little chapel on the edge of the vineyards, the last being a Jewish cemetery in the woods); Guldental: Vineyards and the Sonnenberghutte, to the Guldenbachblick, the final long distance view; a mix of forest, vineyards and fields back to the start.
Representative Trail Photos:
Restrooms: Play and picnic area at the trailhead by Forsthaus Langenlonsheim, only seasonally open.
Attractions on or near Trail: None observed
Tasting along the Trail:
Several wineries are in both Langenlonsheim and Guldental-Heddesheim.
The Sonnenberghutte also serves as a seasonal wine tavern
Alternative Options:
Hiking:
Guldentaler Weinwanderweg: A short (about 6 kilometers) circuit tour in and around the towns and vineyards of Guldental-Waldhilbersheim and Guldental-Heddesheim
Weinwanderweg Rhein-Nahe: A 95-kilometer long trail through Nahe vineyards following the Nahe river valley. (The Wald Wein und Horizonte circuit follows or crosses parts of it.)
Car: The Naheweinstrasse is a 130 kilometer-long auto touring route beginning in Bingen, and continuing up the valley to Muenster-Sarmsheim, and circling around to return to Bingen
Additional Information:
Regional: https://www.naheland.net/en
Trail (segment) specific: http://www.wanderinstitut.de/premiumwege/rheinland-pfalz/wald-wein-horizonte/
Comments:
This is without a doubt one of the best organized and best-maintained trails I have seen in Germany, making it fun and easy to hike.
While the train to Langenlonsheim is frequent, getting to the trailhead about 2 kilometers distant is problematic. No bus line seems to serve the hiking area.