Grube Gustav Visitor Mine – Wichtellöcher Caves (Abterode) loop from Bilstein im Höllental

Hiking trails & Routes

Germany

Hesse

Regierungsbezirk Kassel

Werra-Meißner-Kreis

Meißner

Grube Gustav Visitor Mine – Wichtellöcher Caves (Abterode) loop from Bilstein im Höllental

Moderate

4.8

(178)

521

hikers

Grube Gustav Visitor Mine – Wichtellöcher Caves (Abterode) loop from Bilstein im Höllental

03:09

10.8km

280m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: August 6, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

Geo-Naturpark Frau-Holle-Land

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

848 m

Bilstein Ruins and View of the Höllental

Highlight • Castle

A wonderful view and a ruin where no one is suspected. The detour for nature, culture and geology is wonderful, the view from the rock that slopes almost perpendicular to the Berka is magnificent.

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2.28 km

Grube Gustav Visitor Mine

Highlight • Historical Site

Here you will find a beautiful sculpture "The miner with mallet and iron". It comes from Viktor and Ilja Donhauser's creative workshop at the VHS Witzenhausen. This very graphic sculpture was carved from oak.

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2.82 km

Viewpoint in the Geo-Naturpark Frau-Holle-Land

Highlight • Viewpoint

The climb is really tough. The rewarding view, however, is at least exactly the same.

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4.36 km

Juniper Grove Above Abterode

Highlight • Forest

Juniper is considered a universal remedy because of its strong warming effect: it improves the flushing of the kidneys and increases the excretion of water. This relieves urinary tract infections, irritable bladders and constant freezing.

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4.36 km

View of Abterode from Krösselberg

Highlight • Viewpoint

What a beautiful landscape. 😍

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4.93 km

View of the Meißner Foreland and Abterode from Hochzeitskanzel

Highlight • Viewpoint

Wedding pulpit

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7.82 km

Wichtellöcher Caves (Abterode)

Highlight • Cave

The gnome holes near Abterode are crevices and cavities in the limestone. The formation of these cavities could not be explained in earlier times. Due to their small size and …

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9.86 km

View of the Werratal Valley

Highlight • Viewpoint

A wonderful hiking trail with impressive boundary stones and several mining relics, so-called pingen, runs along the Iberg. The descent into Höllental is very steep and, in bad weather, only recommended with good shoes.

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10.8 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

7.19 km

3.26 km

187 m

147 m

Surfaces

5.77 km

4.30 km

635 m

< 100 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (300 m)

Lowest point (190 m)

Weather

Today

Wednesday 7 October

14°C

7°C

93 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 21.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

July 23, 2022,P23 Höllental (Frau-Holle-Land)

I already ran the P23 2 years ago in continuous rain and had planned to do it again when the weather was good.... And so it happened today: I started at the Gustav pit and ran in the opposite direction to the main direction. The signage was pretty bad up to the Bilstein, but it got better after that. The …

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October 24, 2021,Im Höllental, hinauf zum Bilstein,P 23....24.10.21

No reason to fear, Hell Valley turned out to be peaceful ...

Right at the beginning of the tour, a gigantic view of the Abterode church ruins, adorned with golden leaves and the blue sky.

This premium trail leads mostly through open country with a view of the Meißner.
Nevertheless, it is varied, past the gnome holes, the visitor mine …

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May 9, 2024,P23 - Höllental ⛪️🦋🌿

Premium trail P23 Höllental
Experience score: 68

Steep ascents and descents, narrow forest paths, fitness required, hiking boots necessary.

From the car park at the Abterode church ruins, the trail runs directly through the 14th century ruins. Within sight, the Abteröder Bär rock, a place of Frau Holle, draws attention with its distinctive shape. Through the Kupferbachtal, past juniper heaths, …

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December 18, 2023,P23 Höllental ++ 😎🐕☀️🎄⛪️🌞🪵🌳🐂⚒️⚜️

Today I walked the premium path P23 through the Höllental in fantastic sunshine (I could have really used the sunglasses today). A great tour, I especially liked the Abterode church ruins and the beautiful paths through the forests today 🙂🌞⛪️🌳🍀.
In total it was a good 14 km out of the stated 10 km. However, I also took a detour …

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March 9, 2024,Frühling im Höllental (P23+) 💐🐻🤩

Nature is waking up from its hibernation. It can be so beautiful - birds chirping, sunshine and a bear stretching out in its stone form towards the blue sky. The P23 shines in its first spring splendor. 🐻🤩
The first time we walked the loop was in the fall, at the opposite change of season. This time life hummed and …

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August 10, 2024,P23 Höllental

Variety, and plenty of it. We started at the Grube Gustav. How I like it best, get out of the car and go straight up steeply 😣
But it's only a short stretch and then it goes leisurely up and down, through open meadows, forests, paths, farm tracks, everything is there. Towards the end there is another good stretch of …

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