Rock Gate in the Forest – Oswald Cave loop from Engelhardsberg

Hiking trails & Routes

Germany

Bavaria

Upper Franconia

Franconian Switzerland

Forchheim

Wiesenttal

Rock Gate in the Forest – Oswald Cave loop from Engelhardsberg

Moderate

4.8

(1510)

4,873

hikers

Rock Gate in the Forest – Oswald Cave loop from Engelhardsberg

04:08

13.6km

440m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: September 9, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

Naturpark Fränkische Schweiz - Frankenjura

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

1.61 km

Riesenburg

Cave Entrance

3.44 km

Rock Gate in the Forest

Highlight • Natural Monument

Shortly before a longer climb that pulls you a bit, as it offers few highlights, a change

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9.51 km

View over the Wiesent Valley

Highlight • Viewpoint

The climb is worth it, you will be rewarded with a wonderful view of the Wiesenttal.

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9.69 km

View of the Wiesent Valley from the Felsensteig in Muggendorf

Highlight • Viewpoint

Great vantage point on this trail

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9.85 km

Oswald Cave

Highlight • Cave

The Oswald Cave is a karst cave on the Hollow Mountain, about 800 meters east of Muggendorf, a district of the Upper Franconian market town Wiesenttal in the district of Forchheim in Bavaria.

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10.4 km

Hohes Kreuz Observation Tower

Highlight • Viewpoint

Beautiful all-round view guaranteed. The tower is near the Oswaldhöhle.

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13.0 km

Quackenschloss

Highlight • Cave

The Quackenschloss is a passage cave about 18 meters long. It is the remains of a very old and high-lying cave system. The rock wall has a patchy appearance due …

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13.0 km

Trail from Quackenschloss to Adlerstein

Highlight (Segment) • Trail

On a narrow path past rock formations from the Quackenschloss to the Adlerstein.

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13.6 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

8.03 km

2.14 km

1.65 km

1.36 km

460 m

Surfaces

5.95 km

2.97 km

2.28 km

1.89 km

409 m

136 m

Elevation

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

Highest point (510 m)

Lowest point (310 m)

Weather

Saturday 10 October

11°C

5°C

51 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 19.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

June 6, 2026,🚶🏼‍♀️🚶🏻🐕 Felstore und Karsthöhlen in der Fränkischen Schweiz

My colleague had given us the tip to definitely check out the collapsed caves under the Riesenburg. Easier said than done, I crafted a nice tour for us with even more caves and lots of shade. It was great, the collapsed caves, impressive, we walked through the Oswaldhöhle with Lotta, and the Quakenburg at the end was also pretty to …

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December 17, 2024,Riesenburg Versturzhöhle – Oswaldhöhle Runde von Engelhardsberg

Those were pretty steep climbs for me today. After the last one, I had my own little sauna in my jacket.

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November 9, 2024,Riesenburg Versturzhöhle – Oswaldhöhle Rundtour ab Adlerstein

Start at the Adlerstein car park… how could it be otherwise - again in thick high fog 😢😬. And today some sun☀️ was supposed to shine… past Engelhardsberg to the Riesenburg collapsed cave. Almost alone in this weather😃. The path through was closed due to railing work… simply ignored 😂. Absolutely fascinating are the rock formations and the view into …

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December 28, 2022,Muggendorf Runde mit Höhlen und Aussichten

A hike with endless highlights 🤩, it goes over the Muggendorfer Felsensteig to enjoy the view ✨ of the Wiesent, once through the Oswaldhöhle ✨, a view of the Doctor's Cave ✨ and up to the Hohes Kreuz observation tower ✨. Continue to the Quarkenschloß✨ and up to the Adlerstein✨, the Ruhstein to rest before going to the Riesenburg✨ collapse …

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January 20, 2026,Riesenburg Versturzhöhle – Oswaldhöhle Rundtour ab Adlerstein

We started our hike at the Adlerstein parking lot near Engelhardsberg in a freezing east wind and -6°C. We hiked to the Riesenburg collapse cave, down into the Wisent Valley, along the Wisent River into the Aufseß Valley, and back up to the heights near the Kuchenmühle mill. Some sections of the paths and steps were very slippery. We continued …

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October 23, 2023,Wanderung /Gassirunde 🐕 von Muggendorf zur Oswaldhöhle /Riesenburg / Versturzhöhle

This hike is not "without". Good footwear is very important, especially on slippery surfaces caused by the leaves in autumn.
However, this tour is also really nice.
You will always be rewarded by the beauty of Franconian Switzerland

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March 9, 2024,Versturzhöhle, Rosenmüllerhöhle, Oswaldhöhle, Quakenschloss

Today we went on a cave tour. The largest cave, but one that is open on all sides, is the giant castle Verwurfhöhle. Gigantic. It goes down to the beautiful Wiesent and into the neighboring valley of the Aufseß to the Kuchenmühle. 🍻
Continue to the Rosenmüllerhöhle with 8 species of bats. Continue over many beautiful viewpoints of the Wiesenttal. …

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September 7, 2023,Fränkische Schweiz_04, Die fantastische Runde von Muggendorf

Today we wanted to hike a little away from the tourist crowds and drove to Muggendorf. Komoot made us an attractive hiking suggestion, which we adapted. We were on the road quite early again, so as expected we managed the first few hours alone but with extreme inclines. A beautiful view of the long Wiesenttal was the reward for the …

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