Seifengrund Trail

Beautiful and easy round through beautiful blooming meadows. Rare, but there are still things like that. https://www.frankenwald-tourismus.de/detail/id=6087f5130d7ea872058c78a2

The Seifengrund trail begins in Steinbach near Geroldsgrün at the fire station. Here a hiking board provides information about the route and the route data. The circular trail is marked as DÖ 96 and leads via the Bavarian spa town of Bad Steben and the eponymous Seifengrund back to the starting point. We hike to the end of the town and past the sports field, always straight on to Friedelhöhe. Here we are treated to a beautiful view of Steinbach, Langesbühl, Spitzberg, and, if the visibility is good, all the way to the Fichtelgebirge. We continue following the trail markings through the fields uphill towards Carlsgrün until we turn right and continue walking through the beautiful old avenue of Alte Langenbacher Straße towards “Schöne Aussicht”. A wonderful view opens up over Langenbach, Bad Steben, Carlsgrün and nearby Thuringia. At the “Schöne Aussicht” we turn right towards the Bad Steben spa park, walk through the park and past the Wandelhalle and thermal baths towards the main street. We follow the road briefly out of town and then turn left onto a shady path towards Seifengrund. Along the clinic buildings and through a small forest we reach the meadowland of the Seifenbach and hike up the valley on a narrow meadow path. We pass a seating area with a Kneipp pool, cross the stream and continue past the upper Seifenteich. On the left on the hill of the Hirschhügel we discover the tower of the Frankenwarte, which is well worth a little detour. After enjoying the beautiful view there, we cross the main road to the right and hike right again below the Hirschberglein hiking lodge. The path runs along natural paths and field tracks over the Hagenbühl back to our starting point in Steinbach near Geroldsgrün.

Back in Franconia. Today we went to Bad Steben. A round on the Seifengrund path. At first it was sunny, then more and more cloudy. The Sahara dust. Through the hallway and up to the beautiful view. A couple of houses and a restaurant. Food ok so far. Through the spa park to the spa house and thermal baths. Then continue into the soapy ground. Small valley. Pure nature. There was still something for the nose today. Farmer was spreading manure nearby. After the valley up to the Frankenwarte. Small observation tower, but great all-round views. You can see more without dust. Back through the forest and fields. Nice round with views.

We start at the hiking information board at the fire station and walk to the end of the village, past the sports field, straight ahead on the field path to Friedelhöhe and enjoy the beautiful view of Steinbach, Langesbühl, Spitzberg, with good visibility up to the Fichtelgebirge. There we come across the Wasserscheideweg. The main hiking trail accompanies us with a view of wide corridors and the nearby spa town of Bad Steben down to a small depression. Here the Wasserscheideweg leaves us to the left and we continue straight ahead with beautiful views and come on the black path (because of the covering with fine cinders) to a crossing at the Alte Langenbacher Straße. The road leads straight ahead to nearby Carlsgün, left to Langenbach. But we hike to the right through the beautiful avenue of old trees in the direction of "Beautiful View". A magnificent view opens up to Langenbach, Bad Steben, Carlsgrün and Thuringia to the Sieglitzberg with the transmission mast. The "Schöne Aussicht" restaurant was reopened in 2022 after more than 30 years of slumber and invites you to stop by. At the edge of the spa park we turn right and come through the park via the Klinik Frankenwarte (LVA), the foyer, the spa house and the thermal baths to Steinbacher Straße in Bad Steben with Bavaria's northernmost state baths. We follow Steinbacher Straße briefly out of town, turn left before the machine house and walk along a shady path along the extensive facilities of the Franken Clinic to the end. Along the fence we go down to the left (or straight ahead through the woods into the open) and hike along the bank of the first soap pond and along the edge of the wood to the end of the wood, where we come across a beautiful meadow path at the beginning of the Seifengrund. Soaps were facilities for extracting ores from flowing waters. The water was dammed by cauldron-shaped heaps of earth and the alluvial clay or slate mountains were set in motion with the help of water flowing over them and constant pushing. The lighter soil is carried away, the coarser rock remains. After being washed out several times, the ores could be extracted and further processed in the nearby Zerrennfeuer. We walk gently up the unspoilt valley, cross the valley floor to another soap pond and continue through the open field up to the forest. We go straight ahead along the edge of the forest and reach the main road just before the Hirschberglein hiking hostel. Recommended: A detour to the Frankenwarte on the Hirschhügel. We go 150 m to the left and then follow the Wasserscheideweg sharply left again up to the Hirsch Hügel with the Frankenwarte. If we go back the same way after the beautiful all-round view, we have left the flat valley basin of the Seifengrund behind us and are standing at the watershed of the Elbe and Rhine. There is also the option of making a stopover at the Hirschberglein hiking home. Without stopping for a break, however, we cross the main road and walk down towards Geroldsgrün, only to turn right again after a few meters. The path along the edge of the meadow leads past the hiking hostel in the direction of Steinbach. Passing the Frankenhof we cross the adjacent forest to reach the open field above Steinbach via the Hagenbühl. Now we can already see our destination and reach the starting point of our hike again.

DÖ-96 Seifengrundweg actually starts in Steinbach near Geroldsgrün. In the opposite direction, it is the Bad Steben health hiking trail, with small exercises to join in. Below the tower in Hirschberglein, a beautiful gnome path (Wichtelpfad) has been created, which certainly has a lot of heart and soul put into it. One can only hope that the gnome houses, which have been crafted with so much love for detail, survive the Bergfest at Pentecost.

It starts from Bad Steben Parkstrasse at the Kurpark. Past the Aquamarin thermal baths. Here we go across the street, up past the rehabilitation clinic and on the Seifengrundweg, here along the Seifenteich in the meadow breeding area on the health hiking trail in wonderful sunny weather conditions. The path takes us to the shoe tree, Kneipp arm basin and rest area with a sun lounger. Continue past the upper soap pond with station number 9. Keep left here otherwise you will run into a field path. Then turn left onto the path towards the Frankenwarte observation tower. Unfortunately the tower was closed. A pity. Continue towards Hirschberglein and straight ahead onto the Seifengrund-Weg Dö 96 and Geo-Pfad. Then we go to Steinbach b. Geroldsgrün coming from Obere Dorfstraße past the fire department, here along the street to the right. To the path to the church, turn left past the village church and sports center. Straight ahead following this side street you reach Friedelhöhe with a rest area. Turn right here onto the footpath between fields and forests to station 6 on the Bad Steben health hiking trail. A great seating area here to relax. Then continue left to station 5 with a seating area. Straight ahead to station 4. Here you turn right and continue straight ahead at station 3 to the Bad Steben water supply. Here we go right again, still Dö 96. From here through the spa park and to the starting point

Thursday, May 22, 2025 Start at 2 p.m. 12 degrees Celsius, some rain, and a cold wind