At Hesselberg, the focus is on several different trails and the visible ring walls. When planning, it is worth distinguishing the routes by activity: the geological educational and hiking trail offers a thematic look at the Jurassic periods, while Circular Hiking Trail 1 and the family cycling route provide separate route options. This lets you first decide whether hiking, cycling or geological exploration best suits your stay.

Ring Walls and Trails

On a walk around Osterwiese, the very well-preserved ring walls of Hesselberg are clearly visible. The site is considered one of the largest ring-wall complexes in Europe. Alongside the exercise, the walk therefore has a clearly visible destination at its centre.

Using information boards, the Geological Educational and Hiking Trail explains the Jurassic periods at Hesselberg: from the Lias (Black Jurassic) through the Dogger (Brown Jurassic) to the Malm (White Jurassic). The terms in parentheses pair each technical name with its German designation and make the sequence easier to follow. If you are particularly interested in geology, the trail provides a thematic addition to routes described mainly by their distance or course.

Two hiking routes differ in their course and stated distance: Circular Hiking Trail 1 goes around Hesselberg on a hiking trail approximately six kilometres long; the Hesselberg Trail leads over the mountain. It starts in Gerolfingen at the large car park by the warehouse, opposite the “Zum Goldenen Löwen” inn. Along the way, it also passes the Gerolfingen bathing pond.

The “Around Hesselberg” family cycling route was officially opened in April 2014. This easy, approximately 20-kilometre circular cycling route goes around Hesselberg through gently rolling terrain.

Circular Hiking Trail 1 and the family cycling route both go around Hesselberg, but differ in their mode of travel and route length: around six kilometres on foot compared with around 20 kilometres by bike. This makes it possible to compare the two circular routes by their respective distances without treating a hike and a cycling route as equivalent. The Hesselberg Trail, by contrast, leads over the mountain, while the educational trail focuses on the Jurassic periods. Route, mode of travel and geological focus are therefore different points of reference when choosing a route.

Landscape and Views

Hesselberg is a protected landscape area. In particularly good weather, the view from Hesselberg reaches as far as the Alps, approximately 150 kilometres away. Depending on wind conditions, there are two launch areas for paragliding. The distant views and paragliding depend on different conditions: particularly good weather for the views, and wind conditions for the launch areas.

Culture in Gerolfingen

In Gerolfingen, specifically in the district of Aufkirchen, stands the highly visible St. John’s Church, dating from 1514. It has a Baroque altar and one of the oldest organs in Bavaria.

More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Ehingen, Langfurth, Lichtenau, Insingen, Unterschwaningen, Dürrwangen and Colmberg.

Back to the main travel overview: Ansbach.