Devil's Table Trail, Palatinate Forest - fairytale hike in the footsteps of the Devil's Table legend

We hike on the Devil's Table tour near Hinterweidenthal in the Palatinate Forest, Rhineland-Palatinate, southern Germany. The highlight of the tour, the Devil's Table, comes right at the beginning of the hike. The path then leads us through dense forests to Salzwoog and around the ridge of the Etschberg. Again and again, beautiful views of the hilly landscape open up. We pass the Schwamborn spring and encounter an army of cairns. And we see bizarre rock formations. The Devil's Forge and the Devil's Kitchen are particularly impressive. Then the circle closes and we reach the Devil's Table again.

Hinterweidenthal is in the German part of the Wasgau, the southern Palatinate Forest. The pretty half-timbered town belongs to the Hauenstein holiday region and is the starting point for many hikes. We park in front of the Hinterweidenthal Ort train station. From there it is only a few hundred meters to the Devil's Table. The natural monument is a landmark of this holiday region.

But why is the rock called the Devil's Table? That is what a legend tells us. One night the devil was out and about in the dark woods. And hiking is known to make you tired and hungry, but there was no bench or table in sight for a rest. So the devil took a few large rocks, built himself a table out of them, and sat down for his nightly meal. Refreshed, he continued on, but the table remained standing. The next morning, people discovered the table and shuddered. It could only have been the devil! But one man laughed at the others' fear. The following night he went into the forest to the devil's table to dine with the devil. But apart from a horrible scream at midnight, he was never heard or seen again!

Today is a working day, there are not many hikers out and about apart from us, and we don't see the devil either. The Devil's Table is an impressive 14 m high mushroom rock made of red sandstone. It was not the devil, but erosion that was at work here, creating a spectacular natural monument. It is hard to believe that this 284-ton structure does not collapse! The Devil's Table is definitely the highlight of the tour.

But even after that, the hike is very attractive. The path leads through dense forest. For a while we walk along the Salzbach, an idyllic creek. Today is a hot day, but it is very pleasant under the canopy of the mighty trees. At Salzwoog, the small hiking car park with its tables and benches is ideal for a break. Otherwise, we keep coming across rest areas, benches and even comfortable loungers. These days, the devil would no longer have to build his own picnic table! And there is refreshing spring water at the Schwamborn spring.

The Palatinate Forest is considered the largest contiguous forest area in Germany. Sometimes our path leads along wide forest paths, sometimes along picturesque root paths. There are also a few steep climbs to overcome. And beautiful views of the Wasgau with its forests and rocks open up again and again. A sea of ​​cairns greets us in a clearing. Shortly before the end of the tour we come across the Devil's Forge and the Devil's Kitchen, both impressive rock formations. No wonder, we are very close to the famous Dahner Felsenland!

After about 12 kilometers we come back to the Devil's Table. A beautiful and varied tour!

You can also find the trail in Komoot: https://www.komoot.com/de-de/tour/186...

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Hike in September 2024

Chapter
00:00 Intro
00:40 Devil's Table
02:17 Salzbach creek
03:18 Hinterweidenthal Devil's Table Tour
05:54 Salzwoog
06:52 Schwamborn Spring
08:21 View of the Wasgau
08:52 Continuing on the hiking trail
12:01 Rock cairns, Devil's Forge and Devil's Kitchen
13:59 Back at the Devil's Table
14:22 ​​Outro

Mountain road
Music by Olexy from Pixabay

The Beat of Nature
Music by Olexy from Pixabay

Epic Cinematic Trailer
Music by Josef Surikov from Pixabay