Wasserkuppe
950 m
Germany
Also known as ВассеркуппеAlso known as
Вассеркуппе
- Elevation
- 950 m
- Prominence
- 584 m
- Difficulty
- 1/10
- Easy walk
- Best Season
- May–Oct
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1A straightforward walk from the railway at Gersfeld (about 484 m) on the 'W' trail through Schachen and Güntersberg to the Guckaisee lakes, then a steeper climb up the Lütter valley past the Pferdskopf and the Fliegerdenkmal to the summit plateau. 10.2 km, about 500 m of ascent, 3 hours; bus back from the summit.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 8.6 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +480 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 951 m
- Time Up
- 2h 59m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 2h 40m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From Gersfeld (Rhön) station cross the Berliner Straße and walk through the old town to the castle park, where the Wasserkuppenrundweg (marked 'W') begins. It follows the Kastanienallee and field paths to the Schachen district, enters forest, reaches the K41 road and continues past the Sommerberg and through Güntersberg, then runs almost level to the Guckaisee, two small lakes with a restaurant and car park. Cross the dam between the two lakes; the steeper part of the climb starts here, up the upper Lütter valley past the Lütter spring and the Pferdskopf viewpoint (875 m), a basalt spur with a cliff edge, to the Fliegerdenkmal (1923), a bronze eagle on a volcanic vent at the western edge of the plateau. The summit and the radome viewing platform lie a few minutes east, with the gliding museum, airfield and bus stop beyond. The alpenvereinaktiv description gives 10.2 km, 496 m of ascent, 86 m of descent and 3 hours one way, grades it T1 and notes that about two-thirds is on asphalt or gravel. Return by bus, or walk back down via the Fuldaquelle (855 m) and the upper Fulda valley through Obernhausen and Sandberg (signed 'W' then 'F'), about 2 hours.
Start
Gersfeld (Rhön)495 m
- Hourly Rhönbahn trains from Fulda to Gersfeld; buses link the Wasserkuppe with Fulda (line 35) and Gersfeld.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gersfeld (Rhön) → Wasserkuppe | 8.6 | 480 | 25 | 2h 59m |
Waypoints
- Station: Gersfeld (Rhön)495 m
- Feature: Guckaisee694 m
Cross the dam between the two lakes
- Feature: Pferdskopf867 m
Viewpoint on the basalt spur
- Feature: Fliegerdenkmal924 m
- Summit: Wasserkuppe950 m
Key Passages
- Dam between the Guckaiseen
- Steeper climb up the Lütter valley
- Pferdskopf viewpoint
Equipment
0/2 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
The highest point of the Rhön and of Hesse (950 m), a broad basalt plateau known as the cradle of gliding, topped by a former NATO radar dome. An easy 3-hour walk from Gersfeld, though the summit itself can be reached by road.
The Wasserkuppe is a volcanic upland of basalt and basaltic tuff that rises above the surrounding Triassic sandstone and limestone of the Rhön, 20 km east-south-east of Fulda. The Fulda river and about 30 other streams rise on its flanks. Its top is open grassland, exposed to the wind and cool: the mean annual temperature is under 5 °C and the plateau gets around 1,100 mm of precipitation.
The summit is busy and built up: a gliding airfield with the world's oldest gliding school and the German Gliding Museum, the Fliegerdenkmal of 1923, hotels and restaurants, summer toboggan runs, ski lifts on the north slope and a white radome, a listed relic of Cold War radar surveillance over the Fulda Gap, now with a viewing platform at about 960 m. The surrounding uplands lie in the Rhön Biosphere Reserve.
As a walk it is easy and best done from below, from Gersfeld or Poppenhausen, rather than from the summit car parks. The E3/E6 long-distance paths and the Hochrhöner trail cross the mountain, and the 10.6 km Extratour Wasserkuppe, a certified premium loop opened in 2023, circles it via the Pferdskopf, Guckaisee and Fuldaquelle.
Climbing Notes
Any walker can do it: about 500 m of ascent and 3 hours from Gersfeld station, mostly on asphalt and gravel tracks with one steeper section above the Guckaisee. Combine an ascent on foot with the bus down, or walk the 10.6 km Extratour Wasserkuppe loop from the summit. The plateau is exposed, so bring a windproof layer even in summer; in winter the Wasserkuppe is a ski, sledging and cross-country area and the trails can be snowbound. Keep to the paths in the nature reserves on the north slope.
History
Students from Darmstadt began flight experiments on the Wasserkuppe in 1911, and the first Rhön gliding competition was held in 1920, earning the mountain its name as the cradle of gliding. Arthur Martens made a one-hour flight in 1922 and founded his flying school; the Fliegerdenkmal for First World War airmen was unveiled in 1923. From 1939 the weather station was used as a radar site, and an Allied air raid in 1944 killed 13 people. US forces took over in 1945, directed part of the Berlin Airlift from here and operated radar over the Fulda Gap during the Cold War; the Bundeswehr took over in the late 1970s and military use ended in 1998. The remaining radome, built 1990–94, has been a listed monument since 2009.
Season
Best May–Oct- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Good
- May: Best (best window)
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Best (best window)
- November: Possible
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Winter sports area; snow and wind on the plateau
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Thaw; wet paths
- Jul
- Busy summit at weekends
- Oct
- Clear autumn days
- Nov
- Fog and wet weather common
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Fees
- Paid parking on the summit plateau is likely; not confirmed
- Gliding museum and radome platform: entry fees
- Rules
- Biosphere Reserve Rhön and Naturpark Hessische Rhön; NSG Nordhang Wasserkuppe nature reserve on the north slope: keep to paths
- Getting There
Gersfeld (Rhön)
Frankfurt Airport (FRA)
- Train: hourly Rhönbahn trains from Fulda to Gersfeld (Rhön)
- Bus: services link the Wasserkuppe with Fulda and Gersfeld (line 35 to Fulda ZOB per alpenvereinaktiv)
- Car: via the B284 between Gersfeld and Wüstensachsen or the Hochrhönring (L3068) to the summit car parks
Hazards
- Weather