Weserbergland Trail, 3rd Stage: Alternative Route

On the third stage, there is another opportunity to visit the Sleeping Beauty Castle Sababurg with its animal park and the 92 ha primeval forest before continuing on the alternative route - slightly shortened compared to the main route - with 18.7 km of hiking to the baroque town of Bad Karlshafen.

The Weserbergland-Weg XW leads through the Reinhardswald via Gottsbüren and further north towards Gieselwerder. Shortly before the descent to Gieselwerder, this alternative route of the XW branches off to bypass the Sankt-Georgen-Grund and Gieselwerder, which can be difficult to traverse depending on the weather. In rainy, wet weather, we recommend this alternative route as there are many slippery spots in the Sankt-Georgen-Grund section where caution is advised.

Advantage of the alternative route: It saves some elevation meters and about 1.3 km of hiking distance. The stage destination of the third day of hiking is the baroque town of Bad Karlshafen, the town with the hot springs and the wellness oasis "Weser-Therme" - ideal for relaxing after a strenuous day of hiking.