Directions from Hahn via the B327 to Kastellaun; take the Kastellaun exit at the elevated roundabout, then take the third exit onto the L204 to Mörsdorf;
Parking lot P1 at the Geierlay Visitor Center (Kastellauner Straße 23)
Destination for your GPS:
Kastellauner Straße 23, 56290 Mörsdorf
Lines 630, 631, and 632 from Kastellaun – stop at the Geierlay Visitor Center in Mörsdorf
There are four parking lots in Mörsdorf. All parking lots are signposted and require payment.
Parking lot P1 at the visitor center is for short-term parking, as the parking fees there are the highest.
Fees are slightly lower at parking lots P2–4.
The path from the parking lots to the visitor center (start of the tour) is signposted. However, if you’re coming from P2–4, you can also join the hiking trail right in the town center (Pohlstraße).
Once we reach the bridgehead, we get our first glimpse of this unique bridge structure. The Geierlay suspension bridge opened in October 2015 after just six months of construction and connects the communities of Mörsdorf and Sosberg. The bridge is 360 meters long and spans the Mörsdorf stream valley at a height of 100 meters. Now that we’ve admired the structure up close, we gather our courage and step onto the bridge.
At the bridgehead, it’s still quite wide at 1.40 m, but this changes the closer we get to the center of the bridge, where it narrows to just 85 cm. Enduring the bridge’s slight swaying, we hike—slightly uphill again from the center of the bridge—to the Sosberg end of the bridge, where, happy that we’ve made it across, we take one last look back. Leaving the Geierlay behind us, we turn left and follow the forest trail, which winds slowly along the slope—with only one short uphill section—and then into the Mörsdorfer Bachtal valley.
Once in the valley, we come upon the Saar-Hunsrück-Steig premium long-distance hiking trail, which runs down here in the valley along the same path as the Geierlay Dream Loop. Enjoying the peace and idyll of the valley, we hike along the Mörsdorfer Bach, which babbles gently beside us. While the trail from the bridgehead down into the valley was still a wide forest path, down here in the stream valley it takes on the character of a hiking trail. Near the five-way junction, it’s worth taking a look up, because if you look closely, you’ll see that we’re right underneath the bridge. While we previously had a great view from the bridge down into the stream valley, we can now see visitors to the Geierlay Loop strolling across the bridge. After a short rest, we tackle the final stretch of the Geierlay Loop. The ascent is steep and strenuous, but as we hike out of the forest back toward the town center, we agree that the hike was well worth it.
Because this hike isn’t just about the suspension bridge as a highlight—it offers pure nature!
Be sure to hold on tight to your cell phone while crossing the Geierlay, because the gaps between the wooden planks are just the right size for a cell phone.
www.kastellaun.de
Kastellaun Tourist Information, Marktstr. 16, 56288 Kastellaun
Phone: +49 6762 - 401698 or 401873, Email: touristinfo@kastellaun.de