We’ll start at the Schillingen Recreation Area for this 8.5-kilometer hike, which takes us along the Flonterbach to the Ruwer. Through the extensive removal of coniferous reforestation, sunny fallow grasslands have been created in the stream floodplains, which once again are home to numerous butterfly species, some of which are endangered. At various points along the Ruwer and its tributaries, narrow pipes have been replaced with wide culverts to allow aquatic animals to migrate once again and reach their preferred spawning grounds. In the spring, wild daffodils bloom along the middle Ruwer, attracting admirers every year in late March/early April as part of the Daffodil Festival.
Along the Flonterbach and the Ruwer, this themed loop trail offers many interesting stories about the aquatic animals and plant species that live here.
The nature trail is funded as part of the Ruwer Waterways Project through the federal Riparian Zone Program, with support from the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The goal is to preserve and develop the Ruwer River and its tributaries, along with their floodplains, over a stretch of approximately 186 km as a near-natural water and floodplain landscape within the Saar-Hunsrück Nature Park.
A total of 6 themed hiking trails (Rut1–Rut6) are part of this project, offering hikers a vivid and informative way to experience the Ruwer River and its various uses up close.
