Top 3 Gorges around Mellrichstadter Forst

A beautiful piece of nature. Highly recommended.

Beautiful route both on and off road.

Always beautiful over the Dreißigacker plateau towards Herpf. Very well signposted route👍

www.biosphaere-rhoen.de Information from panel no. 2 Eisgraben - cold wind, natural forests The water of the Aschelbach, which flows over and between the basalt blocks of the Eisgraben, comes from the Black Moor on top of the Hohe Rhön - one of the last intact raised bogs in Germany. Cold air also flows from there down the valley channel. The Eisgraben owes its name to this, because it ensures that the frost lasts here well into spring. Large areas of the Eisgraben are designated as a natural forest reserve and enjoy special protection as a core zone of the UNESCO Rhön Biosphere Reserve. Leaving the moor, the Aschelbach initially meanders quietly through the landscape and finally plunges down a 4-meter-high waterfall. When it enters the forest, the stream is then called Eisgraben. It meanders between the trees and in places drops steeply by up to 10 meters on the side. Every spring, the floods of melting snow transform the narrow summer stream into a raging torrent that cuts ever deeper into the ground. An extreme storm on July 26, 1834 gave the Eisgraben its current appearance. Torrential rain caused a massive landslide that buried the town of Hausen. The catastrophe washed out brown coal in some places, which was then mined. A considerable system of tunnels was created. However, the brown coal was still quite young and therefore of poor quality, so mining was soon stopped. The women's cave is located in the lower part of the Eisgraben. At this point, the water has dug a 50-meter-long and 20-meter-deep cave into the rock. According to legend, this cave was a refuge for the women from the hamlet of Hillenberg in times of trouble. Today, the cave is no longer accessible. Also nearby are a hunter's hut and the ruins of Hildenburg.

The mountain hiking trail on the Elsbach is a hidden gem, a symphony of rushing water, old trees and the scent of wild nature. Here, in the silence of the Rhön Biosphere Reserve, the wild romance of a path that winds along a lively stream is revealed. The murmur of the Elsbach is a constant companion on this path. With every step, up and through the wooded Kerbtal, the worries of everyday life become quieter and the beauty of nature louder. It is a place where you feel the world with all its colors and sounds more intensely. In summer, the path offers a refreshing coolness, a green roof of leaves protects from the heat and lets the light fall in soft rays on the ground. The Elsbach Bridge can be seen in the distance, from where the idyllic path is best explored. When the snow begins to melt, the Elsbach turns into a rushing spectacle. The water dances and jumps over rocks, winding through the gorge the river has carved over the centuries. Even as one hikes uphill and the trail becomes more challenging, the depths of the gorge reveal themselves to the left, a sight that inspires both awe and wonder. The view of the bubbling water that is constantly finding its way is an unforgettable experience. The Elsbach shows its charming face in every season: framed by delicate green in spring, cool and shady in summer, bathed in a sea of gold and red in autumn and a quiet, frosty wonderland in winter. The mountain hiking trail on Elsbach is a hiking highlight for those who want to feel the rhythm of nature and hike in a landscape that invites you to pause and enjoy. Here in the heart of the Rhön Biosphere Reserve you are reminded of how valuable and worthy of protection the quiet splendor of our natural world is.

The Aschelbach, which comes from the Rhön high plateau, has created the deep valley of the Eisgraben here. There is a reason for the name Eisgraben: the cool stream water and the accompanying cold air currents ensure that the temperature along the stream is a few degrees lower than in the surrounding area.

A well-developed hiking trail always leads along the Elsbach.

Great landscape that you should definitely enjoy. Beautifully shady and pleasantly cool in summer.