Externsteine, the Bärenstein and Knickenhagen from the Krebsbachtal car park

The walk starts from the Krebsbachtal hiking car park on the B1 south-east of the Externsteine, near Horn-Bad Meinberg in the Teutoburg Forest, in Lippe, North Rhine-Westphalia. A woodland track climbs through Knickenhagen to the Externsteine: a group of 13 sandstone pillars, the Turmfels rising 37.5 m, standing upright beside a pond made in 1836 by damming the Wiembecke. The grounds and the paths round the rocks are open at all times, though the site's house rules allow the area to be closed in bad weather; the house rules also require dogs to be kept on a lead on the grounds and forbid climbing on the rocks, and the way up them, by a stone stairway, is a ticketed visit with its own hours, and the Externsteine site says it opens according to the weather and may close at any time.

The line passes the foot of the rocks and takes the ridge path north-west over the Bärenstein, the hill above the old quarries. It comes back by a gravel track along the foot of the hill, passes the pond and the information centre, and returns to the car park by the lower paths of Knickenhagen. It is 6.0 km with 158 m of ascent; allow about 2 hours. The grade is Easy by length and climb; some paths are uneven (the Bärenstein ridge path is mapped as rough underfoot in OpenStreetMap), with short steep pitches and a few flights of steps.

The Externsteine are a nature reserve of 127 hectares, protected since 1926, so keep to the paths. The Externsteine site lists three GPS nature trails in the reserve, the Schliepstein (1.4 km), the Bärenstein (2.5 km) and the Knickenhagen (2.5 km). About half a million people visit the rocks each year, the Externsteine site says.

The car park is mapped in OpenStreetMap as free of charge. The Externsteine site lists a charged car park by the rocks, and says bus line 782 runs between Detmold and Bad Meinberg via Horn, stopping at Horn Abzw. Externsteine.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.