Naturpark Lüneburger Heide

Parcours of magical moments (55 km)

Ice age moraines formed the landscape. Rolling hills and wide river valleys testify to this. The "Parcours of magical moments" trail leads through the expanse of the hilly landscape. Be enchanted by the forests, the rolling fields and green meadows, and the open vistas into the river Valleys.

This circular hiking trail passes Hanstedt and Salzhausen: these two places are easy to reach by bus. From Hanstedt the trail leads over the ridge of Ahrberg through the valley of Schmale Aue to Egestorf. After crossing the Spannwald, you reach the 4000-year-old Eyendorf megalith. The elevation profile becomes more diverse. Before Salzhausen lies Gallerberg, once the site of the local gallows. Paaschberg rises in the middle of the village. It is worth seeing Salzhausen’s St. Johannes Church, built of fieldstone, with its mighty fortified Tower.

The "Parcours of magical moments" runs behind Salzhausen on the ridge between the Luhe and the Aubach. Via Hamberg you hike through the lovely Auetal and Quarrendorfer forest with its gnarled beech trees and reach the valley of the Schmale Aue again.

TIP: Do the walk twice, in different directions. You will be amazed how the perception of the landscape changes with the direction of travel.

The ice age shaped the landscape

The ice ages in particular have characterized the landscape of Lüneburg Heath. In several stages, glaciers from Scandinavia pushed sand, gravel and stones onto the North German lowlands. At the edge of the ice, debris deposits formed mighty end moraines.

Wilseder Berg lies exactly at the intersection of different end moraine sections. The present form of this hill was created by erosion processes. Rivers and streams made their way through the mighty Urstromtal (glacial valley) of the Elbe, and they carried sand and gravel along with them. Large quantities of sand were deposited here, and are still typical today for the soil of the Lüneburger Heath.