Dahner Felsenland

The southern Palatinate around Dahn holds the densest concentration of free-standing sandstone formations in the range: towers, walls, arches and mushroom-shaped rocks left where softer layers eroded faster than harder caps. The Teufelstisch, the devil's table, is a mushroom rock about fourteen metres high with a slab balanced on a narrow stem. Above Dahn, three castle ruins stand in a row on one ridge, Altdahn, Grafendahn and Tanstein, with rooms and stairs cut into the rock. The area is a climbing region with routes on the towers, subject to seasonal bans where falcons nest.

What you actually see

• The Teufelstisch - a fourteen-metre mushroom rock on a narrow stem.
• The triple castle - three ruins in a row on one sandstone ridge.
• The rock-cut rooms - chambers and stairs carved into the sandstone.
• The climbing towers - free-standing rocks with established routes.

When to go

April to October; climbing areas close seasonally for nesting falcons. Autumn colour in the beech woods is good. Winter makes the rock ledges slippery.

Honest expectations

Castle ruins involve steep steps and exposed ledges. Climbing bans change through the year. Public transport is limited outside the main valley.

Nearby

Trifels castle lies northeast; the French border is south.