Schmitten in the Taunus: Finding accommodation between the ski lift, trails and history

Skiing and snowboarding in Oberreifenberg

The Oberreifenberg ski lift is a drag lift for skiers and snowboarders. It is located in Oberreifenberg at an altitude of approximately 680 to 730 metres. This provides specific information about a local winter sports facility and its altitude; in itself, it says nothing about the facilities of accommodation or access to the lift.

For your plans, the operating conditions are important: the operator lists weekend opening times, provided there is good snow cover, and operations depend on snowfall. Check the details before you travel if the lift is important to your stay. This makes clear the difference between the ski lift described here and a day on which it is actually operating.

Circular trails with different starting points

The TaunusRunde Höhenluft, just over 33 kilometres long, loops around Schmitten in the Taunus and passes through all the districts of the Feldberg municipality. It starts at Schmitten outdoor swimming pool. The route is varied; some steep climbs may require a good level of fitness or an e-bike. Its length and climbs are therefore important details to consider when including this circular trail in your day’s plans.

The Himmelsleiter circular trail is a different option: it starts at 434 metres above sea level by the Catholic Church of St. Borromäus in Schmitten. Terrain and seasonal conditions can affect its use. The details about the starting point and altitude help you distinguish this trail from the longer TaunusRunde, without treating the two routes as equivalent or estimating a walking time.

The Taunus Wichtel Weg also starts and ends in Schmitten. It runs through forests, along the Weil river and over green meadow paths in the Taunus Nature Park. Carved wooden gnomes line the route, and you can read a story about each one. Four information boards cover the walking route. This described design sets the trail apart from the other two circular routes, for which the length or starting point is the main feature.

Church, viewpoint and historic buildings

The neo-Gothic Church of St. Karl Borromäus was built from Taunus slate between 1892 and 1895. The stone was quarried directly from the rock at the building site. The Wiegerfelsen viewpoint is next to the church and can be reached by climbing a few steps. The church and viewpoint thus offer two different points of interest during a stay: architectural history and a nearby viewpoint.

Reifenberg Castle stands above Schmitten-Oberreifenberg; it is considered the highest-altitude medieval castle in the Taunus Mountains. The surviving structures of the Oberreifenberg castle ruins include a keep, a church cellar, a slender residential tower and a four-metre-thick shield wall with round towers. These individual surviving features give your visit a concrete connection to the site, rather than merely naming it as a destination.

The outdoor swimming pool as another local point of interest

Schmitten outdoor swimming pool has a 50-metre stainless-steel pool and two children’s pools with slides. If you plan to make use of these facilities during your stay, check that the pool is currently open before you travel.

These features can help you compare destinations, but they do not replace checking the specific accommodation options available.

More pages about places in Schmitten: Oberreifenberg, Arnoldshain. Other destinations to compare: Glashütten, Königstein in the Taunus, Neu-Anspach, Weilrod, Usingen, Bad Homburg vor der Höhe.

Back to the regional travel overview: Hochtaunus.