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View of the Lake – Eich Old Rhine Lake loop from Gimbsheim

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Hiking trails & Routes

View of the Lake – Eich Old Rhine Lake loop from Gimbsheim

Moderate

4.2

(11)

hikers

View of the Lake – Eich Old Rhine Lake loop from Gimbsheim

03:25

13.6km

20m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: April 29, 2026

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Your route passes through protected areas

Please check local regulations for:

Gimbsheimer Altrhein

Eich-Gimbsheimer Altrhein

Waypoints

Start point

Bus stop

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5.17 km

Eich-Gimbsheimer Altrhein and Gimbsheimer Altrhein Nature Reserves Information Board

Highlight • Natural Monument

Information board on the outskirts of Eich about the NATURE RESERVE
"EICH-GIMBSHEIMER ALTRHEIN" and "GIMBSHEIMER ALTRHEIN"

Nature Reserve "Gimbsheimer Altrhein"

Landscapely, this is a meander of the Rhine, which became the Altrhein before 1790 and later silted up due to a lowering of the groundwater level.

Numerous endangered and threatened bird species find breeding grounds here:
Little and Black-necked Grebes,
Little Bittern,
Purple and Grey Heron,
Gadwall, Teal, Garganey, Tufted Duck, and Pochard,
Black Kite,
Marsh Harrier,
Water Rail,
Kingfisher, and Black-headed Gull,
as well as the songbird species
Sand Martin,
Bluethroat,
Savi's Warbler,
Reed Warbler, and Great Reed Warbler,
Bearded Tit, and Penduline Tit.
They also provide important resting and wintering sites for migratory birds.

Size: 112 hectares - second-largest nature reserve in the Alzey-Worms district/Rhineland-Palatinate
Established: 1979
Protected area ID: 7331-059

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Nature Reserve "Eich-Gimbsheimer Altrhein"

The Eich-Gimbsheimer Altrhein is a silted-up former bend of the Old Rhine River in the middle of intensively used arable land. The core of the area is a reed bed of approximately 300 hectares (approximately 4.5 km long and 600 m wide).
These silted-up reed beds are among the largest contiguous reed beds in Rhineland-Palatinate. In some areas, fragments of river valley meadow vegetation are still preserved, forming a mosaic with wet and marshy meadows. Rows of willows and poplars stand along the edge and along the former flood channel of the Rhine. Large bodies of water created by gravel mining are important resting places for ducks and divers. The area, which is also designated a bird sanctuary under the EU Birds Directive, is one of the most important ornithologically in southwest Germany.

It is a breeding ground for rare and specialized bird species
such as the purple heron,
sedge warbler,
thrush and sedge warbler,
marsh harrier,
water rail,
bluethroat, and penduline tit.

These species depend on reed beds as habitat. Threatened dragonfly species recorded in the area include
the spotted emerald damselfly,
the sedge hawker,
the small damselfly,
the greater damselfly.

The population of the common spadefoot toad is the most significant in Rheinhessen. A floristic feature is the occurrence of the glossy spurge, which in Germany is found only here and in Bavaria in the Isar estuary. Also outstanding are the vineyards of Schneide, a very rare plant community in Rhineland-Palatinate and a habitat type of priority European importance.

Size: 162 hectares - the largest nature reserve in the Alzey-Worms district/Rhineland-Palatinate
Established: 1966
Protected area ID: 7331-058

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6.35 km

Altrheinsee Observation Hut

Highlight • Structure

A really great view

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7.05 km

View of the Lake

Highlight • Lake

Simply beautiful here!

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7.91 km

Gerhard Kirchner Platz Observation Hut

Highlight • Mountain Hut

This place and this hut were dedicated to Gerhard Kirchner, as he had the idea for the implementation of the AltrheinErlebnisPfad. Unfortunately, he passed away shortly before the official opening.

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