The "Devil's Eight"

A glance at the map reveals why this hiking route in the Eifel is called the "Devil's Eight": its route resembles an eight and its namesake, the "Teufelsschlucht" (Devil's Gorge), is also the first highlight of the hiking adventure. From now on, the trail runs through a fascinating world of rocks. Narrow paths lead past mighty rock towers and wildly scattered boulders full of crevices, fissures and mysterious weathering.

They stand majestically as if they had never done anything else: the huge rocks of the Devil's Gorge. But they tell a dramatic story. Towards the end of the last ice age - around 12,000 years ago - the alternating periods of frost and thaw led to huge rockfalls on the edge of the Ferschweiler Plateau plateau. There must have been a huge crash back then when a large sandstone block tipped out of the plateau wall and opened up the deep, narrow crevice that we can walk through today: The Devil's Gorge.

The path of the Devil's Eight is like an adventure, a journey into a bygone era. The rocks tell this story in their own way. They tower high into the sky and invite you to look up and be touched by their majesty or discover them by climbing, as children love to do.

At some point on the way down into the valley, you will hear the sound of rushing water: The rapids of the Prüm, known as the "Irrel Waterfalls", were formed at the end of the last ice age by rockfalls that created a natural dam. From the waterfalls, the route leads along the Hälbach stream up to the edge of the plateau and again through adventurous rocky panoramas. In the old millstone quarries at the characteristic rock gate, you can clearly see the circular traces of the chisels that bear witness to the work of the stone carvers. From here, the trail leads past the VIA point back to the high plateau and back to the nature park centre.

Tip:
After so much adventure, take a break at the Teufelsschlucht Nature Park Centre - catch your breath with an ice cream or lunch. If you like, you can embark on a journey of discovery into the earth's turbulent history: the Teufelsschlucht dinosaur park with its life-size replicas of long-extinct animals fascinates visitors of all ages.

The new suspension bridge over the Prüm at the Irrel waterfalls is well worth a detour. (accessible from 30 September 2023) For the first time since the flood disaster in 2021, you can cross the Prüm again here. And it's even barrier-free!