Elpe between the Elpe Valley, hiking trails and air sports

Elpe combines an impressive low mountain landscape with varied trails, a special natural environment and its own air sports tradition. Anyone planning a trip to Elpe can choose between peaceful encounters with the landscape, a marked circular hiking trail, waterfalls, local history and views of the sky. This combination makes the village an interesting base for a nature-oriented trip with varied daily plans.

Protected landscape in the Upper Elpe Valley

The “Oberes Elpetal” nature reserve is located directly near Elpe. It protects an undeveloped, open and largely intact low mountain valley. The area includes the near-natural upper reaches of the Elpe with riverside woodland, a spring-fed stream, and wet and nutrient-poor grassland. The landscape thus reveals different sides of a stream valley and invites you to take in the surroundings attentively and at a leisurely pace.

North of Elpe, the “Elpe- und Bremecketal” nature reserve encompasses an approximately 2 km-long section of the Elpe floodplain. The “Krauseholz mit Kapelle” area is also one of the landscape highlights that can be linked to the Elpe E1.

Hiking trails with different focuses

The Elpe E1 – Panorama Circular Trail begins in the centre of the village and climbs uphill along the Hirtenweg. Marked with the E1 trail symbol, this route is a moderately difficult, 10 km-long circular hike offering views of Elpe. Along the way, the trail passes through the “Krauseholz mit Kapelle” area. The E1 therefore offers a clearly described circular tour for anyone who would like to combine a longer hike with views of the landscape and connections to the village.

Another trail option is the Elpe E3. Marked with the E3 trail symbol, it heads towards Altenfeld, passing the hang-gliding site on the way to a waterfall, and then returns to the village via the “auf'm Kipp” area. The Plästerlegge, a waterfall that is a spectacular natural sight particularly in winter and spring, is also located on a hike beginning in Elpe. Depending on the time of year you travel, you can therefore focus your plans on a circular tour, a waterfall or the landscape in its particularly distinctive seasonal form.

In Elpe, numerous hiking trails run through the surrounding area for around 160 km and offer views of the landscape. There are also numerous benches, a barbecue area and idyllic horse-drawn carriage rides. The Elpe Kneipp pool invites you to enjoy Kneipp water therapy and provides another, more peaceful feature alongside the hiking options.

Air sports and distinctive local features

Elpe has its own air sports tradition. As early as 1977, Elmar Müller’s father opened the “West German Hang-Gliding School” here. Today, the Papillon Paragliding Sauerland paragliding school in Elpe offers large, unobstructed launch and practice slopes with clear airflow from all wind directions. Beginner paragliding courses are offered there throughout the season in Elpe. Anyone interested in this sport will find a distinctly different way of experiencing the landscape than by hiking.

The village centre also contributes to discovering Elpe. It is home to the Laurentius Fountain, inaugurated on 10 August 2007, and the Roman Catholic St Lucia Church. The geometrically ornamented windows by Vincenz Pieper, dating from 1955, are particularly worth seeing. They are made of antique glass and lead. Anyone wishing to combine nature, activity and culture can include these local features in their travel plans.

Elpe as a starting point for planning your trip

When choosing a holiday apartment in Elpe, you can consider which focus should define your trip: the 10 km-long E1, the nature reserves, air sports, the waterfalls or the village centre with its fountain and church. A bus connection runs from Olsberg via Siedlinghausen to Elpe.

For further orientation, you can also compare Assinghausen, Wulmeringhausen, Bruchhausen, Antfeld, Gierskopp, Wiemeringhausen and Elleringhausen.

For the higher-level travel overview: Olsberg.