Hesse's first national park encompasses the Kellerwald, one of the largest extant red-beech forests in Central Europe and a rare survivor of the last Ice Age, and the Edersee, a serpentine artificial reservoir 55km northeast of Marburg. Animals such as red deer, lynx, honey buzzards, eagles, bats and fire salamanders live wild in the park, while some can be seen in protective custody at the Wildtierpark in Edertal. E-bikes and information aplenty are available at the NationalparkZentrum in Vöhl-Herzhausen.
Use the e-bikes to ride around the lake on a comfortable day tour, changing the battery at points along the way, or on the bike trails running through the forest itself. The park’s lush landscapes offer excellent hiking: trails include the Kellerwaldsteig (marked ‘K’) and the Urwaldsteig-Edersee (marked ‘UE’). Shorter hiking circuits are marked with animal or plant icons. In summer, the lake has swimming, canoeing and sailing.
