E1 From the park to the valley

The Eifgen hiking car park is the starting point for the 8 km long circular hike "E1 - From the Park to the Valley" through the romantic Eifgenbach Valley. Following varied paths alongside the "busy" stream, the trail leads past the Berger Mill to the Neuemühle Restaurant, a popular destination and a welcome rest stop for all hikers. Afterwards, the route heads north again, looping along the right bank of the Eifgenbach back to the starting point.
Tip: This tour can also be explored starting from the Neuemühle hiking parking lot!
For the first half of the circular route, you'll follow the Eifgenbachweg trail, which traces the stream for approximately 15 km to Odenthal-Schöllerhof. Starting at the former Eifgenanlage – a large leisure park and sports venue with an adjacent public bath at the end of the 19th century, the pride of the burgeoning town of Wermelskirchen – the trail heads south along the left bank of the Eifgenbach. Passing the remains of the Frohntaler Hammer, whose eventful history as a cloth factory and later as an ironworks was brought to an end by a major fire at the beginning of the 20th century, the Berger Mill comes into view on the right after 1,6 km. At the Berger Mill – a half-timbered building considered one of the oldest in the Bergisches Land region – a bridge allows you to cross the stream to the right bank before continuing along the Eifgenbachweg trail, which now turns left into the forest. Depending on the season and weather, hikers can enjoy sun-drenched, tree-lined paths, meadows, or the shady, damp valley bottoms of a typical low mountain stream. Always with the Eifgenbach stream to your left, wide valley meadows open up, inviting you to a short rest in their summer bloom. A short distance further on, you'll reach a road (L157) in the village of Finkenholl. Follow the road uphill for about 50 meters, then after crossing the road, the path continues to the left, just below a slate-roofed house with a garden. Neuemühle is now within easy reach. Through light deciduous forests, always keeping to the stream, and past a secluded school camp, the path finally meets the road to Neuemühle. There, an inn invites you to linger. Here, you've completed almost half of the circular route, making it the perfect time for a refreshing drink and a fortifying snack – in good weather, in the lovely beer garden.
The return journey towards Eifgen now follows the opposite bank of the Eifgenbach stream, along forest edges with constantly changing views of the natural stream landscape. Shortly after the parking lot of the Neuemühle restaurant, after the bridge over the Eifgenbach, a path leads into the woods. Keeping sharply left here, the narrow, well-trodden path runs close to the banks of the Eifgen, along the edge of the forest. Water bubbles up from small pools running across the path from the heights towards the stream. At subsequent junctions, the path always stays to the left, close to the stream. Many hornbeams line the path here – a clear indication of the valley's ecological value. At Finkenholl, the main road is crossed again. After a few minutes of walking, enchanting views across the valley floor open up once more, before the route briefly leaves the stream and loops around a small, narrow valley. Finally, the path leads along meadows, where the meanders of the Eifgenbach have carved their way, all the way to the Berger Mill. At the Berger Mill, the trail meets the already familiar path - from here it goes back towards the Eifgenanlage.