Pirmasens’ Bärenhöhle Trek

I made it out to the beautiful Bärenhöhle or the Bear Cave. It’s only about 45 minutes from Kaiserslautern and a super easy hike so you and the whole family can go explore. Here’s what I found!

The Route to the Bear Cave

Getting to the Bear Cave

We left from Kaiserslautern and parked in the area to the northeast near the town of Rodalban. The drive is easy to get down there but be ready for a small gravel parking area. It has room for about 10 cars at most but there was some street parking around the apartments available. I’d expect the area to be busy on beautiful weekends. As with many things, getting there early can help!

The Hike

The hike is a simple gravel road that leave the parking lot directly to the bear cave. The hike is extremely easy. I’d be ready for a few muddy areas because of some natural flowing water but nothing that can’t be hopped over!

The Bear Cave

The Bear Cave is really an awesome area! I was really excited when we finally made it. It has two levels, a foot pool, and lots of places to explore. There’s the bottom area which has a smaller cave, waterfall, and where the stream crosses the path into a foot pool. There’s a higher second area where there’s a second cave that is larger and deeper. It’s where the water is actually coming out of. There’s some water features in that bigger cave and where the waterfall falls from.

a woman and dog walking down a narrow path that follows a stream near bear cave
The path leading away from the waterfall at the Bear Cave.

You’ll be able to explore both areas and there are paths going to each level of the flowing water. I’d recommend going up and down and seeing both caves. It really is a lot of fun and any level experience can enjoy the area.

How far is the hike to the Bear Cave?

The hike is about 1.3 miles one-way.

Is the hike to Bear Cave hard?

No, the hike there is along a gravel road and is easy. The area around the Bear Cave is hilly so those areas might be more difficult to go up a steep hill.