Monschau-Engelsley-Ehrensteinsley-Monschau 6.7 km

Nice hike in and around the picturesque town of Monschau full with typical timber-framed houses, with woods, hills, the Rur and Perlenbach River, and rocky outcrops serving as viewpoints points (leys). The hike includes quite some ascent and descent on sometimes uneven paths, and is not easy. There are plenty of restaurants in Monschau, but nothing outside the town. There is paid parking at the start. In Dreistegen is free parking, as an alternative.
You first climb the Unterer Kalk road to the castle, Burg Monschau. From here you have a nice view across town. You then descend towards the Rur River in the center. You cross the river three times, on the Rurstrasse bridge, the Auf den Planken foot bridge and then the bridge at the Markt. From here you climb along the Rosengasse path to Eifelblick Kierberg where you have a nice view across town and towards the Burg. You ascend a bit further on the Kierberg to Grindel where you have a good view towards the Rur valley downstream of Monschau. You then take a path through woods taking you down to the parking garage and bus station at Burgau. A path takes you out of town and up on the wooded slopes above the Rur valley. The path climbs and then evens out. There are two viewpoints above Dreistegen, the Teufelsley and Engelsley, both rock formations. After Engelsley there is a very steep path down to the valley, requiring attention. In the valley bottom is the river Perlenbach, a tributary of the Rur. You cross this river. There is an ancient weir for the former water mill in Dreistegen. You follow the path to the main road B258 at Dreistegen. Here you cross the Rur and then follow the river on a path upstream along the river to the youth camping on the river. You cross the river here for a short stretch on the other side, cross the river again, and then turn back towards Monschau. Shortly after, you start your climb towards Ehrensteinsley, another rocky viewpoint high above the river. From here you descend all the way to Monschau, where you find yourself at the starting point of the hike.