Lützelsoon

Lützelsoon
The Lützelsoon from the south
Highest point
Peak	Womrather Höhe
Elevation	599.1 m above NN
Dimensions
Length	7 km (4.3 mi)
Geography
State	Bad Kreuznach, Rhineland-Palatinate,  Germany
Range coordinates	49°51′14″N 7°26′57″E / 49.8538°N 7.4493°E / 49.8538; 7.4493Coordinates: 49°51′14″N 7°26′57″E / 49.8538°N 7.4493°E / 49.8538; 7.4493
Parent range	Hunsrück

The Lützelsoon (also called the Kleiner Soon) is a part of the Hunsrück hills, 599.1 m above sea level (NN), in the county of Bad Kreuznach, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

The Lützelsoon is a hill ridge southwest of the Soonwald range and north of Hennweiler between the Kellenbach valley (the lower course of the Simmerbach) to the east and northeast and the Hahnenbach valley to the west and southwest. Other plateaux of the Hunsrück border to the north and south. On its ridgeline are several large quartz formations like the Teufelsfels, the Blickensteine and the Katzensteine.

The Lützelsoon, which is covered by natural woodland and criss-crossed by paths, is not a particularly well known tourist area, yet offers trails especially suitable for hikers and cyclists, as well as those interested in castles, conservation or geology. Popular destinations are the viewing points of Blickenstein, Katzenstein and the Teufelsfels with its observation tower.

The slate so typical of the rooftops and decorations of houses in the region is responsible for the interesting quartzite rocks that "grew out of" the soft slate on the crest of the Soonwald over thousands of years. In the visitor mine of Herrenberg near Bundenbach guided tours are conducted through the pit. Ancient fossils may be seen at the fossil museum in Wartenstein Castle.

There are several castles and palaces in the vicinity of the Lützelsoon that are worth visiting: the ruins of the Schmidtburg, Wartenstein Castle, the Kyrburg in Kirn, Dhaun Castle, Gemünden Castle and the Celtic hillfort of Altburg.

The Soonwaldsteig trail runs through the Lützelsoon from west to east. At right angles to it is the Nahe–Moselle Celtic Way. The 30-kilometre-long Lützelsoon Cycleway runs through the western part of the range from Kirchberg to Kirn. Several routes that are part of the Hunsrück Slate and Castle Road (Hunsrück Schiefer- und Burgenstraße) run around the Lützelsoon.