The Rheinsteig was designated as a high-altitude hiking trail in 2005. It accompanies the river between Wiesbaden-Biebrich and Bonn for around 320 km and runs through parts of Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia. The Rheinsteig opens up landscapes such as the Rheingau, the Middle Rhine Valley - a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002 - the western foothills of the Westerwald and the Siebengebirge on paths that are as close to nature as possible.

In 2006, the German Hiking Institute awarded the Rheinsteig the German Hiking Seal of Approval, and in the same year, "Wandermagazin" named it Germany's most beautiful hiking trail. The Rheinsteig is marked by a stylized white "R" on a blue background, the access points by a white "R" on a yellow background.