The hill is part of the Frankenweide, a centrally-located massif within this range of low mountains. The Palatine Watershed runs over its summit. The Hortenkopf is the second southernmost of a row of four peaks that reach a height of over 600 metres. To the south is the Weißenberg (610 m) near the hamlet of Hermersbergerhof in the municipality of Wilgartswiesen. To the north are the Mosisberg and the Eschkopf (jeweils 609 m). From the Hortenkopf it is possible to walk to Leimen, Kaiserslautern-Mölschbach, Elmstein and via the forest lodges of Taubensuhl and Heldenstein almost as far as Neustadt on continuous hill ridges without dropping below the 450 metre contour line.