Kindsbrunnen shelter and pass, the Stoffel Cross, the Sentier des Bornes trail.

Access to the start via Baerenthal (via Niederbronn on the D1062 then Philippsbourg. Here, turn left towards Mairie, D36, reach and cross Baerenthal on the Route de Mouterhouse, D36. At the exit, pass the pond and after the hamlet of Fronacker, turn left onto the Route Forestière de la Kundschaft. After two hairpin bends, you will reach the Col de Kammbühl.

Signposted with green crosses and red rings

(S/E) Turn left, east, onto Route Forestière du Kammertahl. At the three-way junction that follows, keep right and continue to the next intersection with the Yellow Rectangle markings. Ignore these and continue right for 500m to reach the Zollhaeusel shelter (outdoor bench).

(1) Continue left and pass behind the shelter. Continue for about 600m and, at the end of the left-hand bend, take the path on the right. Follow it until you reach a forest track.

Yellow ring markings

(2) Turn right, walk 300 metres and then keep left at the three-way junction. After a long descent through the forest, you will reach a three-way junction at the edge of the woods.

Blue Ring Markings

(3) Continue to the right, along the edge of the forest until you reach the corner. Don't miss the magnificent view of Lichtenberg Castle as you leave the forest on the left.

(4) Turn right and join Rue de Hasental.

No markings

(5) Follow it to the right, then turn right onto Rue l'Erbesberg and continue to the next crossroads.

(6) Opposite No. 10, turn right (Rue du Moulin) then quickly left onto Rue de la Fontaine, towards Sources Minérales.

(7) Cross the bridge over the Rothbach stream and take the time to discover the Reipertswiller spring. Continue uphill on the steep street. At the top, turn right, pass in front of the steps leading to the church and you will soon reach Rue de l'Église on the left.

Blue Ring trail markers

(8) Follow this and continue along a path until you reach a meadow on the right and a bench on the left. This is a good place to take a break before tackling the climb up to Kirchberg.

(9) Continue along the path, which starts with a steep slope to the left of the bench. At the next fork, go left and you will come out onto a forest path.

Yellow ring markings

(10) Continue straight ahead and reach the summit of Kirchberg (362 m).

(11) Continue downhill along the ridge until you reach a forest path. Turn right and you will soon come to a road.

Yellow Cross - Red Diamond Markings

(12) Turn right and then take the path immediately on the left. After 250 m, turn right and rejoin the road.

Markings: red diamond and yellow rectangle

(13) Turn onto the path on the left, then onto the track on the left and follow it to the Kindsbronn or Kindsbrunnen shelter. You can have lunch here after covering about 13 km!

Yellow rectangle with white stripe

(14) Leave the shelter on the left and reach the Col de Kindsbronn. Note the magnificent sequoia tree (still young!) in the centre.

Green triangle markings

(15) Continue to the right. Ignore a track on the left and then another on the right, and you will soon reach a fork.

(16) Keep to the right, reach a pass (elevation 361) and arrive at a fork after ignoring the path on the right and then two on the left.

(17) Turn left and, a few metres later, follow the path on the left. Continue straight ahead until you reach the fork with the Chemin des Bornes forest road.

BlueTriangle Markings

(18) Turn right at the three-way junction, keep to the right, pass under a power line and arrive at a three-way junction.

(19) Walk a few metres to the right, take a look at the Stoffel Cross, then continue on the Chemin des Bornes forest road. Be careful, at a place called Grasberg, leave the road for a more pleasant path on the right and arrive at a crossroads with a car park.

Green Cross markings

(20) Cross the small road to take the path opposite, which climbs quite steeply. Follow the summit path above the hamlet of La Melch until you reach a multiple fork.

(21) Turn right, continue straight ahead for about 500 metres and arrive at a multiple fork.

(22) Continue left and you will reach the Col du Kammbühl (S/E).

Kindsbrunnen shelter for lunch, 13 km from the start.

View of Lichtenberg Castle.

Reipertswiller spring.

Kindsbronn site: this site has been inhabited since the 14th century. The last family to live here were the Klopfensteins, who had 11 children and lived here until the^Second World War. The site was cleared and restored in 2004 by the Club Vosgien de Reipertswiller, uncovering the old potato cellar and using the barn foundations to create a shelter for everyone to enjoy.

Chemin des Bornes.

Stoffel Cross, where a woman was killed by a falling tree. The epitaph reminds us that "death comes like a thief and you never know when..."