Ascent of Mount Hilsenfirst via Mount Sidi Brahim

This hike follows part of the route for the ascent of Mont Sidi-Brahim, continuing with the ascent of Mont Hilsenfirst (1,274 metres above sea level).

This route is ideal for those who enjoy climbing the steep paths of the magnificent Vosges forests, whilst paying respectful and contemplative tribute to the sites of the heroic events of the First World War.

Details

n°1129079

Creation:
06 May 2018

Last update:
05 Sep 2023

Last review:
25 Jul 2021

Activity: Walking
Distance: 10.32 km
Average duration: 4h 50
Difficulty: Difficult
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 651 m
Descent: - 651 m
Highest point: 1,273 m
Lowest point: 622 m

Country: France
Area: Vosges mountains
District: Sondernach (68380)
Start/End: N 47.981142° / E 7.068398°
IGN map(s): Ref. 3618OT, 3618OTR, 3619OT, 3619OTR, 3719OT, 3719OTR
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Description of the walk

Note: part of the route description is taken from the information contained in the route for the ascent of Mont Sidi-Brahim.

On leaving Sondernach, coming from Munster, head towards the Petit Ballon (on the left at the crossroads). After crossing the River Fecht, park on the hard shoulder at the hairpin bend.

(S/E) From this spot, take the track heading due south at the bend in the road. At the “Mont Sidi Brahim” sign, turn sharply left and follow the narrow path climbing north-east through the woods. The route is marked by “Mont Sidi-Brahim” arrows or Yellow Circles on the edge of the path.

(1) Follow the D10 to the right until the first hairpin bend to the left.

(2) Leave the road and take a wide track on the right. After about a hundred metres, take the path uphill to the left.

(3) Join a wide track and follow it to the right until the next junction.

(4) Take the sharp left-hand bend (let the track continue straight ahead). About a hundred metres further on, take the path on the right that leads uphill.

(5) At the junction of two paths, turn sharply left. Cross a track and continue along the steep path, which winds its way up to the Mont Sidi-Brahim memorial.

(6) Continue the ascent towards Mount Hilsenfirst, east then south-east, on a path not shown on the map. Walk through the conifers then through low vegetation as you approach the summit plateau.

(7) From Mount Hilsenfirst, begin the descent towards the Lechterwann (Terwand) farm, along the hillside heading north. Join a path at the farm.

(8) Turn left towards Landersen. After about 200m, leave the path and take a track on the right.

(9) At the junction with a track, turn right and follow the signposted path which veers left, then continue straight on. This will take you to Landersen, passing a memorial stone on the right.

(10) Follow the road round the bend, then immediately afterwards, head downhill along a path on the right (do not take the wide track heading off to the left, towards the south-west). You will come out onto the D10 road; follow it to the left.

(2) Take the hairpin bend to the right.

(1) Turn left downhill and, via the path you took on the way out, return to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : km 0 - alt. 622 m - Pull over at a bend on the D10. Near the - Fecht de Sondernach (cours d'eau) - Affluent de la Fecht
1 : km 1.54 - alt. 782 m - D10 road
2 : km 1.8 - alt. 802 m - Sharp left-hand bend
3 : km 2.47 - alt. 903 m - Wide track
4 : km 2.88 - alt. 934 m - Junction 1: wide track
5 : km 3.5 - alt. 986 m - Crossing of paths / seasonal watercourses
6 : km 4.35 - alt. 1,161 m - Sidi-Brahim Monument
7 : km 5.34 - alt. 1,272 m - Mount - Hisenfirst (1274m)
8 : km 6.17 - alt. 1,083 m - Lechterwann Farm
9 : km 7.02 - alt. 1,014 m - Return to the Sidi-Brahim route
10 : km 7.91 - alt. 864 m - Memorial
S/E : km 10.32 - alt. 622 m - Pull over at a bend on the D10

Notes

For this hike, wear good, slightly stiff high-top boots, and above all, don’t forget to bring something to drink and some easily digestible solid food (chocolate and/or cereal bars).

The climb is very steep (over 600 metres of elevation gain).

After reaching Mont Sidi Brahim (1,164 metres above sea level), continue carefully, partly off the marked trail (flora and caves left over from the fighting).

Worth a visit

(6) Sidi-Brahim Monument: commemorative plaque marking the battles of Mount Sidi Brahim (June 1915), set into the rock.

Reviews and comments

4.1 / 5

Based on 6 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.8 / 5

Ease of following the route
3.8 / 5

Route interest
4.5 / 5

JPG54

25 Jul 2021 at 11:25 7200

Hello,

Your comments and clarifications are spot on; I had to improvise after missing the memorial... I think it would be best to stick to the original hike I’d chosen on Visorando to go to Mont Sidi Brahim.

Kind regards.

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Christian Ull

21 Jul 2021 at 10:57 7200

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Please note: there is a long stretch off-trail across the stubble fields of Hilsenfirst; it is dangerous and likely prohibited!

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JPG54

10 May 2021 at 13:37 7200

Hello,
I’m delighted that you enjoyed the hike, especially with such perfect weather.
Thank you for your review.
Kind regards.
Janka.

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Pierre Olivier

10 May 2021 at 12:06 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A wonderful hike with stunning views beyond the Sidi Brahim Monument.
If you follow the signposts and the route on the map carefully, there’s no problem with the off-trail sections.
On reaching the top of Hilsenfirst, we were lucky enough to have a clear view of the Alps like never before. What a treat!
Well done on this hike.

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JPG54

16 Aug 2020 at 20:58 7200

Good evening,

Glad you enjoyed the hike.

Happy hiking and best regards.

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nounours68

16 Aug 2020 at 17:50 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 16, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike,
Well-marked trail (Yellow Circle) to the Sidi Brahim monument; from there we followed the ridge line to Hilsenfirst, then turned right towards the Klinzkopf and the Oberlauchen Pass to head for Raedelé (Red Circle), a superb trail through a magnificent beech forest, before arriving back at the starting point.
Pascal & Doris

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JPG54

19 Jun 2019 at 10:14 7200

Hello,

Thank you for your feedback and apologies for the minor inconvenience caused by a somewhat haphazard route from the vicinity of the monument, which I actually couldn’t find (I’d selected the existing route, then lost the GPS signal, hence the direct route to the summit plateau, after which I improvised… I really ought to go back to maps, the tools of my day…).

Wishing you many more enjoyable hikes, and all the best on the GR20.

Best regards.

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lazzerini

19 Jun 2019 at 09:43 7200

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 14, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Hello JPG54,

Thank you for this route; we needed to build up some elevation in preparation for the GR20 in August and it was perfect.

One point to raise: although you took care to note that the description is taken from another hike, in fact it doesn’t match your route!

As we tend to follow the track rather than read the descriptions, it was only when we came to the first path and saw that the track didn’t go that way that we read the description. Your track, which we followed, takes us along a rather pleasant, unmarked forest path. We did the path described in the guide on the way back. The advantage of your route is that you do far less road walking after the (1).
That’s why we rated the description and the route as ‘average’, as they don’t quite match up.

It’s true that from the Sidi Brahim monument onwards it’s ‘straight through’, but unfortunately for us the rain and wind decided to join us at that point, so we didn’t really have time to enjoy the view from the top of Mount Hilsenfirst.

In the second part of the descent along the hillside, after the (7), we came across a barbed-wire fence and so had to go back up to rejoin the forest track and pass through the junction leading to the Hilsenfirst Pass.
Much like the two previous hikers noted in their comments, I think. Although this lengthens the route slightly, it’s much easier to make progress this way.

I look forward to following another of your routes in the future.
Kind regards

Carla and Vincent

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JPG54

16 Aug 2018 at 18:02 7200

Glad you enjoyed the hike, and sorry about Claire (the information about the route was a bit vague).

Thanks to Anne-Marie for enjoying it, despite not being able to get a drink at the end of the walk.

Best regards to everyone.

Jean-Pierre.

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utzmann anne-marie

16 Aug 2018 at 17:42 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 16, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We did this route on 15 August in very pleasant weather, though it was a bit chilly at the summit of Hilsenfirst. The climb up to the Sidi Brahim monument, and then on to the summit of Hilsenfirst, can be described as ‘challenging’ rather than ‘difficult’. After the monument, you need a good sense of the terrain (no more signposts...) to find your own way up a narrow path to the summit through fir trees, heather, blueberries and shell craters! But the guidebook gave a good idea of the direction to take. We descended, heading N-NE towards the path leading to the Hilsenfirst pass, towards the GR, and this short detour (about 2.5 km) was well worth it. A very beautiful path, and at the pass we followed the direction indicated on the Visorando route. The Landersen farmhouse inn (?) was closed that day, which was a real shame. So this is a route where you can’t stop for a coffee or a drink...

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vibeclsirando

10 Jul 2018 at 08:48 7200

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 28, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Hello,

It’s a lovely walk. It’s a shame that once you leave the forest, you come to a dangerous grassy area littered with shell holes and trench lines hidden by the tall grass. There’s undoubtedly a lack of detail in this regard. Thanks to the compass, we finally found a path that allowed us to continue . .
Kind regards
Claire

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Author

JPG54
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