At the foot of Haut Koenigsbourg from Saint-Hippolyte

This is a short hike through vineyards and woods at the foot of the majestic Haut Koenigsbourg castle. There are several points of interest along the route: the Rocher du Sanglier (Boar Rock), the Fontaine du Chevreuil (Deer Fountain), the 1791 boundary stone and the old medieval vineyard. There is a beautiful view from the orientation table.

It is not classified as "easy" because the descent through the old vineyard is quite steep.

Details

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Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.89 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 229 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 228 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 464 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 254 m

Photos

Description of the walk

The walk starts from the car park at the village hall in Saint-Hippolyte.

(S/E) Cross the road, pass in front of the Hôtel du Parc and follow the blue triangle markers. Take Rue du Parc, which turns right (ignore Rue Windmuehl on the left). When you reach the vineyards, ignore the first fork on the left and the next two on the right. Follow the blue triangle markers.

(1) At the next fork, turn right (blue triangle signs). Continue until you reach the Rocher du Sanglier.

(2) Continue along the blue triangle marked trail and ignore a trail on the right.

(3) At the fork, take the left path (blue triangle markers).

(4) When you reach the clearing, turn right (red ring markers). When you see the road, take a path on the left (red ring markers) through the woods.

(5) At the gazebo (shelter), cross the road, pass in front of the Fontaine du Chevreuil fountain and continue straight ahead. Stay on the main path, marked with red rings, and ignore the paths branching off to the sides.

(6) At the crossroads (1791 boundary stone), turn right (red ring markers). Keep heading east-southeast.

(7) Turn right towards the orientation table, then right again. Follow the picturesque path through the old vineyard (marked with yellow signs).

(8) When you reach the road, take the path that runs alongside the stream downhill (Chevalet Jaune markers). At a fork, continue straight ahead along the stream (Anneau Bleu markers). Ignore the path on the right that joins the road. At the next crossroads, turn right. At the end of the road, turn right again. Follow the ramparts and return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 257 m - Car park at the village hall
  2. 1 : km 0.98 - alt. 278 m - Fork
  3. 2 : km 1.58 - alt. 331 m - Rocher du sanglier
  4. 3 : km 1.88 - alt. 387 m - Fork
  5. 4 : km 2.24 - alt. 426 m - Teufelsloch
  6. 5 : km 2.76 - alt. 439 m - Gloriette (shelter)
  7. 6 : km 3.87 - alt. 461 m - Crossroads (boundary stone from 1791)
  8. 7 : km 5.1 - alt. 389 m - Towards the orientation table
  9. 8 : km 6.41 - alt. 344 m - Crossroads
  10. S/E : km 7.89 - alt. 257 m - Car park at the village hall

Notes

Shops at the start of the route.

Picnic areas at (4) and (5) and on the ramparts, near the finish.

Orientation table at (7).

Beautiful public park with fountain in front of the Salle des fêtes. Public toilets.

Wear good shoes: the descent through the old vineyard is quite difficult in places.

In this area, the signposting is very dense (at the start, there are six signs for the same direction). I have chosen to keep it simple by only indicating one type of sign at a time.

Worth a visit

You can climb up to the castle from (5) by following the red and white rectangular signs. To descend, follow these same signs to point (6).

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 24 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
cidoo
cidoo

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We enjoyed this hike, which was mostly along the hillside with a slight incline from the start at Saint-Hippolyte.

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yoda94
yoda94

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I took the opportunity to visit the castle. A beautiful tour. However, it was difficult to find the path after the partisans' rock

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Chantal&Olivier
Chantal&Olivier

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 17, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We continued on to the upper Koenigsburg Castle, which we visited. Not to be missed!
The trip took us 4.5 hours (including the visit) and covered 500 metres of elevation gain.

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latzerj
latzerj

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 07, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

I didn't read point 2 properly, which meant I turned right too early .
The walk becomes easy from point 4 onwards.
At point 5, there is an option to take a detour that leads to the castle.

The route description is very good.

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alain.demessine
alain.demessine

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 07, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Lovely walk in October. Magnificent colours.

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SylvieD
SylvieD

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 31, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike, often dominated by the superb Haut Koenigsbourg castle. The climb is long but steady and manageable in the first part. Magnificent view of the Alsace plain in autumn colours, which can be admired from the benches at the orientation table.There is a slight hesitation regarding the route after the boar rock, to find the blue triangle marked trail; pass to the left of the rock to continue on the path. We found the final descent through the old vineyard to be fairly easy.

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Philou118
Philou118

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 31, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

thank you, thank you

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MaliaB
MaliaB
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 11, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

There were 13 of us on this hike, which I highly recommend. Here are our comments:

For us, there was no escarpment at the end for the descent into the vineyards, or very little (perhaps for 1 minute). What was difficult for us was the beginning because it was almost all uphill until point 4. Thanks to the GPS on the map (VisoRando), the alarm sounded to tell us we were off the trail.

1) At Point 1, the Rocher du Sanglier, after seeing it, you have to go back to the main trail (retrace your steps).

4) Yes, BE CAREFUL at point 4, we didn't turn right and followed the blue triangle for 1 km too far. At point 4, there are 3 picnic tables (one in the shade).

5) At Point 5, you can also have a picnic in a small covered wooden tower.

7) At the orientation table, there is a beautiful view and benches (but in direct sunlight).

However, everyone enjoyed this 3-hour walk, spending quite a bit of time in the forest, which was nice because it was hot.

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virgule
virgule

Hello,

thank you for your review. In this area, the signposts come and go.

The best thing to do is to follow the map

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ROHE Jean-Jacques
ROHE Jean-Jacques

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 03, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Be careful at point 4 not to be misled by the markings. The red ring (marker to follow from point 4) that is most visible when you reach point 4 is located straight ahead when you arrive at this stage, but it takes you off the route if you turn onto a path upstream and to the left of point 4, significantly lengthening the hike. You must turn right at point 4, following the gravel path, as indicated in the hike description.

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Gnafron75
Gnafron75

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike through woods and vineyards with a lovely view of the castle

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virgule
virgule

Hello,

when you see the Alps, it's truly magical...

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Bernie68
Bernie68

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 19, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very nice walk, no major difficulties, beautiful view of the plain from the orientation table.

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Gil4571
Gil4571

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant route, partly shaded, with a slightly difficult climb at the start.
there are several picnic spots. The one in the clearing an hour after setting off is a good place to start in the morning

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ALerouge
ALerouge

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A varied and pleasant route through vineyards, forests and castles.

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