Around the Rothlach - The Neuntelstein

Walk at 1,000 metres in the forests around Rothlach. Curiosities, places of remembrance and breathtaking views make this hike a successful outing.

Details

1737533
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.92 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 204 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 206 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,039 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 893 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Parking near the Auberge de la Rothlach at the junction of the D130 and D214.

(S/E) Behind the inn, take the path marked with a yellow cross and blue rectangle (GR®531) heading south-west.

(1) After 1.5 km, the path climbs to the right into the forest towards La Vieille Métairie.
At the crossroads with theGR®5(red rectangle), continue to the Vieille Métairie.

(2) Return to the crossroads and take the GR®5 uphill towards Champ du Messin.
At the top of the climb, cross the D214 and climb up opposite for about 200 m.

(3) Still on theGR®5, turn left into the forest; after 200 m, you will see the Rocher de Ratshamhausen. Continue through the forest until you reach a wider path and take it to the left.

(4) Before the road (D130), turn left into the forest onto the Rectangle Rouge path towards Champ du Messin

(5) At the clearing, leave theGR®5and turn immediately right, cross the road and take the Losange Rouge path. After stopping at the Pierre de la Mémoire, continue along this path beyond the barrier.

(6) After about 300 m, turn left; the trail descends steeply to a wider path. Continue to the right on this path marked with a blue cross. After about 1.5 km, pass under the Source de la Magel.

(7) At the crossroads, take the path opposite to reach the Auberge de la Rothlach. Cross the crossroads.

(8) Take the path behind the barrier and follow the red ring markings towards Neuntelstein for 1 km eastwards, then south-east.

(9) Leave the road and take the Anneau Rouge trail on the right into the forest.

(10) Pass the shelter and admire the view from the Neuntelstein Rock. Pass the shelter again and take the Anneau Rouge trail on the left towards the west. After a steep descent, cross the road (D130).

(11) About 150 m after the road, turn right up the hill towards Rothlach and return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 954 m - Car park near the Auberge de la Rothlach
  2. 1 : km 1.51 - alt. 912 m - Uphill trail
  3. 2 : km 2.44 - alt. 936 m - Old dairy farm
  4. 3 : km 3.24 - alt. 1,024 m - Path on the left into the forest
  5. 4 : km 4.67 - alt. 1,018 m - Path on the left into the forest
  6. 5 : km 5.51 - alt. 1,002 m - Crossing the D130
  7. 6 : km 5.93 - alt. 999 m - Trail on the left downhill
  8. 7 : km 6.85 - alt. 957 m - Intersection - Magel (rivière)
  9. 8 : km 7.68 - alt. 951 m - Path after the barrier
  10. 9 : km 8.64 - alt. 963 m - Path on the right in the forest
  11. 10 : km 9.3 - alt. 965 m - Return trip to the Neuntelstein Rock
  12. 11 : km 9.9 - alt. 893 m - Turn right uphill towards Rothlach
  13. S/E : km 10.92 - alt. 954 m - Car park near the Auberge de la Rothlach

Notes

Worth a visit

Vieille Métairie or Abri Burger, named after a former president of the CV (Club de Voile) in Strasbourg.

(3) Rathsamhausen Rock: a grey porphyry rock marking the northern end of the Champ du Feu ridge. Probably the boundary between the seigneury of Rathsamhausen in the Ban de la Roche and the imperial town of Obernai. According to legend, a knight from Rathsamhausen was killed here in a duel.

(5) Pierre de la Mémoire: a stele marking the Chemin de la Mémoire et des Droits de l'Homme (Path of Remembrance and Human Rights).

(7) Source of the Magel: a 17.4 km long tributary of the Bruche, which flows into the Bruche at the Heiligenberg-Mollkich railway station.

(10) Neuntelstein Rock: an imposing rock mass rising up in steep cliffs at an altitude of 971 metres. It offers a superb panorama of the southern Vosges, the Black Forest and the Bernese Alps. The Kirneck river has its source here.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 30 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
User 27233621

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 26, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk worth repeating

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Nine 68
Nine 68

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A beautiful hike under a shower of leaves. Beautiful views. We set off towards Neuntelstein to have a picnic at the old Dairy Farm. We were hardly bothered by the motorbikes, but the cyclists coming down the paths at high speed risked knocking us over. WHEN WILL THEY GET BELLS so they can at least warn us when they're coming up behind us?

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User 26829887

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The circuit consists of two loops totalling 10.91 km

Loop 1: the route is pleasant, mainly through the forest (at the start, the road is paved but there are no vehicles, then there are small paths uphill to the highest point. Different types of terrain: 1.5 km paved road, narrow paths, then a slightly steep climb with lots of roots on the ground.
The rest of the hike on this loop is without any particular problems.
Good shoes are necessary to avoid feeling the uneven ground (small stones, roots) and walking sticks are recommended.
This first loop (the longest in terms of time and distance) is mainly in the shade.

The second loop starts near the Rotlach inn; there are no particular difficulties, but if it has rained, there may be a few muddy patches (in the mountains, conditions can change quickly from one day to the next) and walking sticks will be appreciated.
The view from the Neuntelstein Rock is magnificent.

The explanations given in the Details section of this hike are fairly self-explanatory.
This hike is also popular for its fresh air.

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Yves LAUGEL
Yves LAUGEL

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

An easy walk
Interesting in summer as the route is mostly shaded
Beautiful view at Neuntelstein

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clemencito
clemencito

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike on a sunny, snowy day.
Best done in this kind of weather, otherwise not really interesting in my opinion.
Very beautiful view at Neutelstein.

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Chamagnon
Chamagnon

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 30, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Easy hike with little elevation gain. Completed in two hours without breaking a sweat. Good description. The trails are shaded and not too crowded. There is only one real viewpoint, the Neuntelstein. We enjoyed this walk. The Rothlach restaurant was closed, but we had everything we needed to refuel

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Strasrando
Strasrando

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Easy hike with little elevation gain. Completed in 3 hours without breaking a sweat. Good description. The trails are shaded and not too busy, even on a Sunday. There is only one real viewpoint, the Neuntelstein. We enjoyed this walk and the opportunity to eat or drink something at the Rothlach.

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Meumeu1955
Meumeu1955

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

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cricriost
cricriost

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We were unable to complete the loop and had to turn back because when we arrived at the Pierre de Mémoires, the directions no longer matched. We continued but were unable to find the markers indicated on our Visorando route
What a shame!

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claireha
claireha
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

The location is beautiful, but the figure-eight route is disappointing because it returns to the starting point halfway through and requires a second start. In addition, too much of the route is along a road. At point 11, to get away from the road, instead of continuing north, we followed the yellow triangle trail to the left (SSE) to the next intersection, where we took the red diamond trail (NW) to our right to the inn. There, a big advantage of this start and finish location was that we were able to have a coffee

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phihal
phihal

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike in the cold and snow. No difficulty, suitable for children

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KirbyLou
KirbyLou

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike in the snow.
The route forms a figure of 8, which means you can shorten the hike, but as mentioned above, it's a real shame not to enjoy the view from the Neuntelstein rock, as it's so beautiful. Alternatively, you could start with this route (about an hour's walk before reaching the rock, and nothing too difficult)
A very pleasant hike without too many difficulties.

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LolotteAndCo
LolotteAndCo

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 12, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk in the forest. Suitable for young children.

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marcheur5701
marcheur5701

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 10, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Easy walk in the shade... superb view of the Neuntelstein rock

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INDYJOHN
INDYJOHN

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route to do when the weather is warm, as the hike takes place in the forest.
The only difficulty we encountered was at point 10. On the way back to the Neuntelstein shelter, we took the steep path to the left of it without, of course, seeing the Anneau Rouge, when we should have gone back past the shelter and taken the Anneau Rouge signposted path on the left. This path led us to the D130, but about 100 metres below the planned route. No big deal!
It was a shame that the Rothlach inn was closed.

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