Around Rantzwiller

The walk starts at the junction of Rue de Mulhouse and Rue Steinacker, where there is a wayside cross. You can park your car in the housing estate accessible via Rue Steinacker.

(S/E) Take Rue Steinacker. Ignore the three streets that turn left and carry on until you leave the village, where the tarmac road gives way to a dirt and gravel track. After passing two paths that turn first to the right and then to the left, carry on straight ahead along a dirt and grass track towards the forest until you reach the edge of the woodland.

(1) Do not enter the forest, but turn left to walk alongside it on the left-hand side. A few metres further on, turn right and this time enter the Rehbergwald forest via this descending path. At the bottom, ignore a path coming diagonally from the left and carry on straight ahead. When the path descends again, ignore two paths branching off to the right and then to the left. At the bottom of the path, at the T-junction, when you can see the village of Steinbrunn-le-bas, at forest plot number 7, turn left. A little further on, ignore a path coming from the right and continue diagonally to the left until you reach Étang Gaertner at the T-junction.

(2) Head up to the left, towards the Alsace Vélo BL 333 cycle route. From here, follow the Yellow Rectangle signposts. Ride along the left-hand side of the pond, then ignore a path that branches off diagonally to the left. Continue along this path, which alternates between forest and clearings and between flat sections and steep gradients, whilst continuing to follow the Yellow Rectangle signposts.
After a final climb and once you’ve emerged from the forest, you’ll reach the hamlet of Heilhof. The path is tarmac again.

(3) Carry on to the left along the Alsace Vélo BL 333 route (marked with a Blue Triangle), towards Rantzwiller-Eglise. After a few hundred metres, at a crossroads with two wayside crosses, carry on straight ahead, still heading towards Rantzwiller. Further on, ignore two paths branching off successively to the right and then to the left, and pass in front of a farm.

(4) Back in the village of Rantzwiller via number 23 Rue du Heilhof, carry on straight ahead, ignoring the side streets. At the end of the street, at the T-junction, turn left onto Rue de l’Église. Walk past the church, its car park, cemetery and war memorial on your left, and continue along this street to the end, where you’ll find the village town hall. With your back to the town hall, cross carefully at the pedestrian crossing, leave the Blue Triangle sign on your right and turn left onto Rue de Mulhouse. Walk past the village school.

(5) Immediately afterwards, turn right into a car park where there is a road sign reading ‘Keep your dog on a lead’. Continue straight on, passing the after-school care centre and the First Response Centre. When you reach a T-junction with an information sign and a playground, turn left. Carry on straight ahead along a path closed to vehicles, following a small stream on your right for 200 m until you reach a crossroads.

(6) Head up to the right, between two enclosures, along a dirt and grass track. Continue uphill alongside a fence until you rejoin the tarmac road, on the hillside above the village, in Rue des Merles. At the T-junction, leave the houses on your right and head up to the left along a dirt track. Shortly afterwards, the path turns sharply right. Then ignore a path coming from the right and carry on straight ahead to the end of the path, at the T-junction, where there is a bench and a wayside cross.

(7) Turn left. At the next Y-junction, where there is a bench and information boards, head diagonally to the left. Walk alongside the entrance to the Koetzingue Educational Pond and continue uphill. Ignore a path branching off to the right and, after 50 m, you’ll reach a T-junction, just before the top.

(8) Turn left onto a narrower path. Follow this path until you emerge from the forest and reach the village of Rantzwiller via Rue de l’Altenberg and past chalet number 900 belonging to the South Alsace Shooting and Hunting Sports Association. After a right-hand bend, ignore the dead-end streets of Les Églantines and Le Stade and carry on to the T-junction. Turn right onto Rue de Mulhouse (D21) and cross the road carefully to return to your starting point (S/E).

At point (2) lies Étang Gaertner, the fishing lake at Steinbrunn-le-Bas.

At point (3) is the hamlet of Heilhof. It may be worth taking a stroll around to see the beautiful houses there.

Between points (5) and (6), there is a playground with plenty of benches and a drinking fountain.

At the starting point (S/E), you can extend the walk by visiting the Notre-Dame-de-Toute-Espérance chapel. To do this, when you arrive, do not cross the road as indicated on the route, but continue straight on along a dirt track running alongside the departmental road on the right. After passing a wayside cross, and once the road bends to the right, take a path on the right to reach the chapel. To return to the end point of the walk (S/E), simply retrace your steps.