Circular of the Col de la Schleif and Col de Valsberg

A pleasant hike in the sandstone foothills of Obersteigen, in the Little Switzerland of Alsace, on the border between the departments of Bas-Rhin and Moselle.

Details

1085743
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 13.72 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 351 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 345 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 763 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 443 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the small car park in front of the chapel on Rue de la Chapelle in Obersteigen.

(S/E) Take the road to Dabo and turn onto the Chemin Forestier du Goldbrunnen, marked with a red diamond (on the left-hand side of the road at the exit of the village, next to the Route Romane d'Alsace sign). Continue to the Goldbrunnen fountain.

(1) Continue along the forest path until you reach the crossroads of two paths, where you can enjoy the view of the valley and the village of Engenthal le Bas.

(2) Follow the blue rectangle markings ofthe GR®531to the Rosskopf forest house.

(3) Shortly after, turn right at the blue sign saying "Pneus neige admis" (snow tyres permitted) towards Col de la Schleif. This pass is at the crossroads of several roads.

(4) When you reach the pass, turn right onto the Red Ring trail towards Himberfels. Take the Eichelkopf Forest Road, and shortly afterwards the steep climb of the Eichelkopf route. Follow the Yellow Cross trail towards Himbeerfels.

(5) Continue following the Yellow Cross markings towards the Valsberg Pass and reach the pass.

(6) Take the path between the telecommunications tower and the bench to head towards Sattelfels (red triangle markings).

(7) Return from the standing stone on the way back to Obersteigen, marked with a red horse, to return to the car park where you started (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 471 m - Obersteigen Chapel car park
  2. 1 : km 0.51 - alt. 471 m - Goldbrunnen fountain
  3. 2 : km 2.66 - alt. 469 m - View of Engenthal below at the gr refuge
  4. 3 : km 3.68 - alt. 457 m - Rosskopf MF - Mossig (rivière)
  5. 4 : km 5.8 - alt. 689 m - Col de la Schleif (689m)
  6. 5 : km 7.65 - alt. 744 m - Himbeerfels
  7. 6 : km 9.86 - alt. 653 m - Col de Valsberg (653m)
  8. 7 : km 11.12 - alt. 598 m - Sattelfels - raised stone
  9. S/E : km 13.72 - alt. 471 m - Obersteigen Chapel car park

Notes

Goldbrunnen fountain shortly after the start of the hike.
At the Col de la Schleif, there are tables, benches and a barbecue or fire pit under a shelter.
At the Col de Valsberg, there is a table and bench.

Worth a visit

At the Col de la Schleif (altitude 700 m), you will find two shelters or huts with tables and benches, and a barbecue area in one of them.
Numerous other tables are set up in the adjacent area, creating a lovely picnic spot.

At the Col de Valsberg (652m), there is a telecommunications tower visible from the plain.

The Sattelfels is a standing stone or menhir and owes its name to its saddle-shaped top. In the past, women who wanted to get pregnant would come and sit there, convinced of the fertility virtues of the place. The rock also serves as a boundary marker between the departments of Moselle and Bas-Rhin.

 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 / 5
Based on 23 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.2 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
xerocrete
xerocrete

Overall rating : 2 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 31, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed today. In short, we can unfortunately only confirm the inaccuracies and errors reported since 2020, which have not been corrected even after an "update" on 31/12/2024.
Fortunately, without GPS but with an IGN map and a fairly good sense of direction, we were able to complete a varied circular with beautiful views, but at the cost of a lot of wandering.

Machine-translated

User 11002246

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I did this route in June and October 2025. We climbed up the yellow triangle. Very beautiful trail.
The Schleif Pass is ideal for a picnic.
The route along the Eichelkopf ridge is very beautiful and wild. The Himbeerfels rocks are very beautiful. The section between Himbeerfels and the Valsberg Pass is also beautiful and easy. We followed the red triangle to get to the Sattelfels from the pass. A beautiful, gentle descent via the red trestle to Obersteigen. Visit to the Chapel of St. Mary of the Assumption with Mrs. David, who is an excellent guide. She lives next to the chapel.
In October, the trees were beautifully coloured.

Machine-translated

Mariitea
Mariitea

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely shaded hike, the Himbeerfels is as beautiful as ever! We didn't go to point 2 (following previous comments), so we don't know if that section is still rough. We had a picnic at the Schleif Pass, which was surprisingly quiet for a Sunday.

Machine-translated

Gérard 67
Gérard 67

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Some unclear indications

Machine-translated

Remysapin@club-internet.fr
Remysapin@club-internet.fr

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We found this route very pleasant, except for the climb up a wide track after passing point 3 to the Schleif Pass (point 4). This track is more suitable for logging trucks than hikers. To avoid this section, I would suggest, as mentioned in a previous comment, going from point 2 to point 4 via the yellow triangle marked trail, or just before point 3, taking the red rectangle marked GR 53 trail on the right, which also leads to point 4 (this latter suggestion only eliminates part of the forest track but allows you to pass by the Rosskopf MF).

Machine-translated

jeom5670
jeom5670

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 08, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

a few changes to the route, but well signposted! Very beautiful paths – magnificent frosted fir trees!

Machine-translated

yojimbo67
yojimbo67

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 18, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

Disappointing hike as there is little to see, and when there is a viewpoint, it is hidden by trees. Another issue is that after the forest house, the path leading up to the Schleif Pass is damaged by forestry machinery, making the climb very unpleasant even with good hiking boots. Furthermore, the description of the hike does not correspond to the markings on the ground. It is better to have a hiking GPS and follow the GPS than the description. The markings on the map are accurate.

Machine-translated

Lokes
Lokes

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 24, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike with several points of interest. We will do it again, modifying a small part of the route to "see" more.

Machine-translated

Archimede
Archimede

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 07, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I confirm the previous comments about the description: after point 5, there is indeed a path that leads to Valsberg, but it is not marked (only white marks on some trees). You have to leave the GR (yellow crosses) before it starts to descend towards the valley (and the starting point).
Tested alternatives (reducing the distance by about 2 km and the elevation gain):
- at point 2: follow the yellow triangles, which will take you directly to point 4 via a pretty path along the mountainside
- at point 6: return to the starting point via the GR (blue triangles and rectangles). The last section is steep, but you can avoid it by staying on the forest track and finishing on the road.

Machine-translated

phihal
phihal

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 22, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

I agree with GLD68's comments (10 May 2021) and wish I had read them before setting off. In particular, after point 5, if you continue along the yellow cross, you end up almost in Obersteigen and therefore on the main road, which is very dangerous for pedestrians

Machine-translated

gld68
gld68

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 10, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

description of errors: (3) Add: follow the yellow cross to a three-way junction. Do not continue towards the yellow cross, but take the unmarked path to the right. This path joins the red triangle and leads to the Schleif Pass further up.
(5) Continue following the yellow cross markings for at least 700 to 800 metres until you reach an intersection. At this point, do not continue straight ahead following the yellow cross but turn left onto an unmarked path that leads to a crossroads (blue triangle). At this point, continue straight ahead to reach the Col du Valsberg.
(6) Correct description for the waypoint, but remove the reference to the red triangle as it is misleading because the path is unmarked.

Machine-translated

denis maudouit
denis maudouit

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 23, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
Hike to the Schleif Pass. Had to turn back because we were running late on the climb up the pass as there was too much snow. (hiking/running)
the markings and the app were accurate and functional, so I assume the rest of the hike was the same.
i'll keep it in mind for another attempt in a milder season
have a good day

Machine-translated

Icidango
Icidango

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 24, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

nice journey
we parked closer to point 1, which saved us the journey along the road

Machine-translated

Goofie
Goofie

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 30, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike in good weather, but one that required us to draw heavily on our experience.
We therefore did not give it a "very good" or "good" rating in the description because there were a few small details and signposting details missing that would have made our lives easier. Using the smartphone app was essential. The information sheet alone is not reliable enough.
- Departure. Car park on the chapel square. Perfect. It then seems necessary to specify that you leave this car park and IMMEDIATELY turn right onto the Dabo road to reach the departure signs a little further on, on the left-hand side of the road. This avoids wandering around a bit at the car park exit, where there are other signs that cause confusion..
- Point 3. The notions of "shortly after" and "blue sign - snow tyres permitted" are incorrect. Ongoing roadworks have transformed the area and the sign has disappeared. And... what does "shortly after" mean? It would be better to locate the waypoint as follows: "at the point where the Mossig river passes under the road, take the path on the right for about 350 metres until you reach a forest track, then take the small path 90 degrees to the right which climbs towards the GR53. You should then follow the red rectangle to the Col de la Schleif".
- Point 5. Instead of "yellow cross" markings, read "red ring", then "blue triangle" to the Col du Valsberg.
This is our opinion, which is not a criticism of the trail marker but rather a call for attention to detail in the description. The description should not only be aimed at experienced hikers, but also, and above all, be a valuable and reliable aid for those who are less experienced.
We would also like to add that it is deplorable to see how much the Schleif site, beautifully designed and created by the Club Vosgien, has been vandalised. A webcam needs to be installed there...

Machine-translated

rschneider
rschneider

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 31, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

.../...

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.