Champ du Messin, Mer des Roches and Camp du Struthof

This walk, which takes place mainly in the forest, is initially idyllic before reaching a site that epitomises the horrors of the Second World War: the Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp, the only Nazi concentration camp on French soil.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.53 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,332 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,332 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 3,251 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 2,057 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

The car park at the start is at La Grande Carrière on the D130.

(S/E) Cross the D130 with care and, immediately on the right, take the path which rejoins the D130 after 200 m.

(1) Turn left onto the Route forestière du Teufelsloch and continue for about 500 m.

(2) Leave the forest road to the right and follow theGR®5, marked with a Red Rectangle. Continue to the Champ du Messin.

(3) Go through the gate and follow the path marked with a Yellow Ring straight ahead, heading north. At the track, continue for about 400 m to the right.

(4) Turn left to reach Kohlplatz. First turn left then right, and take the downhill path marked with a Blue Triangle to reach Mullerplatz.
You can also reach this point via the forest track marked with a Yellow Ring.

(5) Turn left onto Route de Birley, which leads to the Baraque des Bœufs: marked with a Yellow Rectangle.

(6) Turn left onto the path, following the Yellow Rectangle markings (GR® 532). At the forest track, begin the descent until you reach a sharp bend.

(7) Continue the descent along the Route Forestière des Tourniquets, passing through the Mer des Roches and arriving at the Cabane des Cinq Routes.

(8) Turn left onto the Route Forestière de l’Ordon Saxe to reach the D130. Walk carefully alongside it for just under a hundred metres.

(9) Turn right and head for the old gas chamber.

(10) Go up the steps on the left (Chemin des Déportés), cross the D130 carefully to reach the other side via another set of steps, and rejoin the road.

(11) Cross the D130 for the second time, turn left onto the path signposted ‘villa’, which leads to the former Struthof Camp: free access to the memorial and the necropolis.

(12) On leaving the necropolis, turn left into the forest onto theGR®5and walk for about 500 m.

(13) Turn right to head back up to the D130 and the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 2,746 ft - Car park at the Grande Carrière du Struthof
  2. 1 : mi 0.12 - alt. 2,782 ft - Teufelsloch forest track
  3. 2 : mi 0.45 - alt. 2,943 ft - Junction
  4. 3 : mi 1.38 - alt. 3,251 ft - Champ du Messin (991m)
  5. 4 : mi 2.46 - alt. 2,822 ft - Junction
  6. 5 : mi 2.91 - alt. 2,566 ft - Mullerplatz
  7. 6 : mi 4.05 - alt. 2,457 ft - Baraque des Bœufs
  8. 7 : mi 4.89 - alt. 2,316 ft - RF des Tourniquets
  9. 8 : mi 5.34 - alt. 2,057 ft - Cabane des Cinq Routes
  10. 9 : mi 6.34 - alt. 2,369 ft - D130 junction
  11. 10 : mi 6.46 - alt. 2,326 ft - Former gas chamber
  12. 11 : mi 6.57 - alt. 2,418 ft - Signpost marking the former camp
  13. 12 : mi 7.1 - alt. 2,677 ft - Mémorial national de la déportation et Nécropole (Natzwiller)
  14. 13 : mi 7.43 - alt. 2,690 ft - Junction towards the - Camp de concentration (Natzwiler-Struthof)
  15. S/E : mi 7.53 - alt. 2,746 ft - Car park at the Grande Carrière du Struthof

Notes

There are no water points along the route.
Shelter available at the Baraque des Bœufs and the Cabane des Cinq Routes.
Take care when crossing roads; traffic can be heavy at weekends.

Worth a visit

Large quarries where prisoners extracted the pink granite that was sent to Germany to build buildings and monuments.
European Centre for Deported Resistance Fighters, the only Nazi concentration camp on French soil. Admission €8 in 2024.
www.struthof.fr

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

4.8 / 5
Based on 3 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
agnes67640
agnes67640

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A beautiful, well-shaded hike. Allow two hours to visit the Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp if interested.

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alsaco2
alsaco2
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely circular route completed on Wednesday 11 December 2024 by the Branquignol(e)s (a famous group of epicurean hiking friends from Alsace)
Plenty of parking available at this time of year, with a lovely variety of trails alternating with forest paths.
A mix of hiking proper and historical interest (there’s the option to include a visit to the Struthof site as part of the walk)
Viewpoints over the Bruche Valley, two lovely, comfortable shelters and a table with benches along the route.
It’s worth noting a well-regarded spot that isn’t on the route itself, but is just a few kilometres away by car: ‘La Ferme-Auberge du Charapont’ (the restaurant is closed during the winter months).

Machine-translated

CEA Sepp
CEA Sepp

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We walked along the route this Wednesday, amidst a Christmassy setting, with frost on every surface.
Visibility was very poor, but there were some beautiful spots – rocks in the river and a tidy hut just below that makes you want to stop for a while.
Towards the end of the walk, at the Struthof camp, there was silence and a heavy atmosphere, and the eternal question: how is it possible that things could have come to this?

Machine-translated

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