Wotan’s Oak and the Rehbrunnel shelter, starting from Thann

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The Wotan Oak stands on a rocky outcrop; five main branches emerge from the trunk at a height of 2.50m. It was given its name after 1873, drawing a parallel with the horse of the god Wotan, named Sleipnir, which had eight legs, just like this oak with its exposed roots.

Details

n°1986170
Creation:
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Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 4.12 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,273 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,280 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,487 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,194 ft
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Description of the walk

Park in the car park on Rue du Kattenbachy.

(S/E) Walk back down Rue du Kattenbachy to the first junction.

(1) At the junction, turn slightly to the right. Walk uphill until you reach a dirt track.

(2) Take this track and follow the signs marked with a Yellow Cross. You’ll come to another junction.

(3) Continue along the path directly in front of you to reach the Col du Grumbach.

(4) Take the wide path on the right, continuing to follow the Yellow Cross markings. Walk through the forest to reach the Rehbrunnel shelter.

(5) Carry on to reach Wotan’s Oak.

(6). Walk round it to reach the viewpoint.
Follow the same route back as on the way there to return to the car park on Rue du Kattenbach (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 1,214 ft - Car park on Rue du Kattenbachy
  2. 1 : mi 0.06 - alt. 1,194 ft - Y-junction
  3. 2 : mi 0.11 - alt. 1,207 ft - Start of the dirt track
  4. 3 : mi 0.69 - alt. 1,804 ft - Junction
  5. 4 : mi 0.83 - alt. 1,909 ft - Col du Grumbach
  6. 5 : mi 2.06 - alt. 2,487 ft - Abri de Rehbrunnel
  7. 6 : mi 2.07 - alt. 2,487 ft - Chêne wotan
  8. S/E : mi 4.12 - alt. 1,214 ft - Car park on Rue du Kattenbachy

Worth a visit

Next to Wotan’s Oak: there are a few wooden tables and benches available, as well as the Rehbrunnel shelter with a barbecue.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 3 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
User 3401616

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

Very intense effort. Long climb, significant elevation gain.
We did a round trip, which I found a shame (retracing our steps).
Not being from the area, I followed the marked trail carefully.
However, what a marvel once we arrived at the shelter and the Wotan oak tree.
It was worth the effort.
The reward is huge 😍

Machine-translated

RANDO ASSE
RANDO ASSE

The route mentioned was simply a return trip from the car park. Yesterday we set off from the car park, climbed up to the Rangen cross via the Red Circle and the GR5, then made our way to the Waldkapelle and on to the Pastetenplatz via the GR5 and the Blue Circle, before reaching the Wotan Oak (lunch after a two-hour walk, interspersed with breaks for drinks and to take off some layers), then descended via the yellow cross to the Grumbach Pass and reached Engelbourg via the red rectangle and the green circle, before returning to the car park. The descent took about an hour and a half.
This route is ideal for the ascent as it goes from one step to the next, covering an elevation gain of around 600 metres, compared to the 400 metres indicated for the round trip. There were stunning views over the town of Thann and the Alsace plain above the Rangen (famous for its vineyards); the silence was broken by the hum of the two chemical plants below.
A route well worth recommending

Machine-translated

Michel Macron
Michel Macron
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 09, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

That’s fine. We took a detour via the castle, before picking up the signposted path a little further on.

Machine-translated

lgn68
lgn68
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 16, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A lovely walk – as it’s the same route back, I took the red-marked path, which leads straight back to the trail, so it was 3.3 km to the shelter and 5 km back, following the path and then turning left onto the red-marked path.

Machine-translated

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