Route around Grendelbruch

Hike that goes around Grendelbruch on its southern side.
Passes through several mountain passes and offers magnificent views at Schelmeck and Falkenstein peak.
A little bit of tarmac at the start (crossing Grendelbruch) then a mix of forest paths, trails through woods and meadows.

Details

1550524
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 17.62 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 613 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 617 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 830 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 470 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park on the left, Route de Schirmeck, at the entrance to Grendelbruch coming from Schwarzbach.

(S/E) Leave the car park heading south-east and, at the first intersection, take the road on the left heading north-east. After a few hundred metres, take the path on the right, then right again (the one that goes down steeply, Rue des Cerisiers) to the bottom. Then go straight on Rue de la Libération to the church.

(1) Turn left immediately after the church entrance. Walk alongside the church and turn right onto Rue du Coin de l'Église. Follow this street south until the end of the road.
Take the path on the right heading south-west, which goes around the private property, then go down the path to the ponds. Turn left onto the path and cross the bridge over the Magel.

(2) Cross the D266 and continue straight ahead to join the Magelrain Forest Road (RF).

(3) Cross it and take the path opposite that climbs into the forest, marked with a blue cross heading south-east. Turn right at the first intersection marked with a green circle heading south-west. At the next intersection, turn onto the path on the left, marked with a yellow disc heading east for a few metres, then right, marked with a blue easel heading south. The markings will not change until you reach the top of the pass. Continue to follow the path, ignoring the various intersections with forest tracks. You will arrive at the Col du Jaegertaennel.

(4) Take the forest track on the right, heading south.

(5) Turn onto the path on the right that descends into the forest, marked with a yellow cross pointing west. Please note that the path is not very visible and the markings are painted on the trees. Descend to the bottom of the valley, cross the D66 road and take the path opposite, marked with a yellow cross, heading north-west. Arrive at the old Rossberg forest house.

(6) Take the path on the left into the forest opposite the entrance to the house, marked with a yellow cross pointing south-west. Arrive at the Franzluhr Pass.

(7) Turn left onto the path heading south-west, then right after a few metres heading north-west. There is a picnic table here. Continue on the path on the right, marked with a red disc, heading north-east. You will reach the Birleylaeger Pass.

(8) Continue straight ahead, following the red disc markings towards the west on the path that descends into the forest. Then, at the intersection with the forest path, turn right towards the north-west.

(9) Take the path on the right heading north. Be careful not to miss it. Reach the summit of Schelmeck or Signal de Grendelbruch. Enjoy the 360° view.

(10) Continue along the path heading northeast. You will reach a three-way junction.

(11) Take the path on the right and descend to the cemetery, the Grendelbruch National Necropolis.

(12) Return to the road and follow it uphill in a north-westerly direction. Then turn right into the forest onto the path to reach the Carrefour du Bruchberg.

(13) Take the second path on the right, marked with a yellow rectangle, heading north-west. Follow this marking to the Falkenstein peak.

(14) Continue along the path downhill, following the yellow rectangle markings towards the south-east. Follow these markings to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 551 m - Car park at the entrance to Grendelbruch.
  2. 1 : km 1.66 - alt. 515 m - Church
  3. 2 : km 2.15 - alt. 472 m - Cross the D266, after the - Magel (rivière)
  4. 3 : km 3.45 - alt. 637 m - Magelrain Forest Road
  5. 4 : km 5.17 - alt. 774 m - Col du Jaegertaennel (773m)
  6. 5 : km 5.65 - alt. 782 m - Trail on the right - Yellow Cross
  7. 6 : km 8.23 - alt. 674 m - Former Rossberg Forest House
  8. 7 : km 9.68 - alt. 823 m - Col de Franzluhr (826m)
  9. 8 : km 11.23 - alt. 826 m - Col de Birleylaeger (824m)
  10. 9 : km 12.25 - alt. 767 m - Trail on the right
  11. 10 : km 13.25 - alt. 752 m - Schelmeck - Schelmeck
  12. 11 : km 13.89 - alt. 695 m - Three-way junction - Take the right-hand path
  13. 12 : km 14.55 - alt. 645 m - Nécropole nationale (Grendelbruch)
  14. 13 : km 15 - alt. 676 m - On the right - Yellow rectangle - parking du Col du Bruchberg
  15. 14 : km 16.1 - alt. 687 m - Continue along the path - yellow rectangle. - Piton du Falkenstein
  16. S/E : km 17.62 - alt. 551 m - Car park at the entrance to Grendelbruch.

Notes

No drinking water.
70% of the hike is covered by forest.
(6 and 9) Two picnic tables.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 13 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
daft27
daft27

No worries... There are always disappointed people... Fortunately, you are in the minority, if not the only one. Please note that since 2018, the signs may have changed colour or even disappeared. Unfortunately, I have nothing to do with it. All the best in other parts of the world...

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Nana la motarde
Nana la motarde

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : Yes

We had a lot of trouble finding the car park at the starting point. Then, in some places, the route markings were non-existent or missing. After the Jeagerqtaennel pass, we were supposed to turn right onto a path, but the path didn't exist, so we had to improvise and walk until we found the right path. We were also disappointed because we had to walk about 10 kilometres before finding any viewpoints. This is not a hike that will remain one of our favourites.

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brandphilippe
brandphilippe

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful winter walk!
Sunny mountain passes, misty fields... the scenery was magical that day!

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Stras67
Stras67

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

At point 5, following the GPS route closely, we took a vague trail (clearly we weren't the first ones there), which led us through wasteland and muddy patches before finally bringing us back to the path marked with yellow crosses. If you want to avoid this hassle, at point 5, you should actually continue along the forest path for a few dozen metres before turning right onto the yellow cross trail.

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daft27
daft27

Without being too far off the mark, I believe that the times are calculated automatically using the Visorando software...

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xerocrete
xerocrete

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 04, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant route, especially when you come across a lynx!

Difficulties finding parking: head towards the stadium, do not turn right but continue straight ahead and park in the first space before the "construction site closed to the public" sign; we then returned to the main road and walked down the entire length of Rue de la Libération to reach the church.
The Schelmeck or Grendelbruch signal is very popular, as evidenced by the condition of the trail.
The time indicated on the signs to reach Piton du Falkenstein is greatly overestimated; it took us about 30 minutes.

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Bambina
Bambina

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike with a nice climb in the morning... In the afternoon, the route passed through busier and sunnier GR trails... Magnificent view at Piton... As indicated in the route description, the yellow cross markings are sometimes only visible on trees and it is easy to miss them...

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bellisent
bellisent

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

Pleasant walk. Option to shorten the route. Sections 1 to 12 not covered.

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lucienne.mistler
lucienne.mistler

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 25, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

very beautiful hike

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Ohrelie
Ohrelie
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 26, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A superb hike completed in trail mode under bright sunshine. The landscapes are varied and the hike is relatively detailed. The most difficult sections are at the beginning, and once you reach the orientation table, there is no more elevation gain.
However, you need to remain vigilant, as the markings are sometimes difficult to see on certain sections. For example, we missed the necropolis and arrived directly at the car park.

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ZyraWalk
ZyraWalk

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A very pretty hike that climbs, climbs, climbs... The difficulty is moderate, but it's best to have well-trained calves ;o)
The landscapes are very diverse, but the points of interest are a little disappointing (though still nice ).
The description isn't very good; we wouldn't have managed with just that.
The Visorando app was very helpful, however.
Just for additional information, we completed this circular hike in 5 hours, including breaks.
We did the hike in 2°C weather, with no sun and a little snow at times; it was a very enjoyable day.
All in all, it was a beautiful hike.

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hannah7
hannah7

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 25, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A lovely, varied route with beautiful views. The only downside is that the Club Vosgien markings are missing from the description.

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smallaxe
smallaxe

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 14, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very pleasant hike, mainly through forest, at least for the first part. We did this walk in the snow (surprising for mid-April, isn't it?) which was a shame because the 360° view from the Grendelbruch signal was limited to just a few metres. To get to the Falkenstein peak, we opted for the path on the left after Schelmeck, without going through the necropolis (which we already knew). It was a very beautiful, wild site, with a landscape of mossy rocks and strangely shaped tree trunks, an atmosphere reminiscent of a fantasy film, fir trees with branches covered in lichen,
fog... enough to fuel the vivid imagination of the keen hiker.
As for the walking time, I think the 6 hours announced are a very generous estimate, but that's not a problem.
A hike we will do again on a fine day.

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fedinois
fedinois

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 01, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A hike that comes highly recommended. Magnificent views at various points (Schelmeck, Piton du Falkenstein, etc.). Varied landscapes. Pleasant to walk, especially in sunny weather like today.

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jm_rando
jm_rando

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 31, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A lovely walk, very pleasant indeed, and with weather like yesterday, it's a real treat to do this route.

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