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Auberge du Ried car park after the junction of the roads from Luttenbach and Wasserbourg.
(S/E) From the back of the car park (on the left-hand side when facing the Auberge du Ried), take the path marked with a red disc. After about 100 metres, leave the red disc path on the left (this will be the way back) and take the wide path on the right (mountain bike sign then small sign pointing towards Stemlisberg/Christlesgut). Continue slightly downhill. Do not take the path on the left marked Laymersberg, but turn right downhill towards Christlesgut. You will come to a path marked with a blue disc coming downhill from the left.
(1) Leave the wide path and take the Blue Disc path opposite on the right. After a short stony descent, at two buildings, turn left, ignoring the path on the right. Continue downhill until you reach an intersection with a tarmac road.
(2) Turn left and head towards the Christlesgut farmhouse inn on a path marked with a yellow cross, towards Christlesgut/Lameysberg. Pass the farmhouse inn and continue along the yellow cross path. Pass a path on the right and arrive at an intersection with a tarmac road. Continue for about ten metres on the left, then turn right onto the yellow cross path going uphill towards Lameysberg/Sondernach. After a wide bend to the right and then to the left, you will arrive at the Braeschenberg crossroads. Cross to the left onto a path marked Croix Bleu and follow the Croix Jaune markings for about 300 metres until you reach the former Ferme Auberge de Lameysberg.
(3) Pass it on the left. Before starting the climb, after a gate, ignore the path on the left that climbs into the pasture and continue straight ahead. On the climb, leave a new path on the left that climbs into the pasture and immediately after, you will come to an intersection. Take the path on the left marked with a yellow cross towards Groth/Rothenbrunnen, leaving the two paths on the right. Enjoy the view of the nearby ridges and the Metzeral valley. At a cluster of birch trees, continue on the yellow cross path, ignoring first a red triangle path on the left and then a red triangle path on the right.
(4) Pass a path on the right, then a post on the left. Continue straight ahead on a steady climb along the path marked with a yellow cross. Follow the signs for Sondernach (yellow cross) and Breitenbach/Metzeral (red triangle). A few metres further on, at a gate, ignore the red triangle path on the right towards Sondernach and continue along the yellow cross.
(5) At a drinking trough, leave the path on the right and the Yellow Cross and continue on the wide path now marked with a Blue Diamond towards Petit Ballon/Rothenbrunnen. At a turnstile, leave the path on the right towards Brobachrucken/Metzeral and continue until you reach the Ferme Auberge du Rothenbrunnen.
(6) Leave the path opposite towards the AN/Petit Ballon refuge and take the path on the left marked with a red horse to Col du Petit Ballon. After a short climb, you will arrive at Col du Petit Ballon. Cross the road and, at the bench on the right, take the path on the right marked with a red triangle and the sign "Petit Ballon Sommet". 30 metres after the bench and after a gate, leave the wide path ahead and follow the fence on the left for the last part of the climb to the summit of Petit Ballon (360° panorama)..
(7) From the summit, leave the Yellow Triangle and Yellow Rectangle trails ofthe GR®532(on the slope where there is a statue of the Virgin Mary) and look for a path descending opposite the Refuge des Amis de la Nature below. This path is to the right of a path marked with a blue diamond and starts to the right of the remains of a blockhouse. Descend the slope (staying on the path) to the Refuge des Amis de la Nature.
(8) At the intersection facing the Refuge des Amis de la Nature, turn left onto the path marked with a yellow rectangle towards Bockwasen/Col du Hilsenfirst. At this point, ignore the path leading off to the left into the pasture marked with a yellow ring. Continue towards Bockswasen, ignoring a wide path on the right leading downhill towards Rottenbrunnen. Continue on the yellow rectangle path. At the edge of the forest, go straight ahead to Bockswasen without trying to climb up to the left into the pasture.
(9) Follow the direction of Hilsenfirst/Klintzkopf marked with a yellow rectangle and 50 metres after the chalet, follow the path on the left marked with a yellow triangle towards Hilsenfirst/Col d'Oberlauchen. Leave a path branching off to the right and, after an uphill climb followed by a stony descent through some thorny bushes, leave the path continuing downhill marked with a yellow and white rectangle towards Hilsen and turn right onto the yellow rectangle path towards Col du Hilsenfirst/AV Wittenheim.
(10) When you reach the Col du Hilsenfirst, ignore theGR®532straight ahead marked with a yellow rectangle and take the path on the left between two fir trees marked with a yellow and white rectangle towards Linthal via AW Rimbuhl. Also ignore the yellow triangle path leading to Lechterwan. After walking along a small, slightly downhill balcony path (yellow and white rectangle) with magnificent views of the Grand Ballon, the Guebwiller valley and the Black Forest, you will come to a wide carriageway.
(11) Turn left downhill towards Hilsen on the path marked with a yellow and white rectangle. About 200 metres further on, don't miss a passage in a fence on the right to go down into the pasture, following the yellow and white rectangle sign. Be careful at the intersection of a path climbing vertically and a path continuing straight ahead; turn right at a 90° angle towards the wide road below.
(12) When you reach this wide carriageway above a farm, turn left. About 150 metres further on, at a three-way junction, turn left at the yellow and white rectangle signpost towards Hilsen. Ignore the two paths on the left and another on the right.
Continue along a path lined with birch trees. Pass by a hunting blind. The trail then begins a short descent.
(13) At the bottom of the descent, turn right through a gate (towards Hilsen, marked by the yellow and white rectangle). Ignore the path continuing straight ahead. After about 150 metres, turn left, leaving the path that continues straight ahead. This will take you to a tarmac road, which you should take to the left downhill (towards Linthal, marked by a yellow and white rectangle).
At an intersection, ignore the road going down to the right and continue on the asphalt road going uphill towards Hilsen/Petit Ballon. You will come to an intersection with a path going uphill to the left (marked with a yellow and white rectangle and a blue triangle towards Petit Ballon via Mullermatt/Bockwasen).
(14) Ignore this path on the left and stay on the asphalt road. On the left side of the road, a few metres after an electrical transformer station, take a wide path leading to the courtyard and outbuildings of the Ferme Auberge du Hilsen (pink building).
(15) From the courtyard, look for a no-entry sign on the far left of the farm. From there, find a blue triangle path and follow the signs for Schellimatt/AJ Dynamo/Petit Ballon. After a short, steep climb through a pasture, enter a birch forest. Leave the path and take a small trail on the right (a shortcut) which joins a wide path a little further up.
(16) Follow the path to the right and uphill. Ignore a path on the left and continue on the wide Blue Triangle path towards Petit Ballon/Mullermatt. Leave a path on the left and then a path on the right towards Belchenbach. Continue uphill and join a wide path coming from the right. Take this path to the left, continuing uphill, guided by the Blue Triangle sign, until you reach a hairpin bend.
(17) Leave the path opposite, turn right onto the Blue Triangle path and head towards Schellimatt/AJ Dynamo/Petit Ballon. Ignore a path on the right leading downhill and continue climbing. At a second hairpin bend, leave the path leading off to the left (mountain bike sign) and continue straight ahead towards the edge of the forest. Pass above two houses. Continue climbing on a path at the edge of the forest and then through a pasture (towards Petit Ballon/Schellimatt, AJ Dynamo and the blue triangle marker). Turn around for a superb view of the Grand Ballon and the Guebwiller valley. Pass to the left of the Mullermatt farm.
(18) At the entrance to the forest, continue along the Yellow Rectangle path, ignoring the paths going up and down along the fence (towards Linthal and Red Triangle). At the junction with a large path coming from the left, continue straight ahead, following the Yellow Rectangle. The view from this path is superb.
(19) At the blockhouse, turn left, leaving the paths leading off to the right into the pasture. Just after the blockhouse, leave the path to the right towards AJ Dynamo and immediately take the path marked with a red diamond towards the Strohberg Farm Inn. Continue uphill through a pine forest, then downhill through pastureland covered with snow in winter, to reach the Strohberg Farm Inn.
(20) Leave the path opposite uphill and take a wide path downhill on the right (red disc marker and direction Boenlesgrab/Lautenbach). Stay on this stony path for about 2 km. Ignore two paths leading off to the left. At the end of the descent, ignore the two shortcuts on the right leading to the car park of the Boenlesgrab inn and stay on the main path until you reach an intersection with the path coming from the right from the Col du Boenlesgrab.
(21) Leave the path leading to the inn on your right and head left on a slight incline (green triangle marker and signposted Drei Schoepf/Wassmatt Wasserbourg). You are now on the Drei Schoepf path. Pass afirst path on the right and, a few metres further on, at a bend and a stream, a second path (marked for mountain bikes), also on the right. Follow the green triangle, passing a path on the left that climbs up into the pasture to reach the place called Drei Schoepf.
(22) Turn left towards Wasenmaten/Buchwald and follow the yellow signpost, leaving the path opposite the green triangle towards Wasserbourg. After passing two houses on the right and before a house straight ahead, turn left into the pasture, guided by the yellow signpost. Pass afirst low stone wall, then asecond, and after crossing the latter, turn immediately right, ignoring the path going up opposite. Continue downhill along the edge of the forest, following the yellow signposts.
(23) After starting a short climb, cross a wide path marked with a red signpost towards Wasserbourg on the right and Petit Ballon on the left. Cross this path and continue straight ahead, climbing towards Wassmatt, marked with a yellow signpost. Leave the forest and continue down the path towards a farm. Pass two hairpin bends. At thesecond hairpin bend, ignore the path leading straight into the forest and signposted towards Wasserbourg. Continue to follow the yellow signposts and, after a steep, stony descent, you will arrive at the Ferme Auberge de la Wassmatt.
(24) Pass in front of the Ferme Auberge de la Wassmatt and continue on the uphill road marked with yellow signposts towards Buchwald. Leave a path lined with a wooden fence on your left. When you reach a telephone relay station after passing a drinking trough, leave the main path and turn left onto a steep climb (look for the yellow signpost pointing towards Buchwald). The path passes to the right of the transmitter. Superb view of Wasserbourg. After a steep climb, you will reach a turnstile at the junction with the Herzog trail coming from the right. About a hundred metres to the left is the Ferme Auberge du Buchwald. Cross the road and head towards a small central island where you will find signposts.
(25) Take the asphalt road uphill (Yellow Triangle signpost and direction Kahlenwasen/Petit Ballon) with the Ferme Auberge du Kahlenwasen as your destination. At a right-hand bend, go through a gate and, facing an electricity pylon, take a path parallel to the road leading to the Ferme Auberge du Kahlenwasen. Pass in front of the Ferme Auberge and cross the road at the car park.
(26) Go through a gate and start descending along a path through the pasture towards Schweng/Breitenbach (blue disc marker). Begin the descent. Ignore a path leading uphill to the left and continue downhill. Just before entering the forest, ignore a path leading off to the left. Pass by a tree classified as "remarkable". Continue downhill through the forest and arrive at a place called Schweng.
(27) When you reach a wide path, ignore the Blue Disc and Blue Cross markers opposite and turn right (Red Disc) towards Ried. After 100 metres, leave this wide path and go through a gate on the left into a pasture towards Ried (signpost). Descend the pasture and cross a footbridge.
(28) Immediately afterwards, turn left onto a path marked with a red disc (visible about ten metres downstream from the footbridge). Leave the path marked with a red disc on your right, which leads up towards Carrefour Buchwald/Petit Ballon. Continue straight ahead downhill and 500 metres further on, you will find the path you started on on your left, just in front of the car park of the Auberge du Ried (S/E).
Visorando member
Moderate 
Tourism professional
Difficult 
Easy 
