Sundgau route: between woods and ponds

A hike through the beautiful Sundgau forests dotted with ponds, with no major difficulties except for the walking time.

There are many places to stop for a snack along the route.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 15.91 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 183 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 182 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 416 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 315 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Hirtzbach (68118)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 47.593848° / E 7.22009°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 3621ET
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Parking is available near the café "À la Couronne" at the corner of Rue de la Montagne and Rue Principale.

(S/E) Cross the bridge, then turn left and go up Rue des Champs on the right until you reach the calvary.

(1) At the calvary, follow the tarmac path marked Anneau Bleu on the right, which immediately turns left, and continue for about 1 km.

(2) Leave the tarmac path and the Anneau Bleu markings. Turn right immediately after the fork. You will come to thefirst ponds. Enter the forest and continue straight ahead.

(3) At the crossroads, follow the path marked with the Green Ring and Blue Cross signs straight ahead towards Fulleren/Croix Saint-Michel.

(4) Leave the marked tarmac path and turn right to the north, then left. Leave the path on your right and after 200 metres you will reach a crossroads.

(5) Turn left to the Croix de Saint-Michel then return to the crossroads. Turn left and follow the blue-yellow-blue "Écusson" markings with black ants (Fulleren coat of arms). Continue to Rue de Hirtzbach, which runs alongside the ponds to the west of Fulleren.

(6) At the Calvary, turn left and follow the "ant" markings. Stay on the road for 350 metres until you reach thesecond path on the right.

(7) Leave the road to the right as you enter the woods, then walk along the Grossweiher pond and continue to the power lines.

(8) Pass under the high-voltage power lines and continue straight ahead. Ignore a path on the right and continue to a crossroads.

(9) At the crossroads, continue straight ahead after the forest hut. After 1.3 km, the path leads to a crossroads and then a cross.

(10) At the cross, retrace your steps and turn right, north, onto the path that runs alongside the pond. Pass a second pond and reach a crossroads before the Probstweiher pond, coming out of a long right-hand bend.

(11) Leave the path and take a small trail on the left !! Step over the tree trunks!! Then, at the boundary marker, continue immediately to the right, heading northeast, following the grassy path which later becomes a beautiful forest track.

(12) Before leaving the woods, take the path marked with a double yellow mountain bike sign on the right and continue south-east, then turn 90° to the left.

(13) When you leave the woods, descend to the right towards the D17, cross it, climb up opposite and cross the meadow.

(14) At the top of the hill, turn left towards the village (green cross sign).

(15) Pass a crossroads and, at the intersection, turn left onto Rue de la Chapelle and visit the baptistery, the calvary and the Sainte-Affre Chapel. Immediately after the chapel, take the path on the right. Then, at the fountain, turn left and go down Rue de la Montagne to the finish (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 317 m - Parking near the Café "la Couronne"
  2. 1 : km 0.27 - alt. 326 m - Calvary
  3. 2 : km 1.03 - alt. 369 m - On the right, dirt track
  4. 3 : km 1.99 - alt. 392 m - Straight ahead at the crossroads
  5. 4 : km 3.2 - alt. 391 m - Path on the right
  6. 5 : km 3.91 - alt. 368 m - Crossroads
  7. 6 : km 5.98 - alt. 374 m - Calvary and sentry box
  8. 7 : km 6.35 - alt. 382 m - 2nd on the right
  9. 8 : km 7.36 - alt. 398 m - Under the high-voltage line
  10. 9 : km 8.37 - alt. 406 m - Forest hut
  11. 10 : km 9.69 - alt. 416 m - Calvary
  12. 11 : km 11.02 - alt. 413 m - Crossroads with forest track
  13. 12 : km 13.05 - alt. 386 m - Borne
  14. 13 : km 14.12 - alt. 344 m - Crossroads towards the D17
  15. 14 : km 14.87 - alt. 371 m - Turn left at the crossroads
  16. 15 : km 15.46 - alt. 348 m - Take Rue de la Chapelle then turn right
  17. S/E : km 15.91 - alt. 317 m - Parking near the Café "la Couronne"

Notes

There are numerous water sources along the route, so be sure to bring sturdy shoes and a water bottle + filter.
The hike is easy but relatively long, so bringing a snack may be a good idea, as there are many places that are perfect for this.

Worth a visit

Table + benches
(6) Bench
(9) Shelter + Fire pit
(10) Table + benches, view of the Jura
(15) Upon entering the village, superb view of the Vosges

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5
Based on 11 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.1 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.2 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
randoviso17
randoviso17

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Route as described. Best done when there are leaves on the trees.
Please note that the end of the route has been changed: at point 12, do not continue to 13, 14 and 15, but return to 2 and then 1 to go back to the village.

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Daniel V
Daniel V

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 12, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A small suggestion regarding the description in point 5. Add the phrase "follow in his footsteps" to the description "then return to the crossroads". Point 11 is not very easy to understand. We had to use the map on our phone to find our way, otherwise we would have had difficulty locating it.
Apart from that, it's a very pleasant walk in very hot weather, as was the case this Sunday. The shade of the trees is welcome all along the route.

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ramay
ramay

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Walk through woods and ponds in the Sundgau region, starting from Hirtzbach:

The concept of a "crossroads" is unclear in situ and can be confusing.
The end of the route was almost impassable, as the path through the woods is no longer maintained: not recommended.

A beautiful walk with rich scenery. A picturesque pond with water lilies.

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DOPPLER Bernard
DOPPLER Bernard

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The route is very well marked, except for the last stretch through the forest before arriving at the village of HIRTZBACH:the path is IMPOSSIBLE to follow because there are MANY FELLED TREES blocking the way.
However, thanks to your app, which ensures that hikers never get lost, we were able to guide ourselves through the forest and find the right path by going to the left of the one indicated on the map in order to rejoin the route a little further up.
In general, we would like to take this opportunity to CONGRATULATE the creators of the VISORANDO website and their partners; a website that does good, in every sense of the word!

Have a great day, everyone!

Bernard

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niederrando
niederrando

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike around the ponds. We had a wonderful day spent in the woods and along the well-maintained ponds.
One small downside, however, regarding the route: at point 14, we had to return to point 13 (fallen trees blocking the path, too dangerous) and reach Hirtzbach via the marked trail.
We met very few people as we were hiking during the week.
Thank you for this beautiful route.

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humbert68
humbert68

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk through the forest.
However, between 8 and 9, after passing the power line, I retraced my steps several times at a crossroads where the sign says to keep going straight ahead. A bit confusing. There was no one to ask. In fact, I think you have to leave the main path that leads to Friesen, but where? So I made a mistake and used my GPS to guide me along a different route.
Further on, finding the path at point 11 was no problem; it's right on a bend and quite visible.
At point 13, after crossing the road, I climbed to the top and crossed the meadow, but couldn't find the marked path leading to Hirtzbach. Further down, I found a rough path that also leads to the village.
Otherwise, I really enjoyed this hike.

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Fransylou
Fransylou
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 12, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Pleasant trail but very muddy and with large ruts in places
It was indeed difficult to find the path at point 11. There were no longer any tree trunks across the path, but we confused the ponds. The map format of the route gave the impression that we were in front of Michelsweiher, when in fact we were in front of Probsweiher. The GPS also saved us.

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Papinouxe
Papinouxe
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

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

A little caution is required for this hike... Fortunately, with a GPS we were able to stay on the route. At level 11, we couldn't find the path, so we stayed on the forest road and reached the path near the three ponds. (Gemeindeweiher). After crossing the road (point 13), don't hesitate to cross a field to reach the path in the woods. There are some beautiful ponds lined with wild irises and water lilies. It's an easy hike, except for the distance. It's a shame that the path was quite muddy due to logging. Beware of mosquitoes.

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malou68
malou68
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A lovely walk around the ponds and a very pleasant afternoon spent in the undergrowth.
One small downside, however, regarding the route: at point 11, despite my GPS watch, I had a lot of trouble finding the passage hidden by tree trunks.
Thank you for sharing this hike, which is definitely worth repeating.

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Christophe266
Christophe266
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 21, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Short walk this morning at 11:30am, finishing around 3:30pm with the dog
I HIGHLY recommend it. I had a great time!
It matches the description very well, and the explanations are clear and fairly accurate overall.

However, BE CAREFUL at point 11. The path, hidden behind fallen tree trunks, is very difficult to spot.
I advise you to take out your smartphone, geolocate yourself and look carefully at the map. To be honest, I obviously got lost at this point because, in my arrogance, I only skimmed through the directions.

PS: It should be noted that, after talking to locals, the walk can easily be shortened if necessary at many points.

PS2: The path will take you to the cross of Saint Michel, planted in the middle of the forest, with a charming little story of ghost villages, wars and revenge.

Thank you for sharing this hike, I had a great time and will definitely do it again. It was a pleasure!

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denisfischer59
denisfischer59
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 20, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Problem at point 11. The path on the left is difficult to see.

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