From Masevaux to Rossberg

This beautiful hike takes you from Masevaux to the summit of Rossberg at an altitude of 1,191 metres. From the top, you can enjoy magnificent views of the Vosges, the Alsace plain, the Black Forest, the Jura and the Alps. The elevation gain is significant, but the route is otherwise easy.

Details

n°1969

Creation:
07 Dec 2011

Last update:
23 Jun 2023

Last review:
31 Mar 2025

Activity: Walking
Distance: 9.96 mi
Average duration: 7h 05
Difficulty: Difficult
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 2,874 ft
Descent: - 2,874 ft
Highest point: 3,907 ft
Lowest point: 1,335 ft

Country: France
Areas: Vosges mountains, Vallée de la Doller / Masevaux
City: Masevaux (68290)
Start/End: N 47.776189° / E 7.000252°
Accessible from the train station Gare de MASEVAUX CAFE SPORTS.
IGN map(s): Ref. 3619OT, 3619OTR, 3620ET
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Photos

Return to the trail leading to Masevaux.

Description of the walk

When you arrive in Masevaux, turn right at the traffic lights, then right again 150 metres further on. There is space to park on Route Joffre.

(S) Start the hike by taking Boulevard du Chemin de Fer. The route is already marked with red circles with holes in them.

(1) At the end, turn right. The paved road quickly ends and turns into a forest path. You are now at the bottom of a gently sloping valley. As the path crosses the Willerbach, take the trail on the right, which offers a shortcut (red circles with holes).

(2) You will rejoin the forest path 200 m further on.
Continue until you reach a footbridge on your left.

(3) You should then see some yellow rectangles. Cross the footbridge. The path then climbs more steeply in tight hairpin bends. Cross a forest path once, which you will rejoin a little further up.

(4) Take it uphill to the right.
A few hundred metres further on, follow the yellow rectangles again.

(5) Turn left.
The trail first passes under the Falkenstein, then the Hirtzenstein. Between the two, turn left to reach a viewpoint 150 metres further on. Then retrace your steps and look for the yellow rectangles. You will soon arrive at Sattelboden at an altitude of 913 metres.

(6) This is a pass where several paths meet.
Continue climbing, still following the yellow rectangles.

(7) After the Sattelhutte, turn right (red and white rectangles). You will then reach the Rossberg hut. Follow the fence to its summit at an altitude of 1,192 metres.

(8). You are now at the highest point of the hike. Enjoy the view!

Descend by following the other fence and return to the path marked with a red and white rectangle. In winter, there may be large accumulations of snow on this part of the route. A little further on, you will pass the Corbeau rock.

(9) Join a forest path. Follow it for about a kilometre and descend to the right (still following the red and white rectangle).

(10) You will then reach the bottom of Houppach and follow a short stretch of road to your starting point (E).

Waypoints

S/E : mi 0 - alt. 1,335 ft - Parking on Route Joffre
1 : mi 0.43 - alt. 1,371 ft - At the end, turn right.
2 : mi 0.97 - alt. 1,450 ft - Shortcut on the right, near the - Source de la Doller
3 : mi 1.57 - alt. 1,627 ft - Continue to a footbridge on your left.
4 : mi 2.37 - alt. 2,346 ft - Going uphill, on the right
5 : mi 2.77 - alt. 2,579 ft - Turn left
6 : mi 3.95 - alt. 2,995 ft - Abri de Sattelboden
7 : mi 4.76 - alt. 3,514 ft - After the Sattelhutte, turn right. - Abri de Sattelboden ou Sattelhütte
8 : mi 5.27 - alt. 3,907 ft - Rossberg
9 : mi 6.76 - alt. 3,064 ft - Rocher du Corbeau
10 : mi 8.06 - alt. 2,487 ft - Descend to the right.
S/E : mi 9.96 - alt. 1,335 ft - Parking

Notes

The main difficulty of the hike lies in the fairly significant elevation gain of around 1,000 metres. The slope is quite steep in places.
So make sure you wear suitable footwear and take provisions and water with you.
You can take shelter in a hut at Sattelboden. Finally, there are several mountain huts and farmhouse inns around Rossberg and Thanner Hubel.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5

Based on 15 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5

Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5

Route interest
4.5 / 5

FANFAN LA TULIPE

31 Mar 2025 at 09:08 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike, no problem following the signs.

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gege1946

17 Aug 2023 at 10:31 7200

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

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

No problems going uphill. Going downhill, we went off the track twice. Probably due to carelessness, but the confusion was caused by unclear markings at these critical points. Still, it was a lovely ride.

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gege1946

14 Aug 2023 at 13:34 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

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

A somewhat physically demanding circuit, especially in its final section to reach Rosberg. The easy descent hides a few traps that must be avoided with caution (after the corbeau's ratchet).

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Paola D'Alessandro

23 Jun 2023 at 09:20 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike that will take your breath away! The landscapes are fantastic!
It's impossible to get lost, as the route is very well explained.
However, according to the Strava app, we were around 20 km for D+1000.

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Maceya68

12 Sep 2022 at 10:42 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice route, a bit too much tarmac at the start, in my opinion.

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Marco314

29 Aug 2022 at 11:11 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 09, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice hike. I encountered about ten chamois near the Sattel farm. I took the opportunity to pass by Vogelstein and the Gsang farm.

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abbamoin68

31 Jul 2020 at 16:57 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 27, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful route along lovely trails on the way there, slightly less interesting on the way back. Beautiful view of the Rossberg moors, with a glimpse of the Alps in the distance. Shady route. We didn't know this circuit, having already been to Rossberg several times via Thanner Hubel. Recommended circuit, less crowded.

We made a detour to the Gsang farm for a coffee and dessert. Disappointing welcome, no desserts and no meals served after 1pm. Hikers who arrived at 1.30pm were surprised... The waitress wasn't wearing a mask. A shame for our reputation!

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kaola123

20 Jul 2020 at 08:36 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 20, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk through forests and stubble fields. Quite a steep climb at the start, but the numerous switchbacks make it easy going.
Once at the top, we took a detour to the Hsang farm, where there was a lively atmosphere with a band and a meal under a marquee.
Then return via a gradual descent along paths. The road at the end is a bit tricky as there is a lot of traffic and little room for walkers. Worth doing again.

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dgaignon

11 Sep 2017 at 06:08 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 07, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very beautiful hike. Great view from the top of Rossberg, surrounded by cows....
Thanks to the author of the route for the detailed description.

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ultimate

31 Jul 2017 at 16:19 7200

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 26, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Interesting hike, but too much of the route is in the forest.

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maes5053

25 Apr 2017 at 08:28 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 24, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

It's a beautiful ride with a gradual start, a bit flat then a steady climb up to Rossberg.
After that, it's just a steady descent to Masevaux.
The estimated time is quite generous (it took me 4 hours and 20 minutes with a break) but is well suited to an average walker for a leisurely hike.
JP Drohmann

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sincart

30 Jun 2016 at 18:34 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 30, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful route, completed without difficulty thanks to the directions. I did it in 4.5 hours, admittedly at a brisk pace. Well done and thank you.

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Kindbeiter

20 Jun 2015 at 19:13 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 17, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Hike chosen to fill a day with a two-hour break for lunch halfway through: Gsang.
We therefore extended the route to reach the farmhouse inn after Vogelstein.
And we lost the trail markers shortly before returning to Masevaux.
Total time: 8 hours
The route was very much enjoyed by the participants.

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Dimo1086

10 Apr 2014 at 06:51 7200 • Edited: 10 Apr 2014 at 06:51 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 07, 2014
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

This is the second time I've done this short hike. It climbs steeply right from the start, which is good
Rossberg is a great place with beautiful views and such peace and quiet! The short section on the Gr5 is pleasant and the area is pretty
However, the last part on the forest paths isn't great! That's the only downside to this hike, which I would still recommend.

It took me 4 hours to complete this circuit.

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guadal70

12 Jun 2013 at 16:41 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 08, 2013
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

For our first hike of the year, it was tough going. It was also my first time using the website, and I had forgotten to check the elevation and difficulty, so we really struggled, but what a reward when we reached the various peaks. The route description was sufficient for us, we just got lost at the end and added about an hour to the trip, but I think that was mainly due to fatigue.
Thanks anyway to the author for this beautiful walk.

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