From Schaeferhof to Hohwalschplatz via Eckfelsen and Enteneck

To reach the start point in Neustadtmühle, at the foot of Schaeferhof, at the crossroads on the corner of the “Restaurant du Château”, head towards the Stampf Pond. After 400 m, keep to the left (do not go up towards the forest house). The football pitch is about 500 m further on.

(S/E) Start walking due south. 100 m further on, head diagonally uphill to the right, following the Yellow Cross signposting. The climb, used by forestry tractors, is quite steep and quite long. This is the main difficulty of the hike.

(1) Once you reach the Traubachthal Forest Road (a wide, carriageable track), turn left and continue uphill, then after 200 m take a sharp right-hand bend (elevation 417 m). You are now on the Schanzkopf Forest Road (a wide, vehicle-accessible track), still following the Yellow Cross route, which you continue along until the crossroads at the entrance to Harreberg.

(2) Turn left, heading due south, onto the route marked with a Red Rectangle crossed out in white. 150 m further on, turn left, following the same markings. From here on, the gradient is very gentle, or even non-existent. The pleasant path joins a track leading south to the Hengstbourg Cross.

(3) At this point, turn right, following the Red Ring markings, and continue climbing gently; after 1.2 km, you will reach the Croix du Beimbach.

(4) Continue following the Red Ring markings, passing the Red Rectangle with a white bar further on by turning right. You will then reach the Gallo-Roman cemetery.

(5) A few metres further on, on the left, is a well-equipped shelter for walkers offering a fine view of the mountains.

(6) Follow the red-and-white-barred Red Rectangle markings along the track.

(7) After about 300 m, leave the track and head diagonally to the left, almost parallel to the track; the path makes a very wide circular loop before gently heading eastwards to reach the approach to the Eckfelsen. A return trip is well worth it to enjoy a superb view of the Saint-Léon Chapel, which overlooks the Rocher de Dabo.

(8) The Red Rectangle and White Rectangle signposting heads off towards the south-west and leads further on to the highest point of the hike, the Hohwalsch climbing rock, from where there is a fine view of Hohwalschplatz, which you reach by descending the path that winds east of the rock.

(9) From Hohwalschplatz, take the path heading due east, running parallel to the road. It is not signposted but is clearly marked. It winds its way down a gentle slope and joins a track.

(10) Then head up to the left, due north.

(11) After a left-hand bend and before the next left-hand bend, leave the track to the right, heading north up a wide grassy path. After about a hundred metres on this path, you’ll come to another path at a right angle; ignore this and continue straight on for about 50 metres. You’ll then reach the Blue Cross marked path.

(12) Follow it down to the right until you reach a wide track.

(13) Leave the Blue Cross markings and head north-east along the track. From here, you look down over the Zorn Jaune.

(14) Ignore the Yellow Disc trail and continue along the track. This continues to zigzag for some distance, following the contour lines to join the tarmac road to Beimbach and, at the same time, the Red Rectangle with a white bar markings.

(15) Head down the road to the right, drawing closer to the Yellow Zorn trail, until you reach Enteneck.

(16) Cross the bridge opposite, then turn left to follow the path marked with a Yellow Triangle towards Neustadtmühle. The path follows the Zorn northwards, passing Kleinmühle, a ruined mill. Less than a kilometre further on, you’ll come across the path marked with a Red Disc. Don’t hesitate to turn left onto it for a round trip to the Rocher de la Paye.

(17) On the way back, rejoin the path heading north.

(18) Further on, you’ll spot one last point of interest on the right: a memorial stone bearing the name Wolter. When you see the fishing pond and the football pitch on the left, turn left onto the path marked with a Yellow Cross, which takes you back to the car park where you started, crossing a small bridge over the Zorn (S/E).

(3) Hengstburg Cross: a table and benches where you can take a break.

(6) Shelter for walkers.

(9) Hohwalschplatz: shelter and plenty of tables and benches.

- The Hengstbourg Cross (3). An inscription in German states that “Whoever recites five Our Fathers and five Hail Marys before this cross receives an indulgence of 40 days”. It is said that a cobbler named Jean-Baptiste, aged around thirty, died there whilst lighting a fire. Suffering from epilepsy, he is said to have fallen into the fire during a seizure.

- The Beimbach Cross (4). It dates from 1815. It bears an inscription in German stating that “This wayside cross was erected to the glory of God by François-Joseph Rem and Marguerite Kimenau of Beimbach – 1815”. It is said to have been erected following the sudden death, due to a pulmonary embolism, of a member of the Remen family who was mowing grass in nearby meadows.

- The Gallo-Roman cemetery (5). Surrounded by a wall, it contains around thirty gravestones that form a proper cemetery and prove the presence of the Gallo-Romans on the heights of Walscheid. On site, an information panel provides details on the composition of the funerary monuments.

- The Rocher du Hohwalsch is a large-scale sandstone climbing site located in Walscheid. It features 35 routes ranging from A0 to 7a.

- The Rocher de la Paie is the spot where the master woodcutter would meet his workers to assign tasks and pay them. An information panel is situated near the table in the cave as you climb the stairs.