Between Le Homberg and the Bruchberg, in the heart of the Bas-Sundgau hills

This route is best undertaken in dry weather (as some sections may be muddy or slippery).
The route starts from Kœtzingue Town Hall, Rue Principale (D21).
Parking is available in the town hall car park opposite No. 26 Rue Principale.

(S/E) With your back to the town hall, cross Rue Principale with care and turn right. At^{the first} junction, turn left onto Rue de la Liberté. After a few dozen metres, turn right onto the Sentier du Tiefend, which runs between enclosures and rejoins Rue Principale.
Head up the street to the left. After the bend to the right, carry on to the^first junction opposite a cross. Turn left onto Rue du Ried, heading due north, until you reach the junction with Rue des Pâturages.

(1) Keep to the right heading north-east and follow the Blue Triangle signposts. At the wayside cross, after the last houses, continue along a track between the fields. At the bend, keep to the right towards a crossroads marked by a cross, opposite which stands a remarkable willow tree.

(2) Leave the signposted route and continue uphill to the left towards the forest, where the path joins the Discovery Trail (a variant of the^GR®532).

(3) There are two options:

1) The easiest option is via the^GR®532to the right; about 500 metres further on, on the left, you’ll find the access to the Sentier des deux Chênes. It joins the junction near a bench at point (4).

2) The shortest option, as shown on the map, is via the path opposite, which climbs the embankment and, after about a hundred metres, joins a wide forest track. Like the other option, this leads to the junction near a bench on the right.

(4) With your back to the bench, take the path. After a few metres, the^first sign introduces ‘the charm’. Then head down towards a right-hand bend where the ‘goblin’ welcomes you.

(5) Keep to the left. Next come some beautiful sculptures of forest animals, and information boards such as the one for the pedunculate oak (near the wild boar) and, further on, the magnificent American red oak (near a bench).
When you reach the “Black locust” sign, leave the forest and continue along a grassy path. After a left-hand bend, carry on along the edge of the woodland for a few dozen metres.

(6) Enter the forest again. The path, which is sometimes damp, passes close to a spring on your left before turning eastwards and joining the Discovery Trail (^GR®532, marked with Yellow Rectangles and White Rectangles).

(7) Take the^GR® to the left for a gentle descent towards the entrance to Schlierbach. At the junction with Rue de Geispitzen (^GR®531, marked with a Blue Rectangle and a White Rectangle), note the gardens on your right, then turn left into the village. Continue to the bottom of the street, to the junction with Rue du Ruisseau.

(8) Turn right. At the next junction, look to your left at the beautiful fountain (1894) and carry on straight ahead (you are on the Sentier des Croix). At the junction (cross), turn right towards a playground near a junction opposite a large cross.

(9) Turn left onto the path that starts right next to the playground. It runs alongside a ditch and fields until it reaches the cycle path and a picnic area. Turn right towards the next junction and another cross.

(10) Carry on to the right along “Baseler Weg”, keeping to the right at the edge of the path to reach the Chapel of Our Lady of the Valley of Tears. Carry on straight ahead, pass a path on the left and, at the next one, turn left uphill. Just after the^first junction, you’ll reach the entrance to a sunken path. A flight of steps on the right leads to an open shelter with a table and benches, hidden by the trees, where you can have a picnic if you like.

(11) Return to the entrance of the sunken path and head uphill to join the ridge path. Cross it and head downhill opposite; at the bottom, turn right onto a wide path. After about 200 m, walk alongside a few trees on the left and head straight up to the left, along the edge of the woodland. Continue between two fields; there’s a lovely view to the left of the summit of the Blauen (1,165 m) in the Black Forest. Once at the bottom, head right along the ditch to the wide path (GR®531) near two ponds.

(12) Pass to the right between the ponds and, at the next junction in a clump of trees, turn left. Climb to the top of this path (view of the Jura to the left) and, at the^first junction, turn right towards a water collection point and a shelter with benches and a viewpoint over the Black Forest.

(13) Retrace your steps to rejoin the path on the right and, passing under the high-voltage power lines, follow the nature trail (^GR®532, with a information board and benches on the right-hand side).

(14) Turn left and, after 500 m, you’ll come to the access point (listed as optional) for the Sentier des deux chênes. Carry on straight ahead and rejoin the other access path you used on the way there.

(3) Carry on straight towards the Homberg through a beautiful forest. Further on, at the crossroads of four paths (metal barrier on the left-hand side), carry on straight ahead. Shortly afterwards, at the edge of the forest, enjoy the view of the Jura mountains to the left. Just before a vineyard, look out for a sandstone marker with an engraved coat of arms. At the end of the path, head down to the left, leaving the^{GR® trail}, and continue straight south until you find the entrance to the Mare Pédagogique trail on your right (see Practical Information)

(15) This is a lovely circular route via the Sentier du Sanglier, followed by the Sentier de la Mare des Têtards. Then head back due south along a long sunken lane, continuing via Rue du Homberg and then Rue de la Liberté, until you reach the village town hall (S/E).

(4) Sculptures by Serge Dall’Asen, a woodcarver from Schlierbach.

(9) A cross erected in 1893, now standing at the junction of Rue de Bâle and Rue du Saule.

(10) A cross dating from 1869 at the junction of the cycle path and Rue de Bâle.

Numerous other crosses, statues and religious buildings can be found all along the Sentier des Croix.
The Chapel of Our Lady of the Valley of Tears (formerly Our Lady in the Woods).

(15) The educational pond presented by the municipality of Kœtzingue.

The municipality of Schlierbach offers discovery booklets designed for children:
- the trees along the Sentier des Deux Chênes;
- the small creatures of the Sentier des Deux Chênes.

Saint-Léger’s Church in Schlierbach with the Virgin of the Valley of Tears.

Walking and hiking trails in and around Schlierbach.