The Altschossfelsen or "old castle rocks" of Eppenbrunn

Colorado du Bitcherland for some. This is a pink sandstone formation 1.5 km long, 35 m high and with four "towers" towering over visitors. No remains of the castle exist, but the unusual shapes, rocky overhangs and colours that change with the light of day enhance this rock formation. Trail marked with the German "Premiumweg" label.

Details

1829036
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.79 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 224 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 224 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 381 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 275 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Parking at Neudorfstrabe, on your left just after the bridge over the Eppenbrunner Bach.

(S/E) Head away from the road and follow the river on your left. Cross the footbridge and continue immediately to the right.

Signposting Red rocks on a green background and blue path

At the crossroads, continue straight ahead. The path then turns left. Take the stairs between two buildings and turn right at the top.

(1) Take thefirst road on the right, then the first on the left.

(2) Leave the road and take the path on your left after passing a clinic. Follow the pond for 700 metres.

(3) After the information signs, go up the path on the right. At the forest path, turn right, then at the multiple crossroads with a building, take the path on the left. At the fork, turn right. A path will come back up on your right; continue straight ahead.

(4) At the bend, go straight ahead for a round trip to the viewpoint with a table and chair made from a tree stump.

(4) On your return, descend to the right. Pass Hollerfelsen.

(5) At the crossroads, go straight ahead. Ignore a path on your right and, further on, another path on your right. Continue downhill, passing some rocks. Keep going downhill. At the two large isolated rocks in the middle of the trees, turn left. Do not continue on the wide path in front of you, but head towards the picnic tables on your left.

(6) With your back to the picnic tables, go straight ahead on the path to the left of the information boards. At the next crossroads, turn right and climb up to the Altschossfelsen. Explore, visit, climb up to the plateau for a view of the canopy. Descend the path at the foot of the rocks and continue until you reach the French-German border.

(7) Turn right just before the border marker and follow a balcony path. Follow the border, ignoring the paths on the left and right, until you reach a crossroads with a group of border markers.

(8) Continue straight ahead to reach the information panels about Diane's Rock.

The detour to Diane's Rock is not necessary. The photo on the information board is much more detailed than what can still be seen on site. However, if you would like to see for yourself, see the Practical Information section for the route.

(9) Diane's Rock. Turn back.

(8) Follow the information panels on your right, go downhill and turn left. Take the Voie Romaine, where you can still see some cobblestones.

(10) At the hunting observatory, turn left. Cross two footbridges in quick succession, allowing you to keep your feet dry if necessary. The path turns right and climbs up to another path, which you follow to the left. Go down to a crossroads. Turn right and then left. Continue along the wet meadows until you reach the wide forest path that you have been following parallel to.

(11) Turn left and then right. In the bend, turn right. Before the picnic tables, take the path on the right. Cross the footbridge. Admire the sculptures on the pillars of the bridge on your left. All four are different. Continue straight ahead. Follow the path along the Eppenbrunner Bach stream until you reach a hotel car park. Go around the hotel and turn left onto the road. Continue downhill until you reach the car park where you started (S/E)

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 277 m - Neudorfstrabe car park
  2. 1 : km 0.61 - alt. 286 m - Road on the right
  3. 2 : km 0.75 - alt. 284 m - Path on the left after the Klinik
  4. 3 : km 1.36 - alt. 301 m - Path on the right after the information boards
  5. 4 : km 2.81 - alt. 355 m - Path on the right after the viewpoint
  6. 5 : km 3.03 - alt. 335 m - At the crossroads, go straight ahead
  7. 6 : km 4.34 - alt. 341 m - With your back to the picnic tables, continue straight ahead
  8. 7 : km 6.02 - alt. 369 m - Before the boundary marker on the right, take the balcony trail
  9. 8 : km 6.6 - alt. 334 m - Border crossing, Rocher de Diane
  10. 9 : km 6.87 - alt. 369 m - On the left, Rocher de Diane
  11. 10 : km 7.32 - alt. 324 m - Hunting observatory, on the left
  12. 11 : km 9.13 - alt. 304 m - Forest path, left-right
  13. S/E : km 10.79 - alt. 277 m - Neudorfstrabe car park

Notes

Rocher de Diane trail

(8) Yellow cross markings. Go straight ahead, passing the information boards on your left. The path turns right and becomes steep. When the path begins to emerge, at the large rock on your right, turn left. Be careful as the signpost has been torn down. First, you will come to a rock shelter with stones used as polishers (see the marks in the stone). Turn right and, under the overhang protecting the engraving, you will see Diane's Rock. Retrace your steps, turn right and rejoin the narrow path. At the fork, do not follow the yellow cross markings and keep left to return to the information boards.

Table and chair made from a tree stump before (4), bench at Hollerfelsen after (4).

Picnic table at (6) and after (11).

Worth a visit

During

Diane's Rock (optional).
The viewpoint on the heights of the Altschossfelsen rocks.
The 1.5 km of the Altschossfelsen.

Near

The Lourdes Grotto in Eppenbrunn.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 41 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
Meumeu1955
Meumeu1955

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 27, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A bit of a let-down, but worth doing at least once.

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Christelle1488
Christelle1488

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful hike, with ideal weather, neither too hot nor too cold, very shady, so perfect for very hot weather.
No difficulties at all, perfect for children, even young ones.

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Mathilde Maugard
Mathilde Maugard

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice, accessible walk. Not too difficult. Great for children following their parents.

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anstett josiane
anstett josiane

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 01, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

beautiful circuit - well shaded - very little air for picnics

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la petite renarde
la petite renarde

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A little confusion at the car park: you have to come from Bitche, which wasn't the case for us. A good walk to do during the week rather than at the weekend.

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lazzerini
lazzerini

Hello Patrick57220,
can you tell me where the problem of precision starts?
The route is signposted.

Thank you

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Patrick57220
Patrick57220

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 15, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant little hike, despite too many visitors. However, the explanations in the topo at the end of the route are not very precise.

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CarolineD
CarolineD

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The walk takes place mainly in the forest, so there's plenty of shade, as the weather was fine and especially hot on this day.
The route is well signposted.
The rock is as impressive as ever.

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gerard stk
gerard stk

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very fine route with no difficulties.
Very popular

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wsayer88
wsayer88
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 13, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very nice Franco-German hike, with beautiful scenery and a view of the village of EPPENBRUNN. This hike takes us to the Altschlossfelsen, a rocky outcrop of Bunter sandstone in Germany's Palatinate Forest, close to the border with France. The 1,500-metre-long rock face is located on a hill known as Brechenberg near Eppenbrunn, at an altitude of 406 m. I highly recommend this hike.

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malou68
malou68

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I did this tour in very gloomy weather, so I didn't take advantage of the beauty of the place, which was a bit of a shame!
I'll certainly do it again one day when the weather is fine.

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Sandrine68@
Sandrine68@

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Circuit at the top, right gps.

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stanlec
stanlec
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 03, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

In fact, it's better to do the circuit in the opposite direction, as it's more spectacular... That's the direction recommended by the signs and brochures in the car park.
As for the signposting, they must have changed it: large green and red "Altschossfelsen" markings visible in all directions.
The route is superb. Please note that the beer garden at the finish is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays (a big disappointment).

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J-L Renard
J-L Renard

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Fine weather that day. Rochers de l' Alschlossfelsen: a sight worth seeing. I did this walk on Ascension Thursday, so there were a lot of walkers on the route 'Rochers - Eppenbrunn' and 'Rochers - Roppeviller (F)'.

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virgule
virgule

To do one day

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