Chaume des Veaux from Kreuzweg pass

Beautiful snowshoe trek beneath the Champ du Feu from the Col du Kreuzweg. Pass through the Pelage site, a paragliding centre offering a superb view, then through the Chaume des Beaux, a beautiful open space in which to enjoy the sun.
Some "off-track" sections for the sake of fun in the snow but with the option to stay on the marked trails for those who want it.

Technical sheet

197172
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Snowshoeing
    Activity: Snowshoeing
  • ↔
    Distance: 4.96 km
  • ◔
    Duration according to author: 2.5 hrs 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 271 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 263 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 979 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 776 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Warning : There are some differences between the IGN map and the reality of trails on the ground...

Starting at the Col du Kreuzweg (D425), park near the road in front of the Villa Mathis.

(S/F) Head down the access road to the car park and go back to Villa Mathis. On the left of the road is a forest house.

Take the left path marked with Yellow horizontal crosses and Yellow circles to find your way round the forestry house from the above and, immediately after the house, follow the path right.
“N.B. On IGN maps, this path is drawn straight, but instead, turn right following the signs indicated by the Yellow horizontal crosses and circles.”

After 200 metres, do not miss the fork (1) where you have to take a sharp left (very visible markings). Continue this straight along this road into a steady climb.

Arrive at a Y-junction (not shown in this location on the IGN map) where the Yellow markings separate. Take the path on the right (Yellow horizontal crosses) which continues to rise and pass the right-hand path (Yellow circles) downhill.

Continue and cross a wide forest road. Continue uphill ahead following the signs for the paragliding site (look for “parapente”) to arrive at a place called Pelage (2), a large open area with a steep slope which is the paragliding take-off site. Enjoy the beautiful panorama.

Leave the path and turn right to climb off-road to the summit of Pelage (978 m). At the top, find the paragliding sign (signposted from Chaume des Veaux) and head in the opposite direction to that indicated. Take the path to the right for a few metres and then take a wide path to the left down a slope to the north-west.

Down this path, arrive opposite the Chaume des Veaux. Cut through the meadow to the left of the pond (in safety as the pond is fenced) to reach the houses opposite.

At the first houses, continue on the path marked with blue triangles uphill (reaching a "grand tour 24 km” cross-country ski track). Pass the Auberge du Hochfeld (closed) and continue slightly to the left (still along the blue triangle-marked route).

(3) Near the forest, turn right and cut through the meadow above the last house to reach across the blue horizontal cross-marked trail that descends to the road.

(4) Avoid the road by taking a flat path to the left. At a junction of several trails, turn into the first road on the right, which goes steeply down to lead the forest road to Hochfeld. Turn right for a few metres to reach the road coming from the Col du Kreuzweg.

(5) Follow this road up for around 150 m. After a slight right turn, take a forest road (not shown in the IGN map) slightly to the left, downhill. This path crosses the Blue horizontal cross-marked trail a little further down, then continue downhill ahead to a hairpin bend in the road that goes down to the car park.

Leave it and take the wide path that rises slightly to the right. In a tight hairpin, leave the road and go straight into the forest. Head down more or less in parallel with the main road to find the path that joins the bifurcation a little further on (1).

Quickly reach the starting point at the Col de Kreuzweg (S/F).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 776 m - Parking at - Buchbuckel
  2. 1 : km 0.17 - alt. 797 m - Bifurcation
  3. 2 : km 1.15 - alt. 920 m - Le Pelage (paragliding)
  4. 3 : km 2.5 - alt. 979 m - At the edge of the forest, turn right into the meadow
  5. 4 : km 2.85 - alt. 944 m - Chaume des Veaux, take the path on the left
  6. 5 : km 3.52 - alt. 886 m - Col de Kreuzweg road
  7. S/E : km 4.96 - alt. 776 m - Parking at Col de Kreuzweg

Practical information

Snow tires are strongly advised to access the starting point!

The circuit can be clearly found in other seasons, as a more classic hike on foot. In this case, refer to the variants described and add a further 1.5 to 2 hours to the route.

This hike includes some sections that are off the beaten path, taking into account the fact that the fun of snow-shoeing is to gallivant about in the fresh snow powder and not stick to the well-trodden route all the time.

Possible alternatives:

(2) From Le Pelage: if you prefer to stay on marked trails and not climb off-piste, there is the opportunity to continue here on the Yellow horizontal cross-marked trail and then further along the path to the right along the Green cross-marked path.

Near the forest, heading down from Pelage: instead of going into the field, you can turn left onto the wide path with Blue cross markings. At the first junction, find the Green cross markings coming from the left from Pelage and continue straight ahead. At the second junction, turn right and follow the blue triangle markings.

(3) Go straight on the Blue triangle-marked path, which will cross below the Blue horizontal cross-marked path and then take a right.

In the nearby area

From point (2) there are superb view over the Villé Valley, the entire chain of the Black Forest in Germany and, on clear days, the Swiss Alps.

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5
Based on 13 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.1 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.2 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
HibouGris
HibouGris

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Dec 25, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A very nice circuit on Boxing Day with ideal conditions: snow and blue skies!
The route started at 10 am, so it was less busy at that time of day.
We enjoyed the views over the Alsace plain and the beautiful scenery.
We also made a return trip to the Champ du Feu (1 hour more) between points 3 and 4.
It's advisable to have a GPS track.
The descent to point 5 is quite steep.
All in all, it was a very nice hike for us, and to celebrate we ended up with a snack at the auberge "La tête en l'air" on the way back by car.

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philunger
philunger
• Last modified:

Nice snowshoe hike, but between points 4 and 5 it's better to turn right earlier, otherwise you'll come to a steep descent on the road, in which case it's better to take off your snowshoes.

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LETORT
LETORT

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 04, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Busy trail : Yes

Hello,

The path in the woods after the farmhouse inn is not interesting, nothing to see and dark.

Kind regards

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JeffT67
JeffT67

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Jan 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

Hello,
Thank you for this route, which gave us a very nice snowshoe hike.
The landscape around the paraglider runway offers a beautiful view of the Villé valley.
The calf thatch is superb with its blanket of snow.
There were a lot of people, but that's certainly due to the period of confinement that forces everyone to stay close to home.
On the section after the stubble fields, we had some difficulty finding the same route. But we found our way without any problems.
Thanks again for this suggested route.
JeffT67

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grosmollets
grosmollets

There are other nice circuits, but it's complicated to describe for publication, with the snow, the landmarks are different.

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Icidango
Icidango

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jan 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

lovely route, snowshoes on your feet. the only downside, if there is one, is that arriving at point 5 on the road was a bit steep, but made for a nice slide on your buttocks. and it's a shame there aren't more snowshoe walks in this part of the vosges. thanks

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grosmollets
grosmollets

I'm delighted to have introduced you to this lovely part of the world It's true that with the almost summery temperatures of the last few days, the snow has diminished considerably...

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vtx
vtx

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 21, 2019
Reliability of the description : N/A
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

hike done yesterday, 21/02/2019.
I had taken my snowshoes but only needed them a little around points 3 and 5 (I avoided point 4).
This does not mean that there is no snow and you still need suitable boots.
There are more paths than shown on the map.
I started late, at 4pm, and given the uselessness of snowshoes, I sometimes preferred the path to the azimuth, especially from point 3.
As someone who lives 500km away, I appreciate this kind of erando, which can be completed quickly after a business meeting in this beautiful region.
Thank you to the editor of the hike.
Thanks to the managers of Visorando.

PS Having the IGN map on your smartphone is great, I would never have had the time to go out and buy one.

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henri57
henri57 ★

Hello,

Thank you for taking the time to give us your opinion.

Reliability of the description: Average


Is the description to blame? Or is it a lack of experience in reading and following a description, or perhaps in reading a map or linking map and terrain?

If so, please let us know how we can improve it.

Reliability of map tracking: Average

Plotting on the map" means assessing the conformity of the route as it appears on the map with the reality on the ground.

Did the route cause any problems?
Did you follow the route with a GPS or GPS application?
Did you deviate from the route?

A+

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Teteguy
Teteguy

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 17, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Beautiful views.
A bit complicated without gps.

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Ducatimanala
Ducatimanala

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Jan 11, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Done this Saturday on snowshoes. Superb course. Not many people on the route, which was very pleasant. Several passages with fresh virgin snow! GPS required.

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Metzgerhof
Metzgerhof

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jan 01, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Walk from the Friends of Nature chalet at La Chaume des Veaux. Perfect for a snow-free winter afternoon!

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amifilm
amifilm

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 17, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Thanks to the Visrando team, it's very nice to offer us ready-made hikes,
very cordially
Serge

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backwoods
backwoods

Hello grosmollets,
"Contrary to your comment, the route described does not pass over the Col de la Charbonnière or the Champ du Feu".
This sentence is the end of your comment and you're absolutely right. In fact I made a mistake in the right place for my comment, which should have been the route "La boucle du Col de la Charbonnière". That's exactly the hike we did yesterday. Sorry about that!

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grosmollets
grosmollets

Hello Backwoods, I'm sorry you're disappointed!
This walk was originally planned as a snowshoe hike, so in principle it would have taken place at a time when there were no motorbikes around!
Unfortunately, in the first fine days of spring, it's hard to escape the motorbikes that come to let off steam on the Vosges roads... If you're looking for absolute peace and quiet, it's up to you to study the map carefully at the start to avoid the proximity of roads
Contrary to your comment, the route described does not go past the Col de la Charbonnière or the Champ du Feu...

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