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Park in the car park on the right bank, at the end of Rue du Pont, on either side of the bridge over the Thur at Bitschwiller-lès-Thann.
(S/E) Cross the bridge and head upstream along the Thur, taking Rue de la Carrière on the left. Walk past the Société des Arboriculteurs building. Head towards the pumping station facilities.
(1) Leave Rue de la Carrière and take the path on the right, marked with a Yellow Triangle. Follow the Chemin du Wickenbaechle. After a long uphill walk, you will reach a junction of several paths. Continue straight ahead onto the path marked with a Green Ring. You will soon come to a track. Take it to the right and follow the Blue Ring markings to quickly reach the Ferme Auberge d'Ostein.
(2) Walk past it, then, at the next bend in the main path to the left, take the path on the right marked with a Red Triangle, Yellow Ring, and Red and White Rectangle. After reaching the forest road, take the marked path on the right that goes uphill, then immediately take the path on the right with the sign ‘Triade’ on a wooden board. Continue left onto a second path signposted by a wooden sign. You will reach the Abri de la Triade. Take the grassy path to rejoin the previously marked path, which you should follow uphill to the right. You will reach a new junction.
(3) Turn right and follow the Yellow Ring and Red Rectangle and White Rectangle markings to reach,
after several hairpin bends, at the foot of the Rocher d’Ostein. Continue on to reach the Camp Turenne junction;
(4) Take the path opposite heading north-east, marked with a Red Rectangle; this is theGR®5. Continue uphill to reach the Molkenrain Friends of Nature refuge.
(5) Climb up to the left until you reach the fence on the scree slope. Follow it to reach the summit of Molkenrain.
(6) Turn left and begin the descent through the forest on the well-trodden but unmarked path, heading south-west to reach Camp Turenne.
(4) Take thefirst path, immediately to the right of the Camp Turenne monument, marked with a Red Rectangle; this is theGR® 5 again. You will soon reach the Rocher de Baerenthal, then the Abri du Becherkopf.
(7) Continue to the right, still on theGR®, to reach Camp des Pyramides.
(8) Continue straight ahead down the slope, skirting the Erzenbachkopf to reach a crossroads of paths at forest plot no. 14.
(9) Leave theGR®5here and take the path on the right, marked with a Red Cross and Green Ring, towards Roche Albert and Bitschwiller, then follow the ridge through the forest.
(10) Viewpoint at Roche Albert, then turn immediately left and head downhill.
(11) At the junction with the forest track, turn right and follow the forest track.
(12) At the junction of forest paths, turn left towards Bitschwiller, which continues along Rue des Vignes de Bitschwiller and leads directly to the bridge over the Thur and the car park (S/E).
I climbed up to the castle via a small staircase and a path in very poor condition; it was a tough climb, so I think it’s better to go up via the town. The views are magnificent; there’s an icy wind at the top. As the forests aren’t dense at this time of year, I was always in the sun with lovely views over the Ballon d’Alsace. Once at the top, the GPX route doesn’t lead to the summit of the Molkenrein, which is further to the left; there’s actually a sign there 
. I saw lots of chamois – it was brilliant.
Visorando Member
Moderate 
