The Potos Route in Saint-Quirin

The idea was to go for a walk with friends after two missed meet-ups due to the rain! So I decided to create a route for the occasion, starting from the place where I grew up.

Details

27295
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 15.52 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 448 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 451 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 481 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 297 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start from the car park in front of the Auberge de la Forêt de Lettenbach.

(S/E) Follow the tourist railway track for a few metres towards the Vieux Château.
Take the path on your right and climb the few steps to follow the “Chemin des bornes”, marked by a Red Disc.

(1) 150 m before reaching the Old Castle, head towards La Croix Guillaume by going down the forest road and following the Yellow Disc.

(2) Once you reach La Croix Guillaume, turn left towards “Les Quatre Chemins” via the archaeological site of La Croix Guillaume.

(3) When you reach Quatre Chemins, take the Belle Roche forest road from the top.

(4) Pass the Col de Lendenstein, then head towards the Grotte des Bacelles.

(5) After the cave, turn left and head towards Saint-Quirin via La Charmille, then make your way to the lake in the village of Saint-Quirin.

(6) The rest of the route follows theGR®5, passing through the Deux Croix crossroads.

(7) At this point, be careful as you need to cross the road (D96) and continue straight ahead on the same path until the fork at La Roche du Bœuf and La Roche des Verreries.
Head towards the Roche des Verreries (you can carry on to the rock; the view is well worth the 5-minute detour.

(8) Just before you reach it, go down the steps and follow the path which will take you to the edge of the D96 hairpin bend.

(9) Turn left towards Abreschviller and then immediately take the path on your right below, which runs alongside the D96. A little further down, you’ll reach a small tarmac road.

(10) Turn right to return to your starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 300 m - Car park - Sarre Rouge (rivière)
  2. 1 : km 2.22 - alt. 440 m - Head towards La Croix Guillaume
  3. 2 : km 3.26 - alt. 469 m - Turn left towards the "quatre chemins"
  4. 3 : km 3.96 - alt. 444 m - Take the Belle Roche forest road
  5. 4 : km 4.59 - alt. 474 m - Col du Lendenstein (477m)
  6. 5 : km 7.01 - alt. 447 m - Turn left and head towards Saint-Quirin
  7. 6 : km 10.01 - alt. 318 m - Lake in the village of Saint-Quirin
  8. 7 : km 11.86 - alt. 420 m - Crossroads of the Two Crosses
  9. 8 : km 14.24 - alt. 400 m - Rroche des Verreries - Viewpoint
  10. 9 : km 15.03 - alt. 335 m - Turn left towards Abreschviller
  11. 10 : km 15.33 - alt. 297 m - Small tarmac road, turn right
  12. S/E : km 15.52 - alt. 299 m - Car park

Notes

There are several benches along the route.
You will find tables and benches for picnicking next to the Gallo-Roman site at La Croix Guillaume, as well as a covered terrace with several tables at the new Club Vosgien chalet on the shores of Lake St Quirin. The Grotte des Bacelles is large enough to shelter a good twenty people. There are no drinking water points along the route, except perhaps at the lakeside campsite during the summer months.

Worth a visit

If you fancy it, you can take the Abreschviller tourist train, which uses an old railway line to carry passengers from the village entrance to the terminus at Grand Soldat, where numerous hiking trails begin.
In Saint-Quirin, there is the Sept Roses trail, which is about fifteen kilometres long and passes by the seven churches or chapels in the area, including a very modern one in Vasperviller.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.1 / 5
Based on 7 reviews

Reliability of the description
4 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.7 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
hicking
hicking

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The various nearby locations are worth a visit

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SARAH+ROSCO+NALA
SARAH+ROSCO+NALA

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

between points 4 and 5, the signposting needs reviewing; the path no longer exists

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Magl_Irma
Magl_Irma

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 15, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant, easy hike with no significant elevation gain.
The description is well written, though the route has changed in places.

(2) Follow the blue triangle markings, not the Yellow Disc
(5) (6) (7): the Red Disc markings no longer exist; follow the Blue Discs from the Col de Lendenstein: the path is more secluded than the forest track and is no more difficult. Arrival in Saint Quirin via the water tower.

Hike completed in 4½ hours, including breaks.

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thaisiris
thaisiris

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

a few "missteps", but the aim was to go for a walk, and the area is simply stunning. We’ll be back there very soon;

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Christecol
Christecol

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : May 09, 2022
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk that I undertook, despite a few issues with an inaccurate GPS track and some old paths that had disappeared or been altered; this didn’t spoil my enjoyment, however. For a short stretch of the route, I was accompanied by a stray dog, which a motorist kindly took in when I was passing through Saint Quirin.

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gazok54
gazok54 ★

Hello everyone
We’ve added waypoints to this lovely walk to help you find your way around.

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BR57uno241163
BR57uno241163

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 05, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Nothing to say – lovely walk, thanks

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ortega cathy
ortega cathy

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 15, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A lovely, varied walk, well signposted, with some highlights: a beautifully presented archaeological site, a charming cave; at St Quirin we followed the little stream leading to the miraculous spring before joining the road via the GR trail; we stopped at the little café for a refreshing break; and the final rock formation at Les Verreries is well worth a detour.

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The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.