The Murbach Valley via the Wolfsburge and Judenhut passes

Date of your route : Jan 12, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We completed this hike on Thursday, 8 January, with 2 to 10 cm of snow cover.
The IGN map is far from up to date!
The descent is quite steep.
From Ebeneck, it is best to use a compass, as in snowy weather there is a risk of straying from the route.
We will do this route again in the spring to enjoy it more.

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

A very beautiful hike on a Sunday in April, with few people on the trails. The trails are very pleasant and the views are impressive! However, the signs are not clear or precise enough! It would have been very helpful to have better signposting and clearer directions. There are a lot of trails and tracks, especially towards the end of the walk...

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Date of your route : Jun 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, mainly in the shade of the forest. The views are magnificent, especially at Ebeneck at the end of the trail. Be careful of the significant elevation gain, especially in hot weather, which can be challenging for those who are not used to hiking.

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Date of your route : Mar 07, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful, pleasant hike in sunny weather.
There is a picnic shelter at the Wolfsgrube pass. A table in the sun is available between points 4 and 5 above the chalets. There are also lots of small clearings slightly off the path where you can picnic to avoid the crowds at Judenhut.
After Judenhut, a more detailed map may be useful, as there are many paths that merge with logging tracks, but it is still easy to find your way.
The trail chosen to descend to Murbach is very steep, but it is not particularly difficult. (Perhaps more difficult when wet?)
We wouldn't classify this hike as "difficult". Admittedly, there are some steep sections: it climbs steeply at times and descends very quickly, but we completed the hike with some inexperienced members of the group in 4½ hours with a 50-minute lunch break.
To say that the route is busy when you come across a dozen cyclists and

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Date of your route : Mar 03, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

To reach the Judenhut from the Wolfsgrube Pass, take the path marked Lieserwasen.
This sign is missing, which makes it difficult to continue without getting lost, as the Judenhut is not currently signposted at Wolfsgrube.

The Judenhut is a great place for a picnic, except that... it's very busy! It's a major crossroads for various hiking trails. Being 4 km from the Grand Ballon, not far from the Glaschutte, you can get there from Ebeneck or from Munsterackerle via Murbach. (Sorry, I may have misspelled some of the place names). Suffice to say, it's a crossroads!

As for the elevation, some sections are very easy. But be careful with some of the climbs, they're quite steep! I'm thinking in particular of the climb to the Hohrupf ruins (3.1 km of uphill trail) or the climb to Lieserwasen. The descent via the trails from Ebeneck is also hard on the knees.

I did this hike in several stages, each time covering different sections that were part of other hikes or just a "walk". And now I've completed the whole tour. However, my GPS app told me: 16 km, 794 m elevation gain and 956 m elevation loss. And the website calculitineraire.fr even gave me elevation gains of 1010 m and 1008 m! So who should I believe for the same route?

For this hike, I would also recommend getting a paper version of the IGN map. There are many places where you can't get any reception on your phone!

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Date of your route : Jul 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Not a very busy route. However, it was not possible to have a picnic at Judenhut as all the tables were occupied.

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Thanks for your feedback, ABICHE. Authors choose whether or not to include markings found on the ground in the description. That said, the description, along with the map, should be sufficient to help you find your way around. Markings may disappear or be changed, even on Club Vosgien territory.

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Date of your route : Aug 29, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

In the Vosges, the paths are marked by the Club Vosgien with clear signage. It would have been preferable to describe this path by giving the landmarks to follow. For example, at the start: "50 metres BEFORE the chapel, take the path on the left marked with a blue triangle towards Hohrupf".
Be careful when crossing the cow pasture (the only one on the hike) to leave the path and head left off the trail towards the summit. This is mentioned in the description, but don't miss it or you'll add a few kilometres to your hike.
That said, it is a beautiful hike, mainly in the forest, but for experienced hikers as the elevation gain is significant and the climbs (and descents) are sometimes steep.

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