Fischboedle Lake and Shiessroth Lake in Metzeral

Date of your route : Apr 23, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk, especially the first section, which climbs along paths where you need sturdy footwear and strong ankles and knees to avoid too much discomfort: the trail runs over scree.
The valley and the waterfall, with the wooden bridges spanning the water, are magnificent.
The descent is along a more stable and wider path, except perhaps from point 7, where you have the choice of the road or the red and white trail (signposted Metzeral on the right).

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Date of your route : Jul 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Once you reach Schiessrothried Lake, I recommend walking around the lake. After walking around the lake, I preferred to take the GR531 and head towards the old military cemetery at Sillacker (Captain Mounier's grave), from where you can rejoin the circuit. Further on, at point 7, I followed the Sillacker road to stay on a shaded forest track and reach the Wormsa chalets and then the car park.

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Date of your route : May 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very nice hike on the weekend of the ascent, with no difficulties whatsoever. A few people on the way up, lots of people at Schiessrothried lake for lunch. But we hardly met anyone on the way back. The 2 lakes are magnificent. I modified the route a little by going straight down to the starting point without passing through the village and following the Sillacker path.

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Date of your route : Mar 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Great hike with sunshine and perfect weather
beautiful waterfalls, amazing when you get to the lakes
we really loved it

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Date of your route : Oct 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very good hike, quite difficult but with beautiful scenery
The lake is magnificent and you can stop there to eat; there are benches.

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Date of your route : Sep 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful walk in this wild corner of the Vosges.
The passage through the rockfalls is somewhat reminiscent of the Sentier des Roches.
Quite a few people, which is normal, except on the descent where there was no one.

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Date of your route : May 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent hike...it was unfortunate that it was rather cold, so we did not linger at the lakes. The Fischboedle Lake appeared more attractive to us. The Wormsa Valley is very wild, particularly when you arrive at the waterfalls and all the footbridges that span them. The few scree slopes you have to cross aren't too bad: unlike the scree slopes we've often encountered in the Alps, here they're not high up (so no fear of vertigo) and the stones are stable and fairly small. With lots of stops to admire the view and take photos, the hike took us 5 hours and 45 minutes (aged 76 and 78, with walking sticks and hiking boots). Lunch was a quick affair, though, given how cold it was! A hike not to be missed!

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Date of your route : Apr 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful route with stunning views. At this time of year, the vegetation was magnificent with its different shades of green and the waterfall flowing abundantly. I recommend this hike to nature lovers. On Sundays and during the first few days of good weather, it was quite busy but it was still enjoyable.

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Date of your route : Sep 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike in the wild setting of the Wormsa valley in the Hautes-Vosges.
The section towards the end, around waypoint 7, is particularly noteworthy: these are undoubtedly old logging trails carved out of the surrounding terrain, lined with lovely trees and with a significant incline.
Reasonable visitor numbers on this beautiful September Saturday, with a few more people at Schiessrothried lake.

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Date of your route : Sep 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk on Sunday. The climb up to the lakes is rocky and steep in places, but perfectly manageable. The paths are quiet, with a few more people around the two lakes. Some beautiful views.
The signposting is very clear (fairly new signs), so there were no problems finding our way. We counted 10 km for this loop, with a little extra from the station to get back to the route.
Very satisfied, thank you for sharing.

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Date of your route : Aug 15, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike, not many people and very pleasant all the way to the lakes,
and the charming village of Metzeral to finish off.
to be repeated

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Date of your route : Oct 24, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

We went on this hike on a beautiful sunny day and extended it because it was a little too short for our liking: from Schiessrothried Lake, we went to Gaschney and then returned to Schiessrothried Lake via the Schiessroth farmhouse inn, which added 1 hour and 50 minutes to the route. However, we got lost at point 6 and continued along the small road, as the signs were not very clear! We ended up at the Braunkopf inn, where we found a nice path down to Metzeral.
A beautiful walk!

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Date of your route : Jul 31, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

To confirm what JeffT67 said: I accidentally took a shortcut at the end and both my GPS devices (watch and phone) showed a distance of over 11 km. The total distance must therefore be close to 14 km.

Otherwise, the climb is superb. Thank you!

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Date of your route : Jan 01, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful route, especially on 1 January with a clear blue sky and snow melting quickly from the peaks. The Wormsa was bursting with energy.
However, my GPS and my partner's GPS recorded a distance of over 14 km.
The best part: the climb along the Wormsa with its various footbridges.
The downside: the last kilometre, which is on Rue de l'Altenhof, with no pavement, to get back to the starting point. This section could be shortened and made safer (in part) by turning right into Rue des Vergers when you come down Rue Sillacker.
I do not recommend doing this route in rainy or snowy weather. This is because a large part of the uphill section is very rocky, like a rock trail, and can be dangerous.
There are many variations to choose from.
It must be superb in spring.
Thank you for this route.

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Date of your route : Oct 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike, ideal weather, not too hot. Excellent lunch at the Hinterberg farm, not very crowded.
A wonderful day for our group.

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