The Hohneck via the Wormsa Valley

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Beautiful forest and mountain trail from Metzeral to the summit of Hohneck along the magnificent Wormsa valley, beside two lakes and through the impressive Combe du Wormspel, then back to the starting point on the other side of the Wormsa.

Details

n°287388
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 13.73 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 881 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 879 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,362 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 495 m
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The Wormsa Valley
The Wormsa Valley
The Wormsa Valley
The Wormsa Valley

Description of the walk

The route starts in the village of Metzeral at Steinabrück (car park).

(S/E) From Steinabrück, turn left after the Wormsa inn and follow theGR®5(red rectangle markings) towards Hohneck. Continue straight ahead and walk alongside the Wormsa chalets on your left. At the fork after the last chalets, turn right.

(1) At the next fork, turn left (follow theGR®5). Heading generally north-west, climb up the Wormsa valley along a rocky path and then alongside several waterfalls.

(2) At the T-junction, follow the path on the left and reach the small Fischboedle lake.

(3) Then turn right (north) towards the Schiessrothried lake. The path winds and climbs through the trees. At a fork, take the right-hand path. Ignore the bridge over a stream, continue north and you will reach the second lake on the hike.

(4) Leave theGR®5and take the path on the left of the lake, marked with a blue triangle, towards Wormspel and the ridge. The path winds through the forest. Further on, ignore the path that branches off to the left towards the Spitzkoepfe and continue straight ahead. The terrain has a few very short descents, but this is where the climb becomes very steep.

(5) After leaving the forest, the path passes through the steep terrain of the Combe du Wormspel. Head west and climb up to the ridge.

(6) At the top, turn right towards the Hohneck. The path climbs further to the summit.

(7) When you reach the bare summit of the Hohneck (1,363 m), follow theGR®5(red rectangle) again on the right below the summit towards the Col du Schaeferthal, the Petit Hohneck and the Schiessroth.

(8) Above Schaeferthal, turn right (south-east) towards Schiessroth. The trail passes through a few wooded areas below Petit Hohneck.

(9) At the Schiessroth farmhouse inn, take a sharp right turn and descend through the forest on a series of switchbacks. Return to Lac du Schiessrothried and follow its southern shore along the dyke.

(4) Follow the same path as on the way there in the opposite direction, passing Lac du Fischboedle

(3) You will reach an intersection that you passed on the way there.

(2) Leave theGR®5 trailas it turns right and continue straight ahead. Stay on the main path (forest road) heading south-east and ignore any side paths. Take in the views of the Wormsa valley and the passage under a rock arch. When you reach the Wormsa chalets, turn left onto the forest road and return to Steinabrück (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 495 m - Parking in Steinabrück
  2. 1 : km 1.3 - alt. 549 m - Wormsa Valley
  3. 2 : km 3.1 - alt. 763 m - Intersection
  4. 3 : km 3.38 - alt. 786 m - Fischboedle Lake
  5. 4 : km 4.23 - alt. 932 m - lac de schiessrothried
  6. 5 : km 5.44 - alt. 1,124 m - Combe du Wormspel
  7. 6 : km 5.92 - alt. 1,279 m - Ridge
  8. 7 : km 6.52 - alt. 1,362 m - Le Hohneck
  9. 8 : km 7.42 - alt. 1,217 m - Altitude 1228
  10. 9 : km 8.32 - alt. 1,140 m - Schiessroth farmhouse inn
  11. S/E : km 13.73 - alt. 495 m - Parking in Steinabrück

Notes

The route is steep and rocky in places. Wear good walking shoes. Walking sticks are optional but may be useful. Be careful of wet ground in some places, even in summer. This path is not passable in winter or in snowy conditions.
Cows may occasionally be present on the trail.
Weather conditions can change quickly in all seasons, so check the forecast.
There is a car park close to the start/finish point.
The Metzeral SNCF train station is a 15-minute walk away via Rue de l'Altenhof.

Shelter: wooden kiosk at Lac du Fischboedle.
Hostels: Steinabrück, Hohneck, Schiessroth.

Worth a visit

The upper part of the hike offers splendid views of the surrounding area.
The Hohneck is an ideal place to stop for a bite to eat before heading back down.
The Schiessrothried Lake is also a good option.
In addition, there are three inns along the route.

 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.

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Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 31 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
Alsacenath
Alsacenath

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Magnificent hike!
It was indeed very crowded on Sunday, but the scenery was superb!

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lauraman
lauraman
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike, not very busy at this time of year. There was a little snow when we reached the summit, but it was accessible with good footwear.

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Quentus
Quentus

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hike done in early November, with wonderful weather and not a soul in sight along the entire route.

The hike is fantastic: stable footbridges, waterfalls, forest trails, lakes, and finally a magnificent view from the top of Hohneck.

I absolutely loved Lake Fischboedle, a place suspended in time.

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mauricejeannine
mauricejeannine
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We chose a route that avoids the Combe du Wormspel. Given our ages (76 and 78), we now avoid difficult terrain. Points 1 to 3 are OK. After Lake Schiessrothried, we headed towards Hohneck via Chaume de Schiessroth, following the red rectangular marker for the GR 5 trail to Col de Schaeferthal. From the pass, we followed one of the paths on the left that leads to the summit of Hohneck (there were a lot of people there due to the Auberge du Hohneck and the fact that it is accessible by car). After a picnic, we descended via the snowfield trail (yellow cross), which is very easy as long as there is no snow (in some places, we could see that the snow had been cleared recently - if there is snow, there is a risk of slipping as the slope is quite steep, so wear good shoes and bring walking sticks). Then we reached the Kastelberg farm. From this farm, head towards Kerbholz: go around the house and take the blue cross trail before turning left onto another blue triangle trail that descends to Mittlach. The descent is quite steep and long, but not difficult. In short, a magnificent route with beautiful views, a cold and icy wind at the top of the Hohneck, and no difficulties.

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odber0902
odber0902
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 11, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes


great walk

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bern.ehrhart
bern.ehrhart

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 31, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A legendary trail in the Munster Valley. Trail, footbridges, torrent, waterfalls... Always refreshing. A few tricky sections, to be tackled with caution. On the ridges and at the summit towards Hohneck... very (too) crowded. We deviated slightly from the suggested route. A trail to recommend.

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joseschlosser
joseschlosser

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 25, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike despite the rain and wind that arrived late in the morning. The paths, trails, footbridges, etc. are really well maintained and the landscapes are very varied.
The meals at the Schiessroth farmhouse inn were very good value for money.

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Laurie129
Laurie129

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 25, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent hike! I recommend it even in hot weather because most of the time you are under trees. Be careful of the wind at the top of Hohneck, as it is easy to get sunburned. The elevation gain is steep, but you feel so happy when you reach the summit!

A quick note: at one point at the start of the route, there is a path on the left marked by a red rectangle... You might think that this is the "T" path indicated on the hiking map, but you just need to continue 100 metres further up to reach the correct intersection. However, if you decide to turn here, you will discover a magnificent waterfall that is well worth the detour.

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AetG22
AetG22

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 18, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We thoroughly enjoyed this route and its varied landscape.

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larko68
larko68

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 02, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very beautiful hike, magnificent scenery. Sublime with waterfalls and wooden footbridges.

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antony
antony

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 19, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Beautiful hike with an alpine feel on the climb up to Hohneck
The only downside was the large number of cars at the summit

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kaola123
kaola123

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 01, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A superb walk despite a starting point that was a little difficult to find
There's a steep climb after the two lakes to reach the summit (HONECK)
but that's all part of the fun!
Magnificent landscapes, to be repeated in slightly milder temperatures!!!

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LeenaLee
LeenaLee

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 19, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Magnificent hike
The Wormsa Valley is sublime with its waterfalls and footbridges
The Wormspel was a bit difficult for a beginner like me, but it was well worth the effort!
Superb view from the top, at least I think so because I couldn't see anything due to the fog
The only downside is that the summit is also accessible by car, so it lacks a bit of a "retreat" feel.
I'll do it again when the weather is nice and warm.

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Camille Stras
Camille Stras

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 24, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Superb hike! Magnificent paygades; I recommend it.
But make sure you're equipped when the trail is snowy.
We couldn't make the descent from Hohnech via the Wormsa valley (blue triangle) because the path was snowy and we weren't equipped for the steep descent.

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juju68310
juju68310

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 11, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hike completed in winter and the snow was there waiting for us!
A great walk, the snowy landscapes are fantastic, we'll definitely do it again in the middle of summer.

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