Le Hohneck - Sentier des Roches: alternative route with a circular figure-of-eight loop

Car park at the Hohneck summit inn.

(S/E) Once you have passed through the car park gate, the trail starts at the left-hand corner of the car park. Take the^GR®®5(red rectangle), which immediately turns sharply left. Follow it to the Col de Falimont.

(1) Reach the Col de Falimont. The GR®5 turns right. Leave the Frankenthal trail on your far right, which you will use on the way back, and continue on the GR®5 (red rectangle). Go to^{the first trail}on the right, just before reaching the crossroads formed by the small road coming from the departmental road and the path leading to the Trois Fours inn.

(2) Leave the GR®5 and turn right, following the Blue Triangle trail. Reach the viewpoint below the Trois Fours. Begin a long descent through the forest. It ends at the junction with the GR®531 marked with a Blue Rectangle.

(3) Don't miss this fork in a hairpin bend (the arrow is placed quite high on a tree trunk on the left and is more visible in the other direction). Turn left towards the Col de la Schlucht via the GR®531.

(4) Reach "Krappenfels 1020 m" (GR®531) then start the climb up the Sentier des Roches marked with a blue rectangle. Follow it to the junction with a path climbing up to the right marked with a yellow cross.

(5) The "Nouvelle Déviation" sign indicates to take the path on the left at the end of the forest, just before reaching Col de la Schlucht.

(6) At the end of the trail, turn left and follow the D417 road. At the^first bend, leave the departmental road by turning left towards the chairlift technical buildings.

(7) On your left, take the path that initially runs alongside the toboggan run and then enters the forest. Follow the red rectangle markings of the GR®5. At the edge of the forest, join the Trois Fours carriage road.

(8) Continue left on the GR®5 and arrive at the road leading to the inn.

(9) Turn right to reach the main crossroads. Continue straight ahead. Go through the two aluminium gates to enter the forest and find the crossroads with the Blue Triangle trail.

(2) Turn left, following the Blue Triangle markings, to descend once again towards the viewpoint. Descend the forest switchbacks to the junction with the GR®531 at the problematic hairpin bend on the way up.

(3) Continue downhill to the right, following the signs for "Frankenthal" and the Blue Rectangle markings for a few hundred metres.

(10) Cross the forest road, leave the GR®531 and take the path on the left. Follow the sign for "Frankenthal par le sentier" marked with a yellow disc.

(11) At the next junction, turn right following the yellow disc markings, then cross to the left onto the wooden footbridge over the stream. Continue until you leave the forest and arrive at the Frankenthal inn. Leave the inn on your left (unless you want to stop for a bite to eat...) and turn right onto the path leading a few dozen metres further on to the wooden turnstile on your left.

(12) Go through the wooden gate and follow the yellow disc markings towards "Col du Falimont". Begin the climb to reach the summit and the crossroads you encountered on the way there.

(1) Ignore the GR®5 or its variant marked with red and white rectangles, and take the^first path to the left of the GR®5, which leads to the starting car park (S/E).

Please note! This route is not accessible in winter. The rocky trail from point (3) to point (5) and the trail connecting Frankenthal to Col du Falimont from point (12) to point (1) are closed from¹ November to 30 April (see prefectural decree).
In rainy weather, it should also be avoided as the Sentier des Roches is particularly dangerous. In dry weather, however, it is accessible to anyone who does not suffer from vertigo. The "Sentier des Roches" section is quite physically demanding and features numerous facilities to facilitate progress (footbridges, stairs, handrails).

This hike is obviously quite demanding (elevation gain, duration).
I personally completed this hike in August 2020 in 4 hours and 55 minutes (from 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.), including two breaks of 10 minutes and 15 minutes.

IBP index = 86 (for a hiker with average fitness = difficult)

Start and finish: Auberge du Hohneck (drinks, food, shop).

(7) Col de la Schlucht (public toilets).

(9) Near the Trois Fours inn and the refuge of the same name. Also accessible after the hike, by car, via the Route des Crêtes to the "Jardin d'altitude", where you turn right towards the chalet des pistes.

(12) Auberge du Frankenthal (restaurant).