Lac Vert on snowshoes

A beautiful sporting outing to enjoy in both summer and winter on snowshoes, with stunning views from the ridges on the Alsatian side.

Details

n°22524

Creation:
29 Mar 2013

Last update:
14 May 2024

Last review:
18 Nov 2025

Activity: Snowshoeing
Distance: 11.37 km
Duration according to the author: 6 hrs
Difficulty: Moderate
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 528 m
Descent: - 525 m
Highest point: 1,290 m
Lowest point: 1,053 m

Country: France
Area: Vosges mountains
District: Le Valtin (88230)
Start/End: N 48.063987° / E 7.024406°
IGN map(s): Ref. 3618OT, 3618OTR
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Photos

Description of the walk

Park at the Schlucht Pass.
(S/E) Take the path behind the hotel on the^GR®5towards Spitzzenfels. You will soon reach the junction with the^GR®531.

(1) Turn right onto the^GR®531towards Hirschsteine, marked with a blue rectangle. Walk along the ski lift, then go around a reservoir at a place called Baerenbach.

(2) Continue eastwards to reach the crossroads at elevation 1088. Turn left (yellow disc) towards Missheimle to reach the Schupferen refuge.

(3) Reach the chairlifts and stay on the path until you reach the Seestaettle farmhouse inn.

(4) Descend to Lac Vert and then to the dam. Go around the lake on the right and reach the fork north of the lake.

(5) Climb up to the right onto the ridges (red disc) towards Dreieck. Reach this point and rejoin the^GR®5.

(6) Turn left south-west to reach the summit of Tanet. Continue on to Wurtzelstein. Stay on the^GR®5to return to the first crossroads.

(1) Retrace your steps to finish at the Col de la Schlucht (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,153 m - Car park - Col de la Schlucht
1 : km 0.38 - alt. 1,242 m - GR5 GR531 crossroads
2 : km 1.96 - alt. 1,122 m - Baerenbach
3 : km 3.9 - alt. 1,169 m - Schupferen Refuge
4 : km 4.67 - alt. 1,143 m - Seestaettle farmhouse inn
5 : km 6.18 - alt. 1,058 m - Lac Vert ou de Soultzeren (Vosges)
6 : km 6.74 - alt. 1,228 m - Dreieck
7 : km 8.06 - alt. 1,288 m - Tanet (le)
S/E : km 11.37 - alt. 1,156 m - Col de la Schlucht car park

Notes

- Schupferen Refuge.
- Gaertlesrain farmhouse inn.

This route passes through multiple protected areas, which may be subject to special regulations:

Worth a visit

- Lac Vert.
- Les Crêtes.
- Le Tanet.

Reviews and comments

4.1 / 5

Based on 11 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5

Ease of following the route
3.6 / 5

Route interest
4.6 / 5

User 11941335

18 Nov 2025 at 13:27 3600

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Trail to avoid. Some sections are closed and the trail cuts through woods with no path. Very disappointed.

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JulienM90

22 Jan 2024 at 09:32 3600

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Follow the description rather than the very approximate route.
A beautiful hike, unfortunately without snow and with some frozen sections, especially near the start, which would have required crampons.
We stopped for lunch at the Auberge du Tanet. We arrived without a reservation and the restaurant was full, but we received a warm welcome and an excellent meal to take away. Top notch!

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sanfelipo

26 Jan 2022 at 09:41 3600

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 20, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

For a good snowshoe outing, you need to be in good shape for the start, because you have to start the circuit in winter on the other side of the Schlut roundabout on your left towards Alsace. Follow the summer signs.Be careful when you reach the top of the ski slopes, a quarter of an hour from the lake. Turn left and follow the orange safety barriers along the slopes. There is a sign saying "itinerary modified" but the arrow is not very visible.

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Aurelien8888

11 Jan 2021 at 18:15 3600

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We left early from the Schlucht, and the hike went very well.

We missed the exact starting point because there had been changes to the GR trail at the Schlucht pass.

There was a good amount of snow and the weather was a mix of fog and sunshine.

It's a moderately difficult hike given the distance and the steep sections if you don't know the area.

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uzemain88

25 Feb 2019 at 17:49 3600

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 25, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Great hike with beautiful viewpoints
Very well-marked trail
At Tanet, a view of the Swiss Alps on a clear day
Nothing to say, just pure enjoyment
Thanks for the itinerary and especially the GPX tracks

👍

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dabo2

15 Dec 2018 at 22:20 3600

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 15, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

First snowshoe outing of the season, difficult start, "departure behind the hotel", the whole area is under construction, the climb to the left of the hotel is blocked by a building site, you have to go back to the start of the ridge road to get around the site, but after this minor problem, I put on my snowshoes and it was pure bliss. Many thanks to Zech for this superb hike. One small observation: you need to follow the description carefully rather than the GPS track, which is relatively imprecise (in my opinion).

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Berni-1806

16 Apr 2018 at 10:06 7200 • Edited: 16 Apr 2018 at 10:07 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 23, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A magnificent snowshoe hike on 23 March 2018. With so much snow still on the ground, we couldn't return via the ridge. We came back along the ridge road. Magnificent landscapes in magical tranquillity.

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Didouille

30 Jan 2017 at 15:10 3600

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 28, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Great hike on a Saturday with ideal weather, rather cold and dry with sunshine and blue skies throughout. That said, it was a little difficult to find the trail once we reached the ski slopes, as the markings were different and lacked precision. We had to cut across the ski slopes and really stay alert because of skiers coming down at full speed. But otherwise, no complaints about the route.
We had lunch at the Auberge du Tanet farmhouse, which was a real treat with a warm welcome, varied and excellent cuisine, and friendly and knowledgeable staff. The return trip was uneventful, and thanks to the sports shop where we rented the snowshoes, we were an hour late and the staff waited for us so we could return the equipment. Well done!

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hetzelt

23 Jan 2017 at 09:28 3600

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 22, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike, best done on a clear day to enjoy the magnificent views.
As "iranus02" said, the markings when you arrive at the ski slopes are not very clear.
To add some beautiful views when you arrive on the ridge road, you can make a round trip (about an hour for a good walker) to the Gazon du Faing viewpoint (above the inn of the same name).

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andrenat

29 Mar 2015 at 23:09 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 05, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We're really glad we found this trail, which gave us the idea to go on this magnificent hike, with good snow and beautiful weather.

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iranus02

09 Mar 2015 at 20:15 3600

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 07, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Great hike! A little difficult to find your way when you leave the ski trails, but otherwise nothing to complain about.

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Tinemau

17 Feb 2014 at 19:50 3600

Indeed, we will need to motivate the troops.

I'll let you know how it goes...

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bibi

11 Feb 2014 at 11:37 3600

Be aware of the 561 metres of elevation gain.

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Tinemau

10 Feb 2014 at 23:55 3600

Hello,

The duration indicated is 6 hours for 10.7 km for this hike. That's 1.8 km/h. Is that the average speed on snowshoes?

We are planning to do this walk at the end of February with a small group of friends. I think it would be a good idea to take snowshoes with us, even if we may have to put them back in our rucksacks once we reach the forest.
What do you think?

Thanks in advance for your comments,
Tinemau

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