The Heidenbuckel menhir and the Dietrichstein sacrificial stone

An easy walk full of discoveries that passes through the beautiful Grossberg clearing (look for its totem tree!). Nearby is the Heidenbuckel menhir, which was once used as a ceremonial site. Further on, we arrive at Dietrichstein, which was probably a place of sacrifice in the 8th century BC.

Details

6017774
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.18 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 275 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 275 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 510 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 331 m

Photos

Description of the walk

In Guebwiller, head towards the Kastler secondary school, then towards the military cemetery. Park in the cemetery car park.

(S/E) Take the Blue Triangle marked path on the left. Go around the cemetery on the left and head south-east, still following the Blue Triangle. Climb steadily, ignoring the few paths on the right.

(1) You will come out at the Grossberg clearing (a good place to take a break or have a picnic under the Scots pines). Look for the totem tree in the clearing. Continue along the Blue Triangle marked path towards Nez de Soultz.

(2) Arrive at Nez de Soultz, which offers a beautiful view. Return to the clearing via the red-white-red triangle circular. From the clearing, take the blue triangle path marked Versant Nord towards Bildstoeckle.

(3) At the first crossroads, look for the Menhir du Heidenbuckel (incorrectly positioned on the 1:25,000 map) about 30 metres to the left. Continue north with the Blue Triangle. Arrive at Fuchsfelden, which offers a beautiful view. Continue on the same path.

(4) You will reach Dietrichstein, an ancient sacrificial stone. Continue along the Blue Triangle marked trail through the forest.

(5) At Calvaire du Bildstoeckle, turn right and follow the yellow disc marked path towards Guebwiller. Continue leisurely through the cemetery to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 331 m - Cimetière militaire de Guebwiller
  2. 1 : km 1.3 - alt. 474 m - Grossberg clearing - Totem tree
  3. 2 : km 2.06 - alt. 419 m - Nez de Soultz
  4. 3 : km 3.8 - alt. 489 m - Menhir du Heidenbuckel
  5. 4 : km 4.21 - alt. 501 m - The Dietrichstein: ancient sacrificial stone
  6. 5 : km 5.12 - alt. 459 m - Bildstoeckle Calvary
  7. S/E : km 6.18 - alt. 331 m - Cimetière militaire de Guebwiller

Worth a visit

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 14 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.1 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
danlutterrando
danlutterrando

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Easy hike, beautiful autumn scenery.

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mcgonano
mcgonano

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful walk, a lovely discovery, beautiful paths and interesting viewpoints. It is possible to hike with the family and have a picnic. More precise/accurate directions would be useful in certain places. However, the GPS function enabled us to find our way around.

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CLAIRE6768
CLAIRE6768

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

At Bildstoeckel, there are several paths marked with yellow circles... We took the wrong one, which made the walk longer, but it didn't spoil our enjoyment.

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Thomas H5.
Thomas H5.

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 31, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice little walks, the trees are remarkable around the cemetery and even further afield.
The signposting around the Soultz headland leaves something to be desired. We retraced our steps and couldn't find the circular to complete the walk (red-white-red). No big deal, really...

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Pjn
Pjn

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

I know this route very well! I'm from Guebwiller, so it was like rediscovering my childhood.
One small downside 😟
At the "Nez de Soultz" viewpoint, the vegetation has taken over, so you can no longer see the Alsace plain as you used to 😏😏😏

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Dominique h1
Dominique h1

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 13, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful walk in the footsteps of the region's ancient Celtic cults. On the suggested route, don't hesitate to stop off in the middle of the Heidenbuckel clearing after passing the totem tree, where stones in the middle of the heather mark the site of an ancient altar where you can also recharge your batteries with positive cosmic and telluric energy.
The sign pointing back to the yellow disc car park from the Bildstoeckle calvary may be misleading, as there are two parallel roads. Take the right-hand path, which will lead you to the cemetery.

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Papinouxe
Papinouxe

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 21, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Quite a few hikers. We were unsure at the start because the blue triangle sign was placed well outside the car park, and at Bilcstoeckle, we had to take the small path without signs instead of the yellow circle. However, we enjoyed the outing...

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Marc68540
Marc68540

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 19, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant short hike.
The paths are accessible and not very busy.
Beautiful scenery and a great way to relax.

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Rose de Vernon
Rose de Vernon

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 10, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, easy walk that is accessible to all. Not very busy during the week, but I imagine it's different at the weekend.

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malou68
malou68

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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 : Yes

A pleasant, fairly busy walk to the tip of Soultz (especially during chestnut harvesting season, I imagine...).
Very beautiful views.
Thank you for putting this route on Visorando!

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marwan
marwan

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The route was very busy up to the Soultz nose, but after that it was quieter. Very pleasant in this mild, sunny weather. The military cemetery is worth seeing as it is very well maintained, but it is less peaceful there, as a nearby dog training park and a small motorbike circuit bring the place to life.

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hautgarou
hautgarou

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful hike

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Gus09
Gus09

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 19, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk to do with the family.
Everything was as described. The only difficulty was finding the car park near the cemetery, even though we followed the directions.

Otherwise, it was great!

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katiorek
katiorek
• Edited:

Thank you for your feedback! I have modified the description to make the layout clearer :-)

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MONROB
MONROB

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The start of the hike was a bit chaotic: the path was still very wet, with fallen trees blocking the way.
The signposting was a bit sparse (few blue triangles) between the start and the Grossberg clearing, and the menhir was not easy to find. The map could do with being zoomed in a bit around the Friedrichstein triangle, Fuchsfelsen and Menhir (points 1, 2 and 3).
That said, it's a very beautiful hike and one that comes highly recommended.

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