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Park below the Hilsen farmhouse inn, at the side of the road.
(S/E) Set off north-west, follow the tarmac road and leave the farmhouse inn on your right. Turn left at the three-way junction onto a section that climbs a little more steeply.
(1) At the end of the tarmac road, turn right and follow the yellow and white-marked path. On a flat stretch, take a sharp left-hand bend and pass above a farm onto a wider track.
(2) Shortly after the farm, take a steep path on the right. After about 200 m, turn left onto a narrow path that climbs gently.
(3) At the Refuge des Amis des Vosges in Wittenheim, turn right. Continue climbing through vegetation consisting mainly of heather, heading north-east, until you reach the Col du Hilsenfirst.
(4) Follow the ridge to the right, marked with Yellow Rectangles, towards the Steinmauer. The latter lives up to its name, as from a distance it looks like a natural stone wall. Stay on the higher ground by continuing to the left at the next junction, before skirting the Steinmauer to the north-west. The view then opens out onto the peaks of the Grand Crête Vosgienne. Continue straight on until you reach the Rothenbrunnen mountain hut. Finally, climb to the summit of the Petit Ballon via the straight, clearly visible path through the scree.
(5) Begin the descent along the path, which initially heads due east and then makes a wide loop through the scrub. Follow the Yellow Circle markings by turning left at the next junction and continue the descent until you reach a fork in the forest.
(6) Turn right and rejoin the scree slope above a house. Continue along the forest track, following the Blue Triangle markings.
(7) At the wide track, turn first left then right, staying in the forest. Finally, just above the Hilsen farmhouse inn, turn left and pass several electric fences before reaching the farm (S/E).
Visorando Member
Difficult 
Easy 
