Le Petit Hohneck via the Stolz-Ablass Waterfalls

From the large bend in the Route de la Schlucht near the cemetery in Stosswihr, take Rue d'Ampfersbach then Chemin de Saegmatt, at the bottom of the Petite Fecht valley, to the Saegmatt car park.

Please note: dogs are not permitted on part of the route (see Practical Information).

Yellow Disc Markings

(S/E) At the far end of the car park, take the wide path heading due west towards the Stolz-Ablass waterfalls. Ignore the path climbing to the right. At the bend, just before a stone bridge, continue straight on along the forest track. 200m further on, pass the Abri des Cascades.

(1) Leave the wide forest track for the path which, a few metres from the shelter, heads into the forest. It winds its way up alongside the waterfalls.
At the junction with a forest track, cross the bridges on the left then continue the climb to the right. Cross a footbridge (table and benches below) to reach a junction of paths a few dozen metres further on.

(2) Leave the "Sentier des Mulets" marked with a Blue Saltire (our route back) and continue left towards the Sentier des Roches. A short climb leads to a bend in a wide, carriageable track. This leads gently uphill for 200m to the Stolz Ablass car park; from there, continue straight on for another 200m.

(3) Leave the forest track and take the path on the right towards Trois Fours, marked with a Blue Triangle. It soon meets a wider track; take this to the left until the first hairpin bend (see Variation 1).

Blue Triangle markings

(4) Leave the Yellow Disc markings and turn right; the climb is steeper. At the next hairpin bend, leave the Frankenthal direction on your left and continue for 250m on the path opposite, towards Trois Fours Crêtes. Keep an eye out for the Blue Triangle markings on the trees.

(5) A path (not to be missed) climbs to the left. A steep, winding ascent towards the ridge then begins. A few minutes later, you will cross the famous “Sentier des Roches” (^GR®®531marked with Blue Rectangles). Continue the ascent towards Trois Fours and^GR®®5. As you approach the fences of the Trois Fours pastures, the slope levels off, the path turns westwards, passes some remnants of the Great War and, via a short exposed section, reaches the Trois Fours hilltop.

Unmarked

(6) Enjoy the remarkable view over the cirque and the Frankenthal glacial valley, dominated by the Martinswand rocks.
Leave the Blue Triangle trail by heading north up the ridge. Join the path to the left at the edge of a beautiful beech forest. To the right in the distance, the Trois Fours inn and refuge; continue straight on until you reach the access road to the refuge.

Red Rectangle markings (^GR®®5and its variant)

(7) Turn left onto the^GR®®5towards the Hohneck. The area is usually very busy. After a short stretch through the forest, the ridge path passes over the Martinswand rocks and reaches the Col de Falimont. Beautiful views of the Vosges and Alsace slopes.

(8) Turn east onto the alternative route, marked Red Rectangle, White Rectangle, and Red Rectangle, towards the Col de Schaefferthal along the cliff edge. Please note: this section is closed in winter conditions. (see alternative route 2).

Unmarked

(9) At the pass, a crossroads of paths offering a remarkable panorama, leave the^GR®®5which heads off to the right and head towards the foot of the Petit Hohneck and the start of an unmarked path. It is marked by posts at regular intervals towards the summit, where the arrival point of the chairlifts is clearly visible.
The climb, which is quite steep but short, is rewarded at the summit by an exceptional 360° view on a clear day.

(10) At the summit, there are two options:
- descend the eastern slope towards Gaschney (see option 3), but the slope alongside the chairlift is very steep,
- retrace your steps (route shown on the map).

Red Triangle markings

(9) Turn sharply right onto the Red Triangle trail towards Schallern. When you see the “Le Schallern” inn, head down to the left towards Rothried and Bloysfels. A short descent towards the farm leads to the Blue Triangle trail (see variant 3).

Blue Triangle Markings

(11) A few steps from the farm, head in the opposite direction, northwards. Further on, the path turns south, crosses the^GR®®531(Blue Rectangle) and leads to the beautiful Gaschneyried bog. (Tables and benches 50m away).

Stolz Ablass Path

(12) At the crossroads, turn left towards Silberwald via the Stolz Ablass path. It is marked with Red Cross signs for 1.5 km.

(13) Leave the Red Cross markings, which head off to the right towards Grossmatt. Continue straight ahead. Enter the Frankentahl-Missheimle nature reserve and, further on, follow the Yellow Disc markings and the wide, carriage-accessible path leading to the Stolz Ablass car park.
Shortly after a stone bridge, you’ll find the path leading down to the waterfalls in the bend to the left.

Mule Trail

(2) Leave the Yellow Disc trail and the waterfalls to your right to take this picturesque path, approximately 1 km long, and reach a clearing at the junction with a wide path marked with a Yellow Cross.

Yellow Cross markings

(14) Take the right-hand bend onto the path that leads gently downhill back to the Saegmatt car park (S/E).

From 1 November to 30 April, the section between (8) and (9), which stretches from the Col de Falimont to the Col de Schaeferthal, is closed in accordance with a prefectural decree dated 18 May 2022.

Alternatives:

Alternative 1: (4) Continue on the Yellow Disc marked trail towards the beautiful Frankenthal valley (very busy) to reach (8) via the Falimont corridor (Yellow Disc) or (9) via Schaeferthal (Red Triangle).

Alternative 2: (8) Continue on the Red Rectangle trail to reach (9) via the summit of the Hohneck and its orientation table.

Variation 3: (10) From the summit, continue down the steep descent towards Gaschney, or (11) from the “Le Schallern” inn, continue on the Red Triangle towards Gaschney and its farmhouse inn. From there, take the Red Cross-marked trail to the west of the car park, as far as the bog at point (12).

Please note: in the Frankenthal-Missheimle nature reserve, dogs are permitted on the^{GR®5 trail}, provided they are kept on a lead. On all other routes, dogs are not permitted in order to ensure the peace and quiet of the wildlife. See the 1995 decree.

Shelters, refuges and inns:

Auberge des Trois Fours.
Club Alpin’s Trois Fours mountain hut.
Schallern Inn.
Gaschney Farm Inn.
Gaschney Mountain Hut run by the Hohneck Ski Club.
Stolz Ablass Waterfalls Shelter.
Frankenthal Farm Inn.

Club Vosgien markings: CV signs.

Rock climbing on the Martinswand.
Introduction to rock climbing on the Petit Hohneck.
What’s the weather like at the summit of the Hohneck?

Asthe Gaschney resort was no longer profitable, it was closed in 2018 and is unlikely to reopen.