The Sentier des Roches, the lakes and the Hohneck

This beautiful hike combines technical and physical sections and takes you along the famous Sentier des Roches trail to Lac du Schiessrothried and then Lac de Fischboedle.
Please note: this hike is for experienced walkers. There are many steep slopes and some sections are dangerous, particularly for children. Risk of falls.
Hiking is prohibited in winter (see practical information below)
Please note 2: following a comment by "sdegrande" on 17/07/2024: "following a prefectural order, the trail from (11) is closed until further notice due to the risk of rockfalls." From (8), you can take a shortcut to go directly to (13) via the Blue Triangle trail. This trail is about 1 km long and quite steep. If you do not feel comfortable walking it, you can take a shortcut from (7) to go directly to (13) via the Blue Rectangle trail.

Details

3389581
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 19.02 km
  • ◔
    Duration according to the author: 7 hrs 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Very difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,005 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,002 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,300 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 791 m

Description of the walk

Park in one of the car parks at the Col de la Schlucht.

(S/E) Head east on the D417 and quickly turn right onto the Sentier des Roches, marked with a blue rectangle. This is also theGR®531, just to the left of the Chalet bar/hotel. Follow the Sentier des Roches for about 1 km until you reach a picnic table with a breathtaking view of the valley.

(1) Continue walking for about 500 m until you reach a narrow passage in the cliff.
Cross it, then continue along the Sentier des Roches for about 1 km until you cross a small bridge over a stream.
Continue for a few metres to reach Krappenfels, which marks the end of the Sentier des Roches.

(2) Now take a more passable path. Continue downhill until you reach the Tourbière crossroads.

(3) Turn right onto the forest road, still marked with blue rectangles, and climb towards Frankenthal.

(4) Cross the Petite Fecht stream and continue until you reach the Frankenthal inn.

(5) Continue straight ahead, following the path marked with a red triangle. First uphill, then downhill, you will come to the Schaeferthal farm.

(6) After the farm, cross the first path and then take the second path on the left marked with a red rectangle. Go around the Schiessroth farm and follow the path that winds down to the Schiessrothried Lake. After the last bend, you will come to a crossroads. Turn left to reach the Schiessrothried Lake.

(7) Cross the dyke and at the end follow the path on the left, marked with a red rectangle, to reach Lac de Fischboedle

(8) Take the dam, join the forest road and continue to the right until you see a path on the right that climbs up the mountain.

(9) Take this difficult path on the right. Follow a few tight bends and join a path marked with a blue cross in a hairpin bend.

(10) Turn right onto this path, signposted: vers Kerbholz Kastelberg. You will reach another intersection. Stay on the Blue Cross path and climb up to Kerbholz.

(11) Turn right onto the Rectangle Bleu trail towards Lac de Schiessrothried.
This is a very technical section on the mountainside. You will be climbing scree, ladders, etc. Please note: some of the safety lines installed by the Club Vosgien are a little too loose.
You will then reach a stream at the entrance to an area of scree.

(12) Cross the scree, taking care of your ankles and watching out for loose rocks. Continue along the trail to reach the1st Spitzkoepfe viewpoint. Enjoy the view from the viewpoint, then continue towards Lac du Schiessrothried until you reach the junction with the trail coming from the lake dam.

(13) Turn left towards Wormspel, following the blue triangle markings. Begin another climb, reach Wormspel, continue and come out at a large 5-way crossroads.

(14) Take thesecond path on the right, where the markings change to red, white and red rectangles. You will come to another major crossroads at Col de Falimont.

(15) Follow theGR®5Red Rectangle trail opposite, keeping to it to return to the Col de la Schlucht car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,139 m - Parking - Col de la Schlucht
  2. 1 : km 0.97 - alt. 1,110 m - Picnic table - Sentier des Roches
  3. 2 : km 2.66 - alt. 1,020 m - Krappenfels
  4. 3 : km 3.09 - alt. 962 m - Peat bog crossroads - follow the forest road
  5. 4 : km 3.56 - alt. 1,002 m - Petite Fecht (cours d'eau) - Affluent de la Fecht
  6. 5 : km 3.98 - alt. 1,031 m - Auberge du Frankenthal
  7. 6 : km 5.27 - alt. 1,212 m - Ferme du Schaeferthal
  8. 7 : km 7.89 - alt. 931 m - Alternative route at the end of the dyke - lac de schiessrothried
  9. 8 : km 9.11 - alt. 796 m - Lac de Fischboedle
  10. 9 : km 9.47 - alt. 831 m - Take the difficult trail in the mountains
  11. 10 : km 10.08 - alt. 946 m - Towards Kerbholz Kastelberg
  12. 11 : km 10.82 - alt. 1,075 m - Trail on the right towards Lac de Schiessrothried
  13. 12 : km 12.11 - alt. 1,032 m - Rockfall zone
  14. 13 : km 13.42 - alt. 960 m - The trail on the left - Wormspel. Shortcut arrival
  15. 14 : km 15.04 - alt. 1,278 m - 5-way intersection
  16. 15 : km 15.82 - alt. 1,294 m - Col de Falimont (1295m)
  17. S/E : km 19.02 - alt. 1,139 m - Parking - Col de la Schlucht

Notes

Please note! This hike is not possible between 1 November and 30 April each year. The rock trail that follows theGR®5from the starting point to (2) is closed (prefectural order of 18 May 2022).

Alternative route:
(7) You can follow the Rectangle Bleu trail, which shortens the hike and takes you directly to (13).

(8) You can follow the Blue Triangle trail, which shortens the hike and avoids the trail in stage 11, which is closed by prefectural order due to the risk of rockfalls, to go directly to stage (13).

This route passes through a protected area, which may be subject to special regulations:

Worth a visit

(5) Auberge du Frankenthal: here you can enjoy a beer from the Marcaire brewery.
(7) Lac du Schiessrothried: enjoy the view of the lake for a break before continuing the circuit.
(8) Tour of Lake Fischboedle.
Between (12) and (13) Belvédère1er Spitzkoepfe.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.9 / 5
Based on 29 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.9 / 5
jclesire
jclesire

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike, recommended in dry weather as there are a few tricky sections. Varied landscapes and magnificent panoramic views.

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domnesen
domnesen

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike, but physically demanding. I didn't notice any closures on the trail after point 11.

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yoo-yo
yoo-yo

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nothing to say, perfect!
Magnificent

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Joao paulo pereira
Joao paulo pereira

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very good tour

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Terl67
Terl67
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 31, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike, but be aware that part of the trail is closed by prefectural order due to rockfalls (point 11).

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sdegrande
sdegrande

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

PLEASE NOTE: Due to a prefectural decree, the trail for stage 11 is closed until further notice due to the risk of rockfalls.
We have therefore turned back to stage 8 today and will then cut across to stage 13 using the path marked with a blue triangle.
This trail is about 1 km long and quite steep, so it might be better to cut across at stage 6 as recommended in the description.
However, this hike is still very enjoyable, and the route details are accurate.
Enjoy your hike!

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Elias
Elias

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The hike is a masterclass, a must if you are in the area, but avoid the closed trails at all costs and take the well-marked detours instead. It is a deadly risk that you will avoid.

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WorldTrek
WorldTrek

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Magnificent hike!
Slightly difficult, I think, for novice hikers, but not impossible, far from it.
There are some bridge crossings with magnificent views.
Some gentle "climbing" sections
Passage on a trail with large rocks.
Narrow passages on the rocky trail.
Some nice climbs
Beautiful descents
Pure joy!
A route worthy of the Vosges, dotted with wild animals.
Simply magnificent!
It's definitely worth the detour and, above all, the scenery is truly breathtaking.
A little detour to the summit of Honneck where a nice beer was waiting for us!
What more could you ask for?!
I sincerely recommend this "walk" to everyone!

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patrick vaxelaire
patrick vaxelaire

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 20, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Departure Tuesday morning at 9:30 a.m. This is fairly certain. Some sections are quite difficult, but the views are superb.

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Pascal57
Pascal57

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

We set off on Saturday in the early afternoon and headed straight for the rocky trail. There were quite a few people, but nothing too bad. Some sections are quite steep, so take care.
We camped after about 15 kilometres; there's no shortage of places to spend the night. Unfortunately for us, there was a wedding at an inn with loud music all night long, making it difficult to sleep
I highly recommend this magnificent hike, which is not for amateurs.

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mikhaltino
mikhaltino

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very interesting and intense. Beautiful scenery all along the route. The first part (up to stage 5) is quite busy, the rest much less so. Between stages 12 and 13, passing through the scree, there was a cloud of bees (or other flying insects) that we had to run through with our eyes half closed. Luckily, no one got stung In terms of time, we finished in 7 hours, including an hour's break at Schiessrothried Lake and a few other shorter breaks. Definitely worth doing if you're fit enough!

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Lars
Lars

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 05, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb outing. I arrived very early, so there weren't many people around and I was lucky enough to see lots of chamois.
As a trail runner, the route wasn't too difficult physically and was technically challenging and enjoyable.
I would definitely do it again.

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Michel W.
Michel W.
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb route but quite difficult. Be careful with stage 12, which is difficult to walk in wet weather. There is mud even in dry weather.
An amazing hike! And the chamois at Hohneck! 👍👍

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marievaimbois
marievaimbois

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

So yes, it's very difficult (or a little less so for those who are well trained), but it's worth the effort! And once you've really worked hard, the return to Honneck is a real reward. Thank you for this really varied and challenging route.

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titi670
titi670

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike.
Completed in 8 hours including breaks.
Varied trails (cliffside passages, scree, forests, cows, streams, beautiful landscapes, etc.).
Best done in dry weather. Some sections are quite slippery.
We were lucky because there were few people on the trail EXCEPT at point 13 (Hohneck summit) due to the nearby car park.

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