Departure from Thannenkirch town hall, car park in front of the church or below on Chemin de Bergheim.
(S/E) From the church and town hall, walk up the main street (Rue Sainte-Anne) towards the top of the hill, passing the Waldstebel, La Meunière and Clos des Sources inns. Ignore Rue de Roder and, less than 100 metres further on, you will come to a slight bend.
(1) Leave Chemin du Lecotte, which will be the return route, on your left and continue right on Rue Sainte-Anne, towards Rocher des Géants. After a small oratory and a traffic island, you will arrive at Rue du Taennchel.
(2) Turn left onto this street, heading towards the sculpture workshop, marked with a yellow triangle.
At the next crossroads, continue left towards the Melkerhof inn. When you reach No. 35, in the bend that follows, take a path diagonally to the right.
(3) Take this path, marked with yellow triangles, towards the Kutzigbuech shelter. Ignore the various paths on either side and continue to follow the main path marked with yellow triangles towards the Giants' Rock. Cross a forest path.
(4) Leave the yellow triangle markings and follow the red X markings on the far left towards Carrefour du Cerisier Noir. After a few hundred metres, at a wooden railing, a path branches off to the right.
(5) Climb this path marked with a yellow cross (+) towards Rocher des Géants. Cut across a path and continue straight ahead, then continue straight ahead following the yellow rectangle markings (GR®532). Arrive at Rocher des Géants.
(6) Enjoy the view over the Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines valley.
Continue along the ridge, following the yellow rectangle markings towards Rocher des Reptiles (worth seeing, a little way off the path). Arrive at the large crossroads at Abri du Kutzigbuech.
(7) Take the path furthest to the left, marked with a red ring, towards Rocher de la Paix d'Udine. Be careful not to confuse the ring and disc markings; do not follow the red disc markings down towards Grande Verrerie.
A little further on, you will see a rock off to the right, from where you can enjoy a beautiful view of Colmar and even the Bernese Alps on a clear day. Continue along the ridge to the next crossroads.
(8) Look for the yellow triangle and red ring markings and follow them to the right, along the Mur Païen. Continue to a fork in the road.
(9) Leave the red ring markings on your left and turn right downhill, following the yellow triangle markings towards Carrefour Hasenclever. You will arrive at a fork.
(10) Find the red ring markings and follow them to the left, climbing towards the Rocher de la Paix d'Udine.
(11) Arrive at Rocher de la Paix d'Udine, with a beautiful view of Ribeauvillé and its castles.
The trail then continues in the opposite direction (north), following the ridge and the Mur Païen, with views of Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle, to reach a crossroads near Rocher Pointu.
(12) Descend to the right along a very steep path, marked with yellow crosses, towards Thannenkirch. Return to a forest path, leave the yellow cross markings and turn right, following the red horse markings towards Carrefour Denny. Further on at a crossroads, continue straight ahead downhill.
(13) At the Denny crossroads, turn left and then, after a few dozen metres, turn right, following the blue disc markings towards Thannenkirch. Further on, you will find the yellow cross markings again. Keep to the right and continue downhill. Leave the forest and you will arrive at the houses in the hamlet of Melkerhof.
(14) Do not follow the tarmac road on the left, but turn right (Clos Marie house on your right) and descend along a grassy path (yellow cross markings slightly hidden).
Return to the road and continue down Chemin du Lecotte until you reach the crossroads with Rue Sainte Anne.
(1) Follow it to the right in the opposite direction to the outward journey until you reach the church car park (S/E).
