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Go to Croix de Zimmermann. To do this, cross the village of Wuenheim and head towards the Amic pass. Park in the car park at Kaltenbach and Croix Zimmermann.
(S/E) The starting point is next to an information board about the Club Vosgien trails. The circuit begins on a forest path. Follow the Club Vosgien signs (yellow triangle) to the south-west, towards the Sicurani Chapel.
After 250 metres, two German concrete shelters flank the forest path. After the shelter on the left, take the path that crosses the Gutenbach stream via a small bridge. Follow the Kaune Triangle signs towards Tanzplatz. Facing south, the path winds its way up through the forest until it reaches a T-junction. Then turn left: the path is flat until you reach Tanzplatz.
(1) An imposing German shelter rises up from the mountain. Higher up, you will discover other structures.
Take the path that climbs up the valley towards the summit of the HWK: this is the Edouard Werner path (marked with a yellow triangle). You will arrive at another set of fortifications carved into the rock. A log staircase has been installed to make the climb easier.
At elevation 650, cross a forest path (known as the Chemin des Parisiennes). Continue climbing and follow the yellow triangle.
Cross another forest path. Ignore the Freundstein signpost (to the right) towards the old Jager Friedhof cemetery (of limited interest).
Continue climbing in the same direction, towards Silberloch via Pain de Sucre (yellow triangle).
You will arrive at the start of the fortified trenches and German shelters. Feel free to explore them (at your own risk) with a torch (see the Felseneck shelter in particular).
Follow the path through the maze of trenches to the shelter called Beskid
(2). Turn left, and the path becomes flat. You will arrive at an old watering hole called Kreuzotter just before a sharp bend in a forest path. Continue straight ahead towards a rocky outcrop that stands out from the trees.
You will arrive at a place called Schlummerklippe (altitude 753)
(3). This is a fortified complex where bathrooms and toilets still remain. Continue to the end of the slope where there is a wider path. Turn right twice onto a path that climbs towards Kardinalfelsen.
Roche Kardinal has been transformed into shelters and positions carved into the rock. It is located just before the main ridge of the HWK. Follow this maze of trenches and shelters towards the summit until you reach the circular memorial trail (marked Anneau Bleu). Turn right towards Bastion.
Stay inside the trenches at all times. The closer you get to the summit, the more extensive the maze of trenches and the greater the number of shelters. Continue to the foot of the Croix Lumineuse.
(4) It symbolises the former Franco-German front line after 1916. From this point, you can visit the ridge line dotted with trenches and shelters towards the 152RI monument.
Continue the hike from the Croix Lumineuse. Head towards the Col de Silberloch via the Roche Sermet (marked with a red ring). You are now in the former French sector.
Arrive at Roche Sermet (beautiful viewpoint). Take a path on the right (marked with a blue ring) and reach Roche Mégard (beautiful viewpoint).
Take a path that descends towards the Zimmermann Cross (blue disc). On the descent, pass by an observation point with a steel bell. The path winds downhill, passing by the trenches of the 6th and 7th BTC (Territorial Battalion of Hunters).
When you reach Roche Fendue, you will find another French fortified complex (beautiful view of the Grand Ballon and the Sicurani Chapel).
Continue down the trail and not the forest path (blue disc).
At altitude 684, turn right into the valley towards the Zimmermann cross and not left (towards Freundstein).
When you reach a forest track, turn left and follow the Blue Triangle markings. Cross three valleys, staying on the forest track.
Cross the old Bonnegoute Hunters' Cemetery on your left.
(5) Only a calvary with a quote from Victor Hugo remains. A few metres after the old cemetery, at the stream, leave the forest track and turn right onto a path that descends along the stream. Follow the blue triangle markings. You will come to a forest path (if necessary, turn right and follow this path to return directly to the starting point). Cut across the forest path and cross the stream to climb up a winding path (not shown on the map), following the blue triangle markings towards Chapelle Sacurani and Col Amic.
The trail arrives at a forest path near the crossroads at altitude 639.
Turn right, walk 50 metres to a wooden bench and turn left onto a path that runs alongside the forest track marked with blue triangles towards Chapelle Siracuni. The path winds its way up to the Siracuni chapel
(7). This chapel is named in honour of Captain Siracuni, who died in December 1915.
With your back to the chapel, take the path that descends slightly to the right. Head towards Fort Baratan, marked with a yellow disc.
Cross the head of a valley, continue straight ahead and follow the red cross markings towards the ruined castle of Hartfelsenschloss.
Before the rocky outcrop, you will come to a calvary of the 6th Territorial Battalion of Hunters. The rocky outcrop shelters the remains of Hartfelsenschloss Castle.
(7) Built in 1297 and destroyed in 1525, only a single moat remains. From the top of this spur, you have a beautiful view of the Hartmannswillerkopf ridge on one side and the Grand Ballon d'Alsace on the other.
Descend to the Calvary and take the Red Cross marked trail towards Hartfelsen until you reach a forest path.
(8) There are two options:
1) If you want to visit the Baratin shelter (French post), take the forest path on the right, walk 450 m, and at the second bend in the path you will see a spur. At the foot of this spur is the shelter of Captain Baratin of the 10th Company of the 68th Chasseur Battalion, built on 30 May 1916 (the shelter is of little interest except for the view).
2) If you do not wish to visit the Baratin shelter (this is the route shown on the map), take the forest path on the left and walk 70 m before descending along a path beside a small stream marked with a Red Cross sign, towards Courbe 600.
When you reach an old forest path, turn right to join another, more recent forest path and turn left to reach the Kaltenbach River. Marked with a red triangle.
This very pleasant path runs alongside the river, rocks, a few concrete shelters and German caves to reach the old German baths.
(9) You will come to a bridge and the tarmac road where the hike started (S/E).
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