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Start from Lutzelbourg station, accessible by train from Nancy or Strasbourg; station car park nearby.
(S) With your back to the station, turn right towards Lutzelbourg Castle (Schlossberg), which is visible from the station. After about a hundred metres, leave the road and take a fairly steep, stepped path marked with a Red Ring up to the castle. Beautiful view of the Marne-Rhine Canal.
(1) After your visit, head towards the car park at the castle entrance, cross it to find the start of a path marked with the Blue Ring, to the left of a wide track. About 100 m further on, it crosses a forest track and continues to join another forest track. Follow this to the D98A near the entrance to the village of Hultehouse.
(2) Walk through the village along the D98A. Pass Saint-Wendelin Church on your right, then leave Rue des Fontaines on your left to reach the junction with Rue de la Côte. Start the climb (marked with a Yellow Cross) to the crossroads marked by a cross and a bench.
(3) Pass Rue de Stambach (and the Yellow Cross) on your left, leave Rue de la Côte and take Chemin du Limmersberg opposite (marked with a Yellow Triangle). This quickly leads to a Club Vosgien shelter (private property). There is a small footbridge leading to a few tables and a shelter available for walkers.
(4) Continue for a few dozen metres to the next junction. Leave the Yellow Triangle markings and turn left onto a path marked with a Red Ring, which continues along a forest track, passing through the Gallo-Roman archaeological remains at Wasserwald.
(5) Then head down the path marked with a Yellow Ring towards the riding centre; the slope is steep until you reach the Hultehouse Forest Road. Follow it to the right to reach the junction with the Route de Baerenbach and the drinking water plant. The water point was not flowing when I passed by.
(6) Go round the plant on the right and take the SNCF forest road; leave it about 100 m after the right-hand bend to climb up to the right, following the Red Rectangle and White Rectangle markers (variant of the GR®53). The fairly steep climb leads to a wider path (Red Ring) which you take to the right for about a hundred metres to reach Petit Krappenfels. Continue the climb to the left (Red Rectangle and White Rectangle markings) towards Rocher JL Hulk and its superb view.
(7) Continue climbing to the Tour du Brotsch and its orientation table; shelters and tables are available – see Practical Information.
(8) Turn left onto the GR®53 (marked with a Red Rectangle) towards Saverne and the Table des Sorcières. The path joins another coming from the left to reach, some 200 m further on, the large Hexentisch crossroads and the Table des Sorcières.
(9) Cross the road andcontinue along the route towards Château du Petit Geroldseck (marked with a Red Saltire).
(10) After the visit, continue towards its neighbour a few hundred metres away, the Château du Grand Geroldseck.
(11) Continue northwards, passing the Telegraph Tower.
(12) To round off this series of points of interest, pop in to see Haut-Barr Castle, which offers superb views and has a Winstub open.
(13) Continue north on the GR®53 (Red Rectangle), which emerges from the forest at a car park on the D171. Keep heading north and take Rue du Haut Barr immediately afterwards. Follow it to the junction with Rue Schiffmatt, after a right-hand bend and number 10.
(14) Turn left towards the station and continue to the right along the Marne-Rhine Canal, following the quays to the lock.
(15) Turn left to cross the canal and join Rue de la Gare (E).
Visorando Member
Difficult 
Easy 
