Mont Sainte-Odile, the pagan wall and the Sentier des Merveilles trail

A walk passing by many historical points, following the astonishing pagan wall around Mont Sainte-Odile.

Details

28588779
Creation:
Last update:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 15.05 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 601 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 601 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 819 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 314 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Car park near the cemetery on Route d'Ottrot.

(S/E) Leaving the car park, turn right and then right again in front of the town hall/school. Turn into thesecond street on the left, Rue de la Forêt, following the blue cross markings.

(1) After a short climb into the forest, at the fork, take the path that descends to the left (red triangle) and follow it to the end. Cross the D109 and rejoin it further on. Turn left at the crossroads opposite the Saint-Jacques holiday village.

(2) Pass the entrance to the estate, leave the path on the right and, at the start of the D33 (no entry), take the path marked with a red triangle on the left of the road. Further on, it crosses the path marked with a red and white rectangle (variant ofthe GR®5) near the Wolfsthal Spring.

(3) Turn left towards the Beckenfels rocks, following the red and white rectangle markings. You will reach a crossroads near the Backenfels rocks.

(4) At the crossroads, turn right, heading north towards Mont Sainte-Odile.

(5) After visiting the monastery and chapels, return to the Beckenfels crossroads.

(4) Continue straight ahead on the path that follows the pagan wall marked with a yellow easel.

(6) At the junction with a path marked with a blue triangle, turn right to go around the Bloss (altitude 827 m), pass the Maennelstein shelter, continue on the Mur Païen path, keeping to the right, and after a few dozen metres you will find the memorial to the Air Inter crash in 1992 on your right.

(7) Visit the site of the plane crash, then return to the Mur Païen trail and pass the Grotte des Druides.

(8) Carefully cross the D426 for thefirst time and rejoin it a little further on opposite a large car park.

(9) Cross the D426 asecond time with caution, walk along one of the Mont Sainte-Odile car parks and take the path to Stollhafen (marked with a yellow sign), going around Mont Sainte-Odile on the left.

(10) At Stollhafen, turn right and, after about 50 metres, turn left onto the beautiful Sentier des Merveilles (yellow and blue signposts). Be careful, as there are several paths that cross here, but it is well signposted. At the end of the path, you will come to a junction with a ridge path marked with a yellow triangle.

(11) Take this path to the right to descend the ridge. After a right-hand bend, it joins the Sentier des Pélerins.

(12) At the junction with the Sentier des Pèlerins (Yellow Cross), take this trail completely to the left (north-east), in a 180° right turn, continue left in the same direction to join a wide forest path.

(13) Leave the trail to the right and take the forest track until you reach the junction with a road that runs alongside a railway line. Turn right to find the D103. Follow it to the right to reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 335 m - Car park near Saint-Nabor cemetery
  2. 1 : km 0.69 - alt. 427 m - Fork
  3. 2 : km 2.15 - alt. 577 m - Saint-Jacques holiday village
  4. 3 : km 2.64 - alt. 631 m - Source Wolfsthal
  5. 4 : km 3.71 - alt. 755 m - Les rochers du Beckenfels
  6. 5 : km 4.2 - alt. 763 m - Mont Sainte-Odile
  7. 6 : km 6.3 - alt. 798 m - Blue Triangle marked trail junction
  8. 7 : km 7.27 - alt. 808 m - Air accident memorial
  9. 8 : km 8.23 - alt. 749 m - First junction with the D426
  10. 9 : km 9.01 - alt. 732 m - Second junction with the D426
  11. 10 : km 10.23 - alt. 665 m - Stollhafen, crossroads
  12. 11 : km 11.5 - alt. 687 m - End of the Sentier des Merveilles - Yellow Triangle
  13. 12 : km 12.43 - alt. 538 m - Pilgrims' Trail
  14. 13 : km 13.86 - alt. 395 m - Crossroads - Forest path
  15. S/E : km 15.05 - alt. 335 m - Saint-Nabor, car park

Notes

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

4.7 / 5
Based on 19 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
camelita
camelita

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, mainly through the forest.
there is one climb at the beginning, so the elevation gain is not too challenging.
Very nice view from the monastery, where you can have a drink or buy a sandwich (at least in August )
interesting route along the pagan wall, druid cave, etc.
I did this hike on my own, and as the route is mostly in the forest and not very busy, I had a few scares, particularly with deer.

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corinnedgd
corinnedgd

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It's always a pleasure to take a break at Mont Saint Odile... hiking under the trees with no technical difficulties, just pure enjoyment. The descent is a bit long, though.

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Sonia_67
Sonia_67

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hiking in the forest, trails are fairly quiet except when you get close to Saint Odile.
Just before the Stollhafen crossroads, a short detour to the ruins of Dreinstein Castle. (Signposted as a 10-minute walk)
Thanks for the route.

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Kikinette
Kikinette

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely hike that starts in the forest with a steep climb. Then you arrive at Mont Saint Odile, a magnificent spot with a beautiful view of the Alsace plain. A fairly easy long loop along the pagan wall with a stop at the plane crash site (memorial stone, etc.), then return via the well-trodden Sentier des Merveilles trail
The hike ends with a descent on an easy trail.

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BRUNOELSASS
BRUNOELSASS

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I think it's better to do this route in reverse, as this allows you to take a longer break at Odilienbari and quickly return to the car park.

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irma70
irma70

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

a parish-specific to Brittany, very beautiful hike, mainly through the forest. There are many people at Mont Sainte Odile, a place of spirituality. The Sentier des Merveilles trail is beginning to show its age, with time taking its toll; some of the sculptures are no longer representative.

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Mikko
Mikko
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike, well shaded, with lots to discover.
On this sunny day at the end of the school holidays, there were lots of people around Mont Sainte Odile, but fewer further away.
Stollhafen (point 10) is really tricky. Despite the description, I picked up the wrong yellow signpost and, because I didn't check my GPS, I missed the start of the Sentier des Merveilles trail and ended up taking a detour of nearly 2 km along the pagan wall.

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RafRuns
RafRuns
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Many thanks to the author for this beautiful route.
Mostly through woodland, this hike is very pleasant. We started from St Nabor, as indicated, which meant a steep climb right from the start. Not too busy on this weekday, we encountered a few people at Mont Ste Odile where we had lunch.
Thank you!!!

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Sophie68
Sophie68

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike that will take your breath away!

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agnes67640
agnes67640

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful hike, very popular route on weekends when the weather is nice

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LudovicW
LudovicW

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

Very good hike.
Beautiful scenery.
The app helps to clear up any doubts at certain junctions.

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patrick vaxelaire
patrick vaxelaire

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike starting from Mont Sainte-Odile with views over the Alsace plain
There are many interesting sights to discover along this beautiful route.

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Laurent Bernard.
Laurent Bernard.

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike, done in sunny weather, pure bliss! What's more, at the beginning of October, there were very few people on this trail, which must surely be much busier in the summer season! Very pleasant trails, mostly shaded, with beautiful sights to discover throughout this lovely outing.

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HIPPYSHET
HIPPYSHET

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Very nice hike, GPX track OK. I recommend this route. Not difficult but quite long. Route marked with points of interest.

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thiery.francis88
thiery.francis88
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello, beautiful hike, not very busy in September despite the magnificent weather.
Starting from Mont Saint Odile is a good idea, as it allowed us to visit the site before setting off on the hike. If you plan to do it afterwards, even though the hike is of moderate difficulty, you'll be exhausted after 16 km.

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