Ranrupt walks

A beautiful walk through the forest and meadows, taking you from a small village to the old castle of La Roche with a splendid view of the valley. The first hill you see is the Col de la Perheux. Behind this pass, you will see the Donon. Along the way, you will have several views of the Climont.

Climont is a curious conical massif that you will approach from the south. The climb is steep, but the view from the top of the Julius Tower, at an altitude of over 960 metres, is well worth the effort.  21/04/2025: Five years after its first publication, I revisited this route to check that the description still corresponds to the terrain. I took the opportunity to clarify certain passages and add a few waypoints. The descent is quite technical and difficult, and it is best to avoid it in rainy weather, or to hike in the opposite direction. Enjoy your outing, everyone.

This circular loop, which runs mostly through the woods, offers a pleasant variety of points of interest. Villages and landscapes, nature and habitat, crafts, history and places of worship (ornate chapels, sandstone crosses) all contribute to the appeal of this still little-known region of Alsace.

A pleasant short hike with varied landscapes that will introduce you to the Champ du Feu.

A hike through stubble fields and forests, with superb scenery. Departure from Belmont, with the option of refreshments at Col de la Charbonnière

A beautiful hike with stunning views of all the surrounding valleys: the Bruche Valley, Donon, Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, Val de Villé, Sainte-Croix-aux-Mines, Haut-Koenigsbourg, etc. It is quite difficult due to its length, elevation gain and rough terrain (narrow paths on the edge of the void or muddy forest paths).

This hike will take you through Ban-de-la-Roche, a place dear to Pastor Jean-Frédéric Oberlin, who served there for 60 years. The route will take you through magnificent landscapes, past a little-known castle (or what remains of it) and to the highest point in the Bas-Rhin.It is a fairly long hike with a significant elevation gain, classified as difficult, which I completed in about 7 hours of walking.

Loop connecting the various villages in the Chirgoutte valley, which were part of the former seigneury of Ban de la Roche. Circuit on the western slope of the Champ du Feu, alternating between forest, pastures and gorse heathland. Beautiful views of the Donon and Climont mountains.

An easy hike to Champ du Feu, the highest peak in the Bas-Rhin at 1,099 metres above sea level, offering breathtaking views of the surrounding peaks. Pass by the tower, yurts and stunning viewpoints over Climont and then the Val de Villé.

Circular starting from Urbeis in the Villé valley, following the heritage trail on the theme of the mining past, then passing by the ruins of Bilstein Castle, the village of Climont and the Col d'Urbeis.

A walk from Champ du Feu to the Andlau Waterfall (also known as the Hohwald Waterfall) via Chaume des Veaux, with views of the Ungersberg, Val de Villé and Haut-Koenigsbourg

Beautiful snowshoe trek beneath the Champ du Feu from the Col du Kreuzweg. Pass through the Pelage site, a paragliding centre offering a superb view, then through the Chaume des Beaux, a beautiful open space in which to enjoy the sun. Some "off-track" sections for the sake of fun in the snow but with the option to stay on the marked trails for those who want it.

A beautiful hike passing through the pass and the Charbonnière inn, where you can recharge your batteries with some good food, before reaching the highest point of the Champ du Feu. On the way back, you will pass by the paragliding launch site with a magnificent view of the Villé valley.

Circular hike in the Villé valley, starting from Saint-Martin, going around Breitenbach and returning via Maisonsgoutte. The route is mainly open, winding through meadows, offering some beautiful views of the valley, and ending in the forest.

Loop hike starting from Fouchy, through beautiful pine and deciduous forests. Gradual climb to Col du Petit Haut, alternating between paths and trails. Return via pleasant trails on the slopes of Rougerain and Guichat, with the Rocher de la Salière and the Roche du Cheval Tombé. The walk ends with part of the heritage trail "Une forêt en pays welsche" (A forest in Welsh country) and the viewpoint at the Fouchy reservoir.

This short hike in the hills above Villé takes us from the River Giessen to theGR®532trail along the ridges, with beautiful views of the Champ du Feu massif on one side and the Col de Fouchy on the other the other.

Hike to the Champ du Feu by climbing up the Serva

This balcony trail offers a pleasant walk to discover the trees and plants of the local flora overlooking the village of Natzwiller and offers beautiful views of the picturesque landscape of the Rothaine valley. A variant along the way gives you the option of a round trip to a important memorial site.

The Val de Villé tourist office publishes very well-designed hiking maps. Today, we are following trail No. 12, known as the Route de la Honel, which will take you through villages and forests with scenic views and rock formations. This hike is particularly beautiful in spring when the orchards are in bloom and the views are still unobstructed, as the forest canopy has not yet fully formed. The trail is fairly easy.

A very beautiful hike featuring two magnificent waterfalls (Andlau and Serva) and passing through Champ du Feu and Chaume des Veaux.The hike is accessible in all seasons. Most of it is in the forest, except for the section at the top of Champ du Feu. Magnificent in autumn and winter.I have rated the difficulty as "difficult" due to the elevation gain, but the hike does not present any technical difficulties.

This short walk around Col de Fouchy will take you through the northern part of the Val d'Argent, passing Col du Petit Haut, Rocher de la Salière, Roche du Cheval Tombé and Col du Rougerain. A full programme of forest paths and trails accessible to all. Not suitable for pushchairs as some paths are too narrow.

This walk is one of seven heritage trails created by the Vallée de Villé. By following these routes, you will discover the secrets of the villages' heritage as well as the most beautiful places and viewpoints in the Vallée de Villé. The Albé heritage trail takes you through the most picturesque village in the valley and its vineyards, where you will discover several interesting sights in the commune.

Let's follow the route that prisoners took in all weathers from Rothau station to the Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp. They were not equipped with hiking boots or sticks to climb this mountain.

This is an unmissable hike in the Villé Valley, which takes you past some unusually shaped rocks (the Cheval Tombé, the Salière and the Roche des Fées) and leads to the Rocher du Coucou with its stunning views of the valley and the Central Alsace plain, as well as the iconic Château du Frankenbourg, which once protected the area.

This first stage is probably the hardest day of the route. Beautiful views, pleasant trails and few forest roads. A steep climb at the end of the day explains the "Difficult" rating.

Three days of hiking and camping around the Val de Senones, passing by beautiful viewpoints. Campsites at the Tête du Coquin and the Haute Loge.

Mainly on shaded paths through the woods, this hike offers various points of interest, including the pretty Étang du Coucou lake surrounded by fir trees, the Chatte Pendue with its magnificent view of the Bruche valley and the Champs du Feu massif, and the Romanesque ruins of Salm Castle.

A circular walk mainly through forest. Starting from the enchanting setting of the Étang du Coucou, you will discover the ruins of the Château de Salm, currently undergoing restoration. You will then climb up to the promontory of the Chatte Pendue with its orientation table, make a short stop at the Monument des Passeurs, and then follow a slightly wilder path to the Tourbière de la Maxe. July 2022 modification of the route between (8) and (9) due to poor trail maintenance: temporarily leave the blue cross markings in place.

Walk at 1,000 metres in the forests around Rothlach. Curiosities, places of remembrance and breathtaking views make this hike a successful outing.

Encounter the Mennonites in the Salm region. This community originated from Anabaptists who fled the Zurich region of Switzerland where they were persecuted. Many of them emigrated to the United States and created the Amish movement. Information panels are located along the route.

This outing will take us to an enclave of the Dukes of Lorraine in Alsace, a little-visited valley in the heart of the Vosges forest. This route through mountainous countryside, on well-marked trails, presents no difficulty other than its length and elevation, even in the depths of winter, provided that the snow cover does not hinder progress.

A short circular walk providing access to Frankenbourg Castle via the easiest route, starting from La Vancelle. The castle enjoyed a strategic location at the entrance to two valleys: the Val de Villé along the Giessen (the salt road) and the Val d'Argent along the Lièpvrette (the silver mines). The route takes place in the forest and offers beautiful views from the castle courtyard.

This easy circular will take you to the well-preserved Frankenbourg Castle. From there, you can enjoy views of the Alsace plain and the Black Forest in the distance.Further on, along a shaded path, you will see glimpses of the Villé valley and the superb rocks of La Roche des Fées. On the way back, the Rocher du Coucou viewpoint overlooks Frankenbourg Castle, and finally a small viewpoint offers a view of Lièpvre.