On the heights of Thann

A beautiful, shaded hike in a stunning forest that will take you to the heights of Thann.
From there, an impressive panorama stretches towards the Alsace plain and the Swiss Jura.

Details

312531
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.78 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 434 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 428 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 710 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 341 m

Photos

Description of the walk

(S/E) Departure point: Place des Combattants d'Afrique du Nord in Thann, at 3 Rue des Jardins, signposted on the wall.
Take the small staircase at the top of the car park which leads to the Chemin du Staufen.
Follow this path for about 100 metres, following the red rectangle towards Staufen (Croix de Lorraine), and after the first house on Rue du Staufen, turn right onto the narrow, fairly steep stairway marked with a red triangle.
You are now at Staufen 510m, where there are benches offering a beautiful view of the Thann valley.

(1) Continue along the path marked with red triangles until you reach the intersection. Continue along the path marked with red rectangles and blue rings towards Place du Roi de Rome and the Plan Diebolt Scheurer and its shelter.
But before you reach the Plan Diebolt barrier, about 100m before it on your right, you will see an oak tree with six trunks.

(2) Then follow the middle path marked with a yellow cross to Baumann - Weierlé to find the Baumann shelter at an altitude of 726m, which was completely renovated in 2017.

(3) Take the blue-crossed Baumann trail to the Teufelsgrund pass.

(4) At the intersection, follow the red discs and green rings, then the blue triangle towards the Zuber viewpoint.
Superb view of the Grand Ballon and nearby chalet, but not always open.

(5) At the chalet, continue downhill following the blue triangle and red disc signs towards Thann Riegelsbourg. Go around the mountain to return to Thann Steinby and not towards Leimbach. Please note that the red discs have been replaced by green ones.

(6) At the tennis courts, turn right onto the path with the red sign and blue cross towards Thann. To return to the car park, take Rue du Steinby, then turn left onto Rue des Jardins (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 341 m - Place des Combattants d'Afrique du Nord
  2. 1 : km 0.93 - alt. 496 m - Staufen
  3. 2 : km 4.53 - alt. 616 m - Diebolt Scheurer map
  4. 3 : km 6.5 - alt. 710 m - Baumann shelter
  5. 4 : km 7.47 - alt. 611 m - Col du Teufelsgrund (609m)
  6. 5 : km 8.21 - alt. 648 m - Zuber viewpoint
  7. 6 : km 10.32 - alt. 385 m - Tennis court
  8. S/E : km 11.78 - alt. 341 m - Place des Combattants d'Afrique du Nord

Notes

Walk in the Vosges: wear good shoes, bring walking sticks and something to drink.
In case of rain, do not visit Zuber but take the blue cross path towards Steinby.

Worth a visit

Don't miss the magnificent six-trunk oak tree before Plan Diebolt

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 30 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
La Sandrine 68
La Sandrine 68

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 09, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

An easy hike along forest paths with only two or three interesting viewpoints to enjoy in hot weather.

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Charry
Charry

Hello Jean-François
I'm delighted to hear that you enjoyed the hike. It's often very busy when the weather is nice.
see you soon, and thank you for your feedback
Charry

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Girardin  Jean  François
Girardin Jean François

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant route offering beautiful views of the town of Thann and its surroundings.
The start is a little tough, with a flight of steps, but the rest of the route is fairly easy. There is a shelter where you can eat at a place called Weierle

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Charry
Charry

Hello Chris,
This is one of my favourite hikes. Especially in summer because there's lots of shade along the way.
see you soon, and thanks for your feedback
Charry

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Chris DE LoralsA
Chris DE LoralsA

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful, unpretentious hike, apart from the steep climb at the very beginning to the Lorraine cross, which we enjoyed discovering on a beautiful early spring day. There are some lovely open spots with beautiful views of the Grand Ballon massif as you progress and a few views of the plain on the Michelbach side. There are a few benches and tables along the route. We chose the refuge chalet for our picnic before the descent back to Thann. To be done alone or with the family, no particular difficulty except for the first few steps. A wonderful discovery for us. Highly recommended.

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Charry
Charry

Hello Cricri
Apart from climbing the stairs, the children do it running.
You did well to do this hike downhill, because there were a lot of people up in the Vosges.
There are many more people in summer because it's very shady.
see you soon
Charry

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Cricri1964!
Cricri1964!

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely short hike, very few people, done with my 11-year-old grandson. The route is accessible for children of this age.

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Charry
Charry

Hello, Gérard
Thank you for your feedback and especially for enjoying the hike.
see you soon
Charry

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gerard stk
gerard stk

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful circuit
Not many people on the circuit
Beautiful view

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Charry
Charry

Hello MP68
Thanks for your feedback, and see you on your next hike.
Charry

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MP68
MP68

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant route in the off-season with beautiful views. Lots of benches

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Charry
Charry

Great, thank you, and see you on the next hike!
@ +
Charry

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Nathalie et Francis
Nathalie et Francis

Hello
The signage was spot on and the paths were perfectly passable
👍

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Charry
Charry
• Edited:

Hello Nathalie and Francis
Thanks for your feedback. Yes, the stairs really warm up the muscles!
It's a particularly pleasant walk in summer when it's very hot because there's plenty of shade.
Has the Vosges club made any changes to the signage?
see you soon
Charry

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Nathalie et Francis
Nathalie et Francis

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant hike with beautiful views. The trail starts with a flight of steps leading to the Lorraine Cross. No particular difficulty.

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