Tour of the Hohneck via Frankenthal and Lake Schiessrothried

Car park at the foot of the Hohneck, right next tothe Auberge du Pied du Hohneck and the bar-restaurant Le Paquis.

(S/E) Take the road leading up to the summit of the Hohneck. At the first hairpin bend, continue straight on along the path which crosses two cross-trails before reaching the Col de Falimont and its multi-way junction.

(1) Continue straight ahead for a few metres to descend the steep path marked with a Yellow Disc, which leads to the Frankental valley. At the bottom of the descent, after passing near the peat bogs, it joins the GR®531 marked with a Blue Rectangle. Turn right to reach the Auberge du Frankental.

(2) Leave the inn on your right and continue towards the Col du Schaefertal (Red Triangle). Once in the forest, the path climbs again and reaches a fork.

(3) Leave the GR® on your left as it continues towards Gashney, and turn right following the Red Triangle markings. Halfway up the slope, you can take a detour to the right to visit Dagobert’s Cave (nothing special). Continue until you leave the forest (just before the scree). Then turn left, off the main path, to reach a rock a few dozen metres away, and admire a beautiful view to the north over the ridges and the Munster valley.

(4) From the rock, continue across the scree to reach the Schaefertal Pass and the junction with the GR®5 (Red Rectangle) coming from the Hohneck.

(5) Leave the Red Triangle markings and continue on the GR® towards Lake Schiessrothried. The path is stony and descends to the Schiessroth Farm Inn, a remarkable viewpoint.

(6) Descend below the inn, still following the GR®, along a winding path mainly through the forest. Ignore a path branching off to the right, continue the descent until you reach the junction with the GR®531 (Blue Rectangle) coming from the left. Take this to the right and arrive at the dam of Lake Schiessrothried. Beautiful view of the lake and the glacial cirque.

(7) Cross the dam; at the end, let the GR®5 branch off to the left, stay along the shore for a few metres, then turn left towards the Honneck on the GR®531 (Blue Rectangle). After almost 200 m and a wide right-hand bend, you’ll come to a junction.

(8) Leave the GR® and continue to the right, following the Blue Triangle markings. After a long, beautiful climb dotted with rocks, finish with a series of hairpin bends and fairly technical sections to reach the Col du Wormspel and its multi-way junction. During this climb, you may spot some chamois.

(9) Head straight down the path through the stubble fields, which leads back to the Pied du Hohneck car park (S/E).

Two farmhouse inns where you can eat and fill your water bottle along the route, plus the one located at the start and finish car park.

Wear sturdy footwear: the paths are steep.

The summit of Hohneck, the panoramic views, the numerous farmhouse inns, the ridge road, the rock trail, and the Haut Chitelet alpine garden. Several challenging climbing sites.