Circular route between Roches Plates and Warthenberg

Discover the Roches Plates climbing site, the Heidenstadt oppidum, the Spitzfelsen and Kanzelfels rocks, the medieval quarry and menhirs at Frohnberg, Warthenberg Castle and the Daubenschlag rock, the Roman road, the Wasserfallfelsen, the Fairy Cave, the Witches' Circle and Saint-Michel Chapel. Beautiful views of the Northern Vosges and the Alsace plain.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.75 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,693 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,693 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,401 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 817 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

Car park in front of Saint-Jean-Saverne cemetery, Rue de la Forêt.

(S/E) Turn left into Rue Saint-Michel and stay on this road.

(1) Turn right at the end of the street and take the path marked with a Blue Rectangle crossed out in white. Turn left onto the path and then, at the fork, continue straight ahead.

(2) Turn right at the hairpin bend onto the path marked with a Blue Rectangle, then left when you reach the path marked with a Red Ring.

(3) Stop at the Roches Plates viewpoint and continue the route.

(4) At the left-hand bend, turn onto thefirst unmarked path on the right. Turn right when you reach the forest road.

(5) At the Langenthal cross, take the path opposite marked with a Blue Rectangle towards Warthenberg.

(6) At the Heidenstadt junction, in front of the oppidum, turn right, then, at the next fork, go straight on.

(7) Turn right, then right again about a hundred metres further on, and then left onto the path marked with a Blue Rectangle crossed by a White Rectangle. At the fork, continue straight ahead.

(8) Climb the winding path to the left marked with a Yellow Ring towards Spitzfelsen. Turn onto the path on the left, then shortly afterwards climb the path on the right. Pass by Spitzfelsen and continue along this path. At the Kanzel crossroads, go straight on to the Roman milestone, then turn back and head towards Daubenschlag Rock.

(9) Turn onto the path on the right, then veer left towards the Frohnber quarry, marked with a Red Disc. Cross the quarry and pass the cup marks. At the Opferteller junction, take the path on the right. At the T-junction, turn left and follow this path to Warthenberg Castle. Enter the castle grounds and continue to the end, up to the Daubenschlag rock. Return to the castle entrance.

(10) Turn right, then walk around the castle and the rock. At the fork, turn right and immediately follow the path marked with a Yellow Ring towards Ernolsheim. Cross one path, then another.

(11) At the junction, turn right onto the Red Cross-marked path towards Saint Michel. Continue straight ahead at the fork.

(8) Turn left at the next fork onto the path marked with a Red Disc.

(12) At the junction, turn right, then turn right again about 50 metres further on onto the Plattenweg marked with a Red Disc.

(13) Turn left towards Mont Saint-Michel and Frohnberg. Turn left after about 200 metres.

(14) Head down the path marked with a Red Cross to the left. Pass in front of the Wasserfallfelsen. Then turn right towards Saint-Jean-Saverne.

(15) Walk straight up towards the road. Follow the road to the right for about ten metres and take the path on the left marked with a Blue Rectangle crossed out in a White Rectangle. Turn left towards the Grotte des Fées. Climb the stairs and visit the cave on the right. Retrace your steps back to the chapel and the viewpoint. Go back down the stairs.

(16) Follow the Antoine Ziller path and the steps down to the cemetery car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 906 ft - Cemetery car park.
  2. 1 : mi 0.22 - alt. 902 ft - Turn right at the fork.
  3. 2 : mi 0.58 - alt. 1,129 ft - Blue Rectangle trail on the right.
  4. 3 : mi 1.83 - alt. 1,273 ft - Roches Plates, viewpoint
  5. 4 : mi 2.38 - alt. 1,296 ft - Turn right at the fork.
  6. 5 : mi 2.91 - alt. 1,316 ft - Langenthal Cross.
  7. 6 : mi 3.46 - alt. 1,302 ft - Heidenstadt, on the right
  8. 7 : mi 3.88 - alt. 1,273 ft - Turn right at the fork.
  9. 8 : mi 4.56 - alt. 961 ft - Markings: Yellow Ring, on the left.
  10. 9 : mi 5.03 - alt. 1,309 ft - Turn right at the fork.
  11. 10 : mi 6.14 - alt. 1,302 ft - Château du Warthenberg
  12. 11 : mi 6.72 - alt. 817 ft - Red Cross markings, on the right.
  13. 12 : mi 7.63 - alt. 961 ft - Crossroads, turn right
  14. 13 : mi 8.03 - alt. 1,257 ft - Turn left at the fork.
  15. 14 : mi 8.62 - alt. 1,204 ft - Red Cross markings, on the left.
  16. 15 : mi 9.19 - alt. 1,017 ft - Turn right at the fork.
  17. 16 : mi 9.41 - alt. 1,191 ft - Antoine Ziller path.
  18. S/E : mi 9.75 - alt. 902 ft - Cemetery car park.

Notes

No drinking water.
Picnic areas at Warthenberg Castle and Saint-Michel Chapel.
Plenty of benches along the route.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 7 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
Djef57
Djef57

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 13, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed with a little snow, beautiful things to see...
I want to do it again in the summer to discover other colours.
Matches the description.

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Jean-Michel Joissains
Jean-Michel Joissains

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 31, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk with no real difficulty. The route offers several access points to remarkable sites. I particularly recommend it to lovers of old buildings!

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PGE
PGE

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello.
Great walk, forest, beautiful views, ruins, rocks, really very nice.
Please note that there is currently quite a lot of tree felling on the trails, and the trunks have not been cleared (19/03/25)...
The end at Saint-Michel Chapel is great.
In short, a must-do.

PGE

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Mélanie 67
Mélanie 67

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very easy hike!

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agnes67640
agnes67640
• Edited:

A very beautiful, shaded walk with magnificent views.

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Nono 88
Nono 88

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk in the forest, with lots to see and one or two viewpoints.

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jcgerhard
jcgerhard

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice route, but it wasn't great, it was raining.

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xerocrete
xerocrete

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 03, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful, enjoyable hike that is not too difficult and allows you to discover many unusual places.
We decided to park the car at the Mont St Michel chapel car park.
From there, we followed the red route, which took us to Roches Plates. We also took a few liberties with the suggested itinerary, as we were already familiar with some of the places.
It should be noted that at point 14, the trail is marked with a red easel rather than a red cross.

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