SECTION SUMMARY TABLE
| Start | Distance | Ascent/Descent | Time |
| Wissembourg | 8.5km (5 miles) | 350m/170m | 2hr 40min |
| Climbach | 9km (5.5 miles) | 180m/160m | 2hr 45min |
| Fleckenstein Castle | 3km (2 miles) | 180m/240m | 1hr |
| Froensbourg Castle | 7.5km (4.5 miles) | 50m/110m | 2hr 15min |
| Obersteinbach | 5.5km (3.5 miles) | 270m/180m | 1hr 45min |
| Windstein | 7.5km (4.5 miles) | 360m/110m | 2hr 45min |
| Grand Wintersberg | 4km (2.5 miles) | 0m/400m | 1hr 25min |
SECTION 1
Wissembourg to Niederbronn-les-Bains
| Start | Wissembourg |
| Distance | 45km (28 miles) |
| Maps | IGN TOP100 sheet 112; TOP75 sheet 027; Club Vosgien 1:50,000 sheet 2/8 |
Wissembourg to Climbach, 8.5km (5 miles), 2hr 40min
Hotels, restaurants, cafés and shops in Wissembourg; shelter on Scherhol; refuge at Col du Pigeonnier; hotel/restaurants and bakery in Climbach.
The GR53 starts from the railway station in Wissembourg. Turn left along the road, following red rectangle waymarks and continue past a roundabout and up the D77. Fork right along Boulevard Clemenceau (D334). The GR53 soon leaves to the right along a footpath, with the river and town wall to the right.
The River Lauter divides into several channels to flow through Wissembourg, giving the old quarter a unique atmosphere. Considerable stretches of the town wall still survive, and surrounding streets are lined with handsome half-timbered buildings. The local museum, the Musée Westercamp, is itself situated in two fine 16th-century houses. As in the rest of Alsace, summer visitors will find buildings festooned with flowers, with the gardens in the centre of town adding to the colourful scene.
A footbridge crosses the river to the right, and a short diversion here reaches the picturesque older quarter of Wissembourg. The GR53 takes the path to the left, climbs up to the road and turns right. Turn left up Rue du Château d’Eau, then left again almost immediately towards Col du Pigeonnier. Follow left, uphill, on a more major road, until a waymark indicates a right turn up a track at the edge of town.
Continue uphill towards a mast, then go left at a T-junction, and right at a fork. Stay with this track for about 15min as it climbs gently to reveal a broad view over Wissembourg, then turn right, following a footpath that runs parallel to a road for over 1km.
At the parking area opposite the Maison Forestière Scherhol, turn right, then almost immediately left up the Sentier Edouard Ditenbeck. This soon reaches the remains of a redoute, a defensive earthwork dating back to the war of the Spanish Succession.
The GR53 crosses an adjacent parking area, heading for Scherhol Sommet, still accompanied by the bank and ditch of the old defensive system. Keep on the well-signed woodland path, turning left along a vehicle track and following the major path to the Scherhol junction.
Take the left-hand path, which leads past another embankment-and-ditch defensive work and an unlocked Club Vosgien shelter to reach the Col Du Pigeonnier refuge. Opening times are restricted, but there is an open shelter at the rear and accessible drinking water.
Below the refuge the GR53 takes the Sentier Robert Redslob, signposted to Climbach. This descends through the trees, turning off sharply left almost immediately to head downhill. After about 15min it joins a vehicle track. Turn left, then when another track comes in from the right, follow it ahead. In another 15min, turn right along the road into Climbach.
Climbach
Climbach to Fleckenstein Castle, 9km (5.5 miles), 2hr 45min
Restaurant in Petit-Wingen; café at Fleckenstein Castle.
Turn right up Rue de la Hardt, and at the end of the road follow the footpath tending left along the edge of a meadow and through woods to reach a road. The route turns left for a short distance, and then leaves to the right. At the far side of this stretch of woods, turn left down a farm track into the little village of Petit-Wingen, where the GR53 turns right by the restaurant. Follow the road up beyond the village and then, where it takes a sharp left turn, leave by a track to the right and very soon fork left onto a more minor track.
The route drops down to cross a stream, diverts briefly left along a lane, then takes a track up the hillside to the right. Continue to the Étang du Heinbach, then follow to the left of the étang (small lake) climbing steadily.
After the climb levels off, look for a track to the right and follow this down to a fork, where the route carries on downhill to Col du Litschhof, beside an open-fronted shelter. The crag of Loewenstein Castle lies just ahead. Take the middle vehicle track on the far side of the road, then leave by a footpath to the right, towards Hohenbourg Castle and Loewenstein Castle. This crosses one small track and goes quite steeply uphill before emerging onto a more level track below the castle rock. Turn left and continue uphill to Col du Hohenbourg.
The GR53 goes to the left here, but a short detour reaches the ruins of Hohenbourg and Loewenstein castles, two of the castles which make the Northern Vosges special. To visit them, take the footpath to the right, then immediately fork right along the red/white/red waymarked path. The scant remains of Loewenstein are spectacularly sited on a promontory, and Hohenbourg lies just along the ridge.
Returning to Col du Hohenbourg and the GR53, go downhill, and fork right, to reach the visitor centre in front of Fleckenstein Castle.
Fleckenstein Castle to Froensbourg Castle, 3km (2 miles), 1hr
Fleckenstein campsite (1km off route).
The GR53 carries on past the entrance to the castle, and drops to the left to follow a well-made footpath, with the castle rock up to the right. After a few minutes the route forks right to reach the D925 (Fleckenstein campsite is 1km off-route to the left). Cross the road and pass the end of an étang. At a choice of four paths, do not take the sharp left, but the second path that turns towards the left, as waymarked. This climbs steadily, crossing two tracks then turning left along a third for a short distance before leaving to the right.
Continue along this level track, but after about 25min, look out for a narrow path to the left dropping down through trees to Froensbourg Castle. It may look inaccessible, but narrow pathways along the rockface and a fixed ladder allow you to explore the site.
Froensbourg Castle, carved into the sandstone
Froensbourg Castle to Obersteinbach, 7.5km (4.5 miles), 2hr 15min
Hotels, gîte and restaurants