New Windstein Castle – Grand Wintersberg loop from Château de Wineck

Hiking trails & Routes

New Windstein Castle – Grand Wintersberg loop from Château de Wineck

Hard

4.8

(48)

282

hikers

New Windstein Castle – Grand Wintersberg loop from Château de Wineck

08:41

27.7km

1,050m

Hiking

Hard hike. Very good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: August 21, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

Parc naturel régional des Vosges du Nord

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

1.65 km

Château du Wineck

Highlight • Castle

Apart from walking around it once, there is nothing more you can do at this heavily decayed ruin. It would also be far too complex and expensive to invest anything here anymore.

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3.30 km

Waldi' refuge

Highlight • Other

Very good and well-thought-out, built hut with a plexiglass pane and benches on the outer walls.
The condition was also absolutely clean. We gladly had our snack break here.

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4.71 km

Col du Petit Grueneberg

Mountain Pass

7.38 km

View of the Old Windstein

Highlight • Other

You can climb to the lower rock of the castle. A fantastic view. Also impressive is the deep well.

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7.87 km

New Windstein Castle

Highlight • Castle

A very beautiful ruin with a magnificent view.
You can climb up the castle's interior via newly installed metal stairs. However, if you're afraid of heights, don't look down... the …

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14.2 km

Pottaschkopf Shelter

Highlight • Other

A beautiful refuge at the crossroads at the Pottaschkopf. The windows of the hut are lined with plexiglass so that no wind can pass through. Those who can climb (there …

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15.1 km

Ascent to Grand Wintersberg

Highlight • Other

Beautiful view of the Grand Wintersberg

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15.6 km

Grand Wintersberg

Highlight • Summit

At 581 meters above sea level, the Grand Wintersberg is the highest mountain in the Northern Vosges. At the summit there is a 25 m high lookout tower, which offers …

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25.8 km

Seelberg area

Highlight • Other

Very nice stop with self-service cold drinks and two picnic tables.

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27.7 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

15.3 km

10.8 km

541 m

519 m

511 m

< 100 m

Surfaces

14.5 km

10.6 km

914 m

714 m

519 m

296 m

196 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (570 m)

Lowest point (200 m)

Weather

Saturday 17 October

11°C

6°C

48 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 14.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

July 27, 2023,GR53/5 Tag 2 Obersteinbach-Niederbronn

A wet 🌧️ day and I broke a blister, hmmmm. However, that didn't detract from the variety. Yesterday is still on my mind so I call it a day in Niederbronn and enjoy the sauna.

A wet 🌧️ day and got a blister but that didn't detract from the variety. Yesterday's still in my legs so I'll call it a …

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May 4, 2025,Les Vosges du Nord - J4 - Étape 3 de Obersteinbach à Niederbronn-les-Bains

Loop in the Northern Vosges.
Day 4/7 - Stage 3: From Obersteinbach to Niederbronn-les-Bains - 21.3 km, 810 m, 880 m.
We're climbing another notch, not in terms of distance, but in terms of elevation. While not particularly difficult, the elevation gain is quite challenging at times.
To our delight, today's stage marks a return to nature: lush, dense, wild, …

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September 30, 2025,Auf dem GR53 von Niederbronn les Bains nach Obersteinbach

Day 4 of Hiking:
Starting at the Celtic Spring in Niederbronn-les-Bains, we hiked along the GR53 long-distance trail up to the Grand Wintersberg (581 m). We continued through the mushroom-rich, beautiful countryside via the Wineckertal valley to the medieval, extremely picturesque Altwindstein castle ruins, which we were all very impressed by. We were also interested in the Wassersteine (water stones), …

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June 1, 2025,Tag 3: Obersteinbach - Bad Niederbronn

We stayed overnight in Obersteinbach at the Hotel Petit Arnsbourg. Highly recommended! It's original, clean, and the food was delicious.

We set off early at 8:00 a.m. so we could relax and catch our 4:00 p.m. train from Bad Niederbronn to Karlsruhe. The hiking route was once again very beautiful. Highlights included Windstein Castle, coffee and cake at the Club …

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