Châtenois (67730) and Scherwiller (67750) are located some 60 km southwest of the city of Strasbourg. Tourist Office: some pretty stunning pictures!
Trail number 2 loops south of Châtenois, overlapping the second half of its distance with the finishing bit of trail number 3 (in the same direction). Trail number 3 loops into the southwest. Alternative starting points could be villages of Orschwiller and Kintzheim, and for trail number 3 also village of St-Hippolyte.
Both red ones: Trail number 3 for a more interesting elevation profile, trail number 1 for its combination possibilities with trail number 1 (red) of Val de Villé.
Neunhoffen (67110)
Neunhoffen is located some 65 km northwest of Strasbourg, and merged with the village of Dambach.
Starting point for all three trails is the Dambach-Neunhoffen MJC (Maison des Jeunes et de la Culture).
Green and red trails start out together, with short doubleback sections. They meet blue loop, finishing off. While green loop heads west around Château du Hohenfels, red loop seems to continue overlapping with blue loop (in opposite directions) before it breaks off for a loop of its own around village of Windstein. Blue trails loops in northeastern direction, up to Château du Schoeneck, where you might find an interesting alternative of a starting point.
Map and signage
Check out the informative pdf file.
Interconnecting trails
Only 14 km away, I would not be surprised if a proper large-scale topographic map would convey a combinable solution with trail number 3 (red) of Niederbronn-Les-Bains.
Notes
What a shame total amount of climbing is not indicated. I am not much for guessing from the elevation profiles!
[Back to Top]
Niederbronn-Les-Bains (67110)
Niederbronn-Les-Bains is located some 50 km northwest of Strasbourg.
Starting points are as follows: A - Pottaschplatz, B - Source Celtique.
In the north, more than half of the distance of green loop is covered by blue and red loop. Red loop covers most of the distance of blue loop. All overlappings seem to be in the same direction.
Map and signage
Check out the informative pdf files: 1, 2.
Interconnecting trails
Only 14 km away, I would not be surprised if a proper large-scale topographic map would convey a combinable solution with trail number 3 (red) of Neunhoffen.
[Back to Top]
La Petite Pierre (67290)
La Petite Pierre is located some 70 km northwest of Strasbourg. Tourist Office.
Starting points are as follows: A - Tourist Office, B - Football stadium (stade de football) and C - pond of Imsthal (Étang d'Imsthal).
The small-scale pdf map is difficult to interprete in detail. It looks like trail number 1 (blue) starts out together with trails 3 (red), 5 (red) and 6 (black), before it shoots off in a loop of its own in southeastern direction. In the east it overlaps a small section with trail number 8 (green).
Trail number 8 (green) has the pond of Imsthal as its starting point, but BEWARE! Over half of its distance seems to be a double-back section (overlapping with trail number 1).
Trail number 3 (red) loops off together with trail number 5 (red). At Graufthal it heads back, and doubles back a section (thus, in opposite direction to itself as well as trail number 5) before it hooks up with trail number 6 (black) to overlap the last distance back into La Petite Pierre.
Trail number 6 (black) is thus to most of its distance covered by trail number 3 (red).
Trail number 5 (red) goes on its own to the east, past Oberhof, Dossenheim-sur-Zinsel and Neuwiller-Lès-Saverne before it loops back northwest to Erckartswiller where it hooks up with trail number 4 (red) (in opposite directions).
Trail number 4 (red) loops in northern direction. The beginning is the last part of trail number 5 (red) (in opposite directions), until it breaks off on its own at Erckartswiller and continues to Sparsbach and Wimmenau, then west to Wingen-sur-Moder, before heading back south where it overlaps maybe one third of the distance of trail number 7, after which it shoots back into La Petite Pierre.
A double-back liaison section seems to be provided for trail number 7 (red) from La Petite Pierre to the parking of M.F. de la Petite Pierre.
Trail number 2 (blue) is an abomination double-back-wise. A double-back liaison seems to be provided from its official starting point La Petite Pierre to the parking of M.F. de la Petite Pierre (where you can start on trail number 7). From here you have ANOTHER double-back section longer than half its distance, before you finally do a loop just east of the village of Lohr.
Map and signage
Check out the informative pdf file.
Interconnecting trails
Trail number 5, by Dossenheim-sur-Zinsel, could easily be hooked up with trail number 1 (red) of Saverne, by using the TMV as a double-back section.
Notes
Theoretical favourites: Do 7, hook up with 4 into La Petite Pierre, do 6 (or 1+8), then back to 7, or: Do 4, and then 6 (or 1+8).
[Back to Top]
Pays de Barr et du Bernstein
The trails of Pays de Barr et du Bernstein take in villages of Andlau and Hohwald, both with postal code 67140. They are located some 50 km southwest of Strasbourg.
Starting points are as follows: A - Tourist Office of Le Hohwald, B - Tourist Office of Andlau.
Trail number 1 one long double-back section, and it covers all of the southern part of trail number 2 (in opposite directions).
Map and signage
Check out the informative pdf file.
Interconnecting trails
Villé is 14 kilometers away into the south, possibly even closer off-road.
Notes
There is not much choice. Trail number 1 would be the only option for me, yet .. looking at the elevation profile, it does not tempt me much at all.
[Back to Top]
Pays du Mont Sainte Odile
Villages of Rosheim (67560) and Grendelbruch (69190) are 13 kilometres apart. Rosheim is located some 30 km west of the city of Strasbourg. City of Rosheim. Mont Sainte Odile (Wikipedia). Mont Sainte Odile. Village of Ottrott.
Official starting points are as follows: A - Rosheim, commercial zone, B - church of Grendelbruch.
Trails 1-4 could easily be picked up in village of Bischoffsheim, trail number 1 also in village of Griesheim-près-Molsheim, and trails numbers 2-4 in villages of Boersch, Ottrott and Klingenthal.
Trail number 1 loops mostly on its own except for a mini-short overlapping with trail number 3 and later trails number 2 and 4, all in the same direction.
Trails number 2, 3 and 4 start out together. Trail number 2 takes a shortcut south, and hooks up with trail number 4 again at its most southern point; they loop back together into Rosheim, overlapping a short-short section with trail number 1.
Trails number 3 and 4 continue together for another section, after which trail number 3 goes south to the west of Boersch, where it loops back east to Rosheim, overlapping a short section with trail number 1.
Trail number 4 seems to take in some extra climbing, goes past Ottrott, and then approaches Boersch from the south. The last bit back into Rosheim it overlaps with trail number 2, and a short-short section with trail number 1.
Trail number 5 loops all by itself, south of Grendelbruch.
Map and signage
Check out the informative pdf file.
Interconnecting trails
You have the trails of Suisse d'Alsace in the north. In particular trail number 5 seems combinable with trail number 8 (black), by using the TMV as a double-back section. North of Rosheim, equally hopping over road D1420, you have trail number 7 (green).
In the south, the closest neighbouring trails seem to be the ones of Pays de Barr et du Bernstein.
Notes
My theoretical favourite: Trail number 4.
[Back to Top]
Saverne (67700)
Saverne is located about 40 km northwest of Strasbourg. Tourist Office.
Several parking alternatives mentioned on the pdf file (see below). In particular village of Stambach might be a more quiet alternative of a starting point than the one in the centre of Saverne.
Trail number 1 loops on its own up north towards the village of Dossenheim-sur-Zinsel in the shape of three circles, so it seems easy to cut the loop short in two places.
As for trails 2 and 3 the pdf is slightly confusing, but they either start out where trail number 1 finishes (thus, opposite directions), or they start out together on a double-back section. Either case, trail number 3 later shoots off on its own in westward direction, possibly overlapping but at least running in paralel with trail number 1, which comes in from the west on its way back to Saverne.
Trail number 2 is a shorter version of trail number 3; trail number 3 hooks up with its most southern corner, and they both overlap all the way back to Saverne. Trail number 2 is shaped as two circles with a short double-back section in between.
Map and signage
Check out the informative pdf file.
Interconnecting trails
Trail number 1, at its most northern point close to village Dossenheim-sur-Zinsel, could possibly be easily be hooked up with trail number 5 (red) of La Petite Pierre, by using the TMV as a double-back section.
The most southern point of trail number 2 (where also trail number 3 loops) seems within bikeable distance from trail number 3 (red) of Suisse d'Alsace, by using the TMV as a double-back section.
[Back to Top]
Sélestat (67600)
Sélestat is located som 50 km southwest of Strasbourg. Tourist Office. Wikipedia.
Official starting point (A) is the tourist office in Sélestat.
Alternative starting points would be villages of Ebersmunster, Muttersholtz or Ebersheim.
This is a very flat route; it consists of two circles with a double-back section in between.
Map and signage
Check out the informative pdf file.
[Back to Top]
Soufflenheim (67620)
Soufflenheim is located some 40 km north of Strasbourg. Wikipedia.
Basically, this is one single loop of maximum 20 km. Green and blue loops provide shorter versions of 8 and 14 km. Looks very flat!
Map and signage
Check out the informative pdf file.
[Back to Top]
Suisse d'Alsace
The trails of Suisse d'Alsace take in villages of Wangenbourg (67710), Oberhaslach (67280), Niederhaslach (67280), Engenthal (67710) and Obersteigen (67710). They are located some 40 km west of the city of Strasbourg.
Official starting points are as follows: A - chapel of Obersteigen, B - panorama of Engenthal le Haut, C - Col de Pandours, D - Lieu-dit Kreutzelbruck, E - Niederhaslach, rue de la Forêt, F - Oberhaslach, salle polyvalente, G - rocher du Dabo.
Trail number 1 (green) starts with a short double-back section. Maybe half way into the ride it overlaps (in the same direction) with trail number 2 (blue) and then a short section with trail number 6 (blue) after which it shoots north, intercedes trail number 6 (blue) again, and then trail number 2 (blue) again, before it goes solo on its double-track back into Obersteigen (as an alternative ending: follow trail number 2 this last bit). An alternative starting-point could be the official starting point of trail number 6: Lieu-dit Kreutzelbruck.
The first part of trail number 2 (blue) travels alone, then hooks up a section with trail number 1 (green). Splitting up north, it overlaps (in opposite directions) with trail number 6 (blue). Turning west it hooks up with trail number 1 again. Close to Obersteigen the two trails part, to go into the village separate trails. Here trail number 2 hooks up with trail number 3 (red) (in opposite directions), splits off, then overlaps with trail number 4 (red) (in both directions) the last bit to the panorama of Engenthal le Haut.
Trail number 3 shares the official starting point with trail number 1. Looping mainly on its own in the west, at its most northern point it seems to interconnect nicely with trail number 4 (red). The last bit back into village of Obersteigen it overlaps (in opposite directions) with trail number 2 (blue).
Trail number 4 (red) shares the official starting point with trail number 2 (blue). Starting with a short double-back section up north, it overlaps (in both directions) with trail number 2. Shooting west and then south it overlaps (in opposite directions) a large section with trail number 5 (blue). In the south it splits off on its own, and in the northwest it seems to interconnect nicely with trail number 3 (red). Shortly thereafter it overlaps (in both directions) with trail number 2 (blue), the last bit back to the panorama of Engenthal le Haut.
An alternative starting point for trail number 5 (blue) could be the village of Windsburg, providing a connection to trail number 4 (red). Except for their pretty lengthy overlapping (in opposite directions) in the northwest, trail number 5 loops on its own. Trails number 2 (blue) and 8 (black) seem nevertheless to be within combination distance.
Trail number 6 (blue) overlaps from the start with trail number 1 (green), and later with trail number 2 (blue) (in both directions), then again with trail number 1, before it shoots off to do most of its distance on its own, with a visit to the village-and-alternative-starting-point of Cosswiller.
Trail number 7 (green) loops fully on its own in between villages of Niederhaslach (where it starts with a short double-back section) and Heiligenberg. At its most southern point there is another double-back section, possibly to enjoy a viewpoint at 409 metres of height.
Boasting with the highest point of this trail system (937 metres of height), trail number 8 (black) loops all by itself north and west of Oberhaslach. It could nevertheless possibly be easily combined with trail number 5 (blue) in the north (running paralel).
The short trails D5 and S start from rocher du Dabo, where also trails 3 and 4 loop through. Except for a short section, trail S seems to loop on its own, in the shape of an eight so distance can be cut even shorter. Trail D5 loops half of its distance on its own, and the second half it overlaps in the same direction with trail number 4.
Map and signage
Check out the informative pdf file.
Also, check out the downloads page of the www.suisse-alsace.fr site. Here you find detailed descriptions and topographic overviews of trail number 3, 6, 7 and 8. The Circuit VTT shows two additional trails (D5 and S) compared to the pdf file in the previous paragraph.
As for trail number 3, the two sites quote different amount of climbing.
Interconnecting trails
The most northern point of trail number 3 seems within bikeable distance from trails number 2 (red) and 3 (red) of Saverne, by using the TMV as a double-back section.
A less desirable, yet seemingly workable, combination would be trails number 2 (green) and 3 (blue) of Marmoutier, also this from the most northernpoint of trail number 3.
Notes
I am yet to ride here! My theoretical favourites? Trail number 4 and, if I wanted to add some more distance after that, trail number 2.
[Back to Top]
Val de Villé
The trails of Val de Villé take in villages of Villé, Steige and Breitenau, all with postal code 67220. They are located some 50 kilometer southwest of Strasbourg. Tourist Office.
Official starting points are villages of A - Thanvillé, B - Villé, C - Steige and D - Breitenau.
Village of Villé, housing four of the in total seven trails, chooses to have three (!) different starting points: Trail number 2 from place de la Gare, trails number 3 and 5 from Collège aire de jeux and trail number 6 from the tourist office.
Trail number 1 (red) starts with a lengthy double-back section from Thanvillé, before it loops all on its own in the southeast. Personally, I'd find an alternative starting point (on the topographic map that I usually buy).
Trail number 2 (red) loops on its own northeast of Villé, touching little village of Triembach-au-Val in the south.
Trail number 3 (red) is a shorter version of trail number 5 (black). In the northwest both trails overlap with trail number 4 (red) (in the same direction). After trail number 3 returns to Villé on a stretch of its own, trail number 5 takes on a wider loop into the south. At the end trail number 5 overlaps with the beginning bit of trail number 6 (red) (thus, in opposite directions).
Trail number 4 (red) starts with a double-back section. Most of its distance is covered in the south and southeast by trails number 3 (red) and 5 (black).
Trail number 6 (red) starts out overlapping with the finishing distance of trail number 5 (black) (thus, in opposite directions) before shooting south. In the east it overlaps (in the same direction) with trail number 7 (red). An alternative starting point could be the one of trail number 7: lieu-dit Stangenplatz. Or even village of Breitenau.
Trail number 7 (red) is a short loop, and half of its distance is covered by trail number 6 (red).
Map and signage
Check out the informative pdf file.
Interconnecting trails
Le Hohwald is 14 kilometers away into the north, possibly even closer off-road.
Sélestat is 17 kilometers away, in the southeast.
Neighbouring French departments of Vosges and Haut-Rhin in the southwest might have trails running close-by. For example, some 60 kilometres away you have Gerardmer, its trail number 10 once put a big grin on my face .. All other trails I tried in the area were less impressive, though.
Notes
My theoretical favourites: Combine trails 2 and 3. Another day in the area? Start at Stangenplatz and do trails 6 and 7 (and suffer through the section you have to ride twice).
[Back to Top]
