Hiking circuit of the ruins

Oberhaslach

A tour to discover all the castles' ruins and forts in the Nideck area: Hohenstein, Grand and Petit Ringelstein. A small passage to the highest waterfall of the Lower Rhine: the Nideck waterfall, then a beautiful view from the Hirschfels rock.

From the parking lot at the Nideck forest ranger station, take the trail toward the Nideck ruins (you can also climb up to the ruins of the upper castle). Once at the ruins, head back down to the lower castle and turn right onto the trail leading down to the waterfall. Pass behind the shelter before taking a footbridge leading to the right toward the top of the waterfall.<br /> Continue toward the waterfall until you reach a fork in the trail in front of a footbridge. (To see the bottom of the waterfall, follow the red rectangle—a 20-minute round trip—but note that the return hike is on a steep slope!). Take the trail marked with the blue ring that ascends to the left toward the Hirschfels rock. At the top of the rock, enjoy a beautiful view of the Nideck. Leave the rock via the trail that descends toward RD 218. Turn right onto the road for 30 meters, then turn left to cross a small bridge over the Hasel. Continue left toward the village of Oberhaslach. After about 500 m, pass behind the Luttenbach campground. Continue along this route for 1,100 meters to reach the site of the former Hohensteinwald sawmill. At the T-junction, turn left until you reach RD 218. In front of the Hohensteinwald forest ranger station (MF), turn left again and walk 70 meters, then cross the road and take the trail directly across—which is quite steep in places—up to the ruins of Hohenstein Castle. Retrace your steps, and at the fork, turn left to quickly reach a wide path; follow it to the left until you reach a large intersection. From there, turn right and follow the forest road for 1,600 meters; at a hairpin curve, turn left onto a steep trail leading to the ruins of the Grand Ringelstein. A small bridge leads to the castle. Cross through the ruins and descend to a pass before climbing again on the opposite side via a steep trail to the Petit Ringelstein. Continue in the same direction and descend to the large crossroads at the Anlagen. From there, follow the blue rectangular markers (Saint-Florent Pilgrims’ Trail). This will take you back to the RD218, which you’ll follow to the left for about 700 meters to the parking lot at the Nideck Forest House (MF).

A tour that takes you to all the castle ruins in the Nideck region: Hohenstein, Grand Ringelstein, and Petit Ringelstein. A short detour to the highest waterfall in the Bas-Rhin: the Nideck Waterfall, followed by a beautiful view from the Hirschfels rock.