Moosch: Trails, Viewpoints and Local Culture

Moosch combines walking trails, viewpoints, and a distinctive local history. The municipality is one of 188 municipalities in the Ballons des Vosges Regional Nature Park. Moosch is also listed as a municipality in the Hautes Vosges haut-rhinoises ZNIEFF; the nature inventory entry is dated June 12, 2024. For your plans, you can choose between walks, a designated circular hike, and cultural sights.

Hiking and Scenery Around Moosch

The Sentier des 4 collines runs around Moosch and offers numerous viewpoints as well as pleasant walks. Another specific hiking option is the route to Cascade du Bubalafels: the route description, published on February 13, 2020, identifies it as an easy 45-minute circular hike. This gives you two different approaches to planning: a tour with a specified duration and the more generally described walks. As trail conditions can change, it is best to check them before setting out.

At Cascade du Bubalafels, the rock face itself is also a geological point of interest. It consists of volcanic rocks such as keratophyre and keratophyric tuff, or volcanosedimentary rocks such as greywacke. The information therefore distinguishes between two groups of rock: keratophyre and keratophyric tuff are classified as volcanic, while greywacke is classified as volcanosedimentary. If you want to pay attention to the rock as well as the trail on an outing, these names offer a specific indication of the face’s composition.

Church and History

The parish church of Saint-Augustin in Moosch was built between 1861 and 1862 and consecrated in 1864. Its nave has three aisles; the nave and choir are covered by ribbed vaults. “Three-aisled” describes the division of the nave into three aisles. The description of the vaults applies to both this part of the church and the choir. At Saint-Augustin, you can therefore identify both the interior layout and the form of the ceilings, while the construction and consecration dates provide the church’s historical timeframe.

Local Traditions and Culture

Every year on August 15, a large group of parishioners climbs in procession to one of the four hills around Moosch. The tradition fulfills the promise made in 1916 by civil and religious authorities to erect a votive monument dedicated to the Virgin Mary if the village were spared. The date, procession, and connection to the hills are linked: the ascent is to one of the four hills each time, not to a specific peak. The Colline du bûcher is also associated with a local tradition: the burning of the Saint John’s bonfire.

La Mine à bouquins hosts exhibitions and conferences. Depending on the season or festivities, it also organizes arts and crafts and painting workshops for children during school holidays. The cultural program thus ranges from events to workshops explicitly scheduled during school holidays. La Mine à bouquins has around 6,000 books. If you are traveling with children, the workshops may be an interesting activity; they are tied to school holidays and take place depending on the season or festivities.

Shelter, Pond, and Auberge

The La Mésange shelter in the Moosch forest is open to the public. It is best to check the facility’s current condition before visiting. At Étang des noisetiers, anglers can fish in a natural setting. Before fishing, check the current local conditions.

Auberge du Belacker can be reached from Moosch via forest roads. The seven-kilometer route passes through Malmerspach and Mitzach. As trail conditions and access arrangements can change, check them before setting out. The auberge serves meals prepared with farm produce, as well as traditional home cooking and various specialties. If you plan to eat there, check the current offerings before your trip.

Discover more destinations: Lutter, Thann, Saint-Louis, Kingersheim, Oberlarg, Wasserbourg, Stosswihr, Freland.

For the broader travel overview: Haut-Rhin.