The area around the Großer Stiefel is a wonderful hiking area today, especially in summer, in the shady deciduous forest. Once you reach the Boot, you can stop by the Stiefeler Hütte. There are also several places to eat in Sengscheid.
The St. Ingbert Boot is a unique sandstone rock formation shaped by water and wind, which may already have been an object of religious veneration in Celtic times. The shape of this natural monument resembles an upside-down shoe or boot. The lower part of the Boot has weathered into a natural column that supports the upper stone mass, which in turn carries a hefty stone on top.
Autorentipp
Here on the St. Ingbert Boot, which gave the entire mountain its name, the transitions between history and legend are fluid. The rock, shaped by erosion into a giant boot, is said to have served the giant Kreuzmann as a "sacrificial table" in ancient times. He is said to have cut up and eaten sacrifices, preferably humans, on the Boot. This giant was reputed to be very evil and angry. In his fits of rage, he uprooted numerous trees and threw them along with the surrounding rocks down the mountain. One of these boulders is said to have been his grindstone – this monolith still stands today in a front yard in the Rentrisch district. So the legend goes.
Such "giant legends" may also suggest that there were various civilizations here on the Stiefeler Mountain in ancient times – here at the Boot for the first time in the Late Bronze Age (1200 to 800 BC). Of interest in this context is the nearby "Devil's Table." The rock standing on the same platform is a five-sided monolith made of foreign rock cut by human hands. It was probably the actual sacrificial table, presumably for the Celts.
Wegbeschreibung
The route begins at a forest parking lot in St. Ingbert - Sengscheid. First, you follow a paved path to a junction. Here you leave the path and climb a steep trail. The trail leads to a gravel forest path, which we leave a few meters further. Partly over small rocks and past steep slopes, you ascend to a small high plateau. Here you can admire the famous rock formation "Stiefeler Felsen" and the "Devil's Table", a five-sided carved stone, and take a short break on benches.
Following the signpost to the "Stiefeler Hütte" we continue to climb the mountain on a trail until we finally reach the "Stiefeler Hütte". Here you can have something to drink and a small bite to eat. Then the route continues on a forest path. After about 150 meters you reach the summit. We follow the forest path along the ridge and finally reach a junction to the "Stiefeler Schloss". The "Stiefeler Schloss" was probably only a watchtower and only a few stones remain.
The route continues over narrow trails and past steep cliffs. Below the "Stiefeler Felsen" we descend the mountain again on narrow paths and finally reach the junction from the very beginning. Following the paved path, we return to our starting point, the forest parking lot.
Ausrüstung
Basic equipment / backpack
Clothing
Hiking shoes / trekking shoes, hiking socks, hiking backpack (waterproof)
Hiking poles, hiking pants (detachable legs), sport shirt, sun hat / cap
Sunglasses, sweater / rain jacket
Provisions
Drinks (tip: drinking tube), preferably water or spritzers, better too much than too little!
Food, for example energy bars, nuts, or fruit
Useful items
Hiking map / route description
Cash, mobile phone (+ charging cable) with emergency numbers and Saarland route app
ID card, vaccination record, health insurance card
Tissues, headlamp, pocket knife
First-aid kit
First-aid set, painkillers (head, stomach, intestines)
Insect repellent, insect spray, plasters, blister plasters, tick remover or card
If applicable, personal medication (diabetics, allergy sufferers ...)
Sunscreen
Basic equipment / backpack
Clothing
Hiking shoes / trekking shoes, hiking socks, hiking backpack (waterproof)
Hiking poles, hiking pants (detachable legs), sport shirt, sun hat / cap
Sunglasses, sweater / rain jacket
Provisions
Drinks (tip: drinking tube), preferably water or spritzers, better too much than too little!
Food, for example energy bars, nuts, or fruit
Useful items
Hiking map / route description
Cash, mobile phone (+ charging cable) with emergency numbers and Saarland route app
ID card, vaccination record, health insurance card
Tissues, headlamp, pocket knife
First-aid kit
First-aid set, painkillers (head, stomach, intestines)
Insect repellent, insect spray, plasters, blister plasters, tick remover or card
If applicable, personal medication (diabetics, allergy sufferers ...)
Sunscreen
Weitere Informationen
Hotel Sengscheider Hof, Birkenkopfweg 4 - 66386 St. Ingbert
https://www.sengscheiderhof.de/, Tel. 06894 – 9820
Gasthaus Fath, Grumbachweg 20, 66386 St. Ingbert, https://saarkultur.wixsite.com/gasthausfath/, Tel: 06894/889960
Alpha Hotel, Zum Ensheimer Gelösch 2, 66386 St. Ingbert-Sengscheid
(0)6894-9850, rezeption@alfa-hotel.de, www.alfa-hotel.de
Stiefeler Hütte, On the Großer Stiefel, 66386 St. Ingbert
Phone +49 152 52489030
https://www.stiefeler-huette.de/
Further places to eat in the town of St. Ingbert
